Is the Bayou Classic KAB6 Too Much For A 5 Gallon Kettle?

Hey there home brewers, I have a question. I am new to home brewing and have only done 3 batches of extract so far. I have been doing all my brewing indoors on the kitchen gas range but my wife is complaining of the smell (although I think it is wonderful) so I decided to move my brewing outside. Today I stopped in at my local home brew supply store and the guy recommended that I get the Bayou Classic KBA6: ( http://bayouclassicdepot.com/kab6-kick-a-banjo-burner-plus.htm ).

Not having done much research I followed his advice when he asked me if I someday plan to do all grain (which I told him I do) so he suggested this burner. My question is this, since I currently only have a 5 gallon (20 quart) stainless steel kettle will this burner be overkill? The box states for pots 14" in diameter and above but measureing my kettle after getting home it is only 12" in diameter. Measuring the burner itself is 10" in diameter. Will I have problems using this with my 5 gallon kettle? I am afraid the 30 PSI regulator and the 210,000+ BTUs will cause me to have problems unless I jump up to a 32+ quart kettle. I mentioned earlier in my conversation to the sales guy that I only have a 5 gallon kettle and he still recommended this to me so I hope I am okay. It was only $25 more ($110 total) than the burner I was looking at which was much smaller so since I was investing the money I wanted to buy something only once that could grow with me when I move to bigger batches and all grain. What do you guys think? Should I take this burner back before I use it and get a smaller burner or should I keep it and just keep the heat down (if possible). Any advice from other home brewers will be much appreciated!

Happy brewing and thanks in advance!!!

I can't say I've used the KAB6 for 5 gallon batches, but I use one for 10 gallon batches and I bet you could turn it down to where it would be fine. That said, if you're serious about the 10 gallon batches, keep it.

You will get a very very angry boil, and potentially scorching if the flames creep up the sides of your kettle. That said, for 5 gallon batches, do yourself a favor and get a 10 gallon kettle. Plenty of head space.

malevolent said:

You will get a very very angry boil, and potentially scorching if the flames creep up the sides of your kettle. That said, for 5 gallon batches, do yourself a favor and get a 10 gallon kettle. Plenty of head space.

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One of the biggest steps I made as a brewer was doing full 5 gallon boils and you really need a 10 gallon kettle to do that.

My kettle and new burner.....overkill?

Overkill is what we are all about. That looks awesome!

I have only a 3 gal pot which i use on the stove. With that said, there is a regulator on the burner you should be able to crank low enough that scorching should not be a problem. Always get the larger size if you can with home brew equipment so you don't need to pay for the same equipment multiple times.

scottab said:

I have only a 3 gal pot which i use on the stove. With that said, there is a regulator on the burner you should be able to crank low enough that scorching should not be a problem. Always get the larger size if you can with home brew equipment so you don't need to pay for the same equipment multiple times.

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So true! Thing is I just purchased this 5 gallon kettle only 2 months ago because I was afraid a bigger kettle wouldn't do well on my kitchen stove. Now I am moving my brewing outdoors and wishing I had purchased a bigger kettle. I will just try heating up 3 gallons of water and give it a test run to see if I can regulate temperature without any problems. Like any batch of brew, I will need to constantly monitor the boiling wort and temperature.

craft_beer_fan said:

My kettle and new burner.....overkill?

View attachment 66153

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Hilarious.

I've been thinking of upgrading to a banjo burner as well even though I currently only have a 5 gallon pot. On the stove, I can safely boil 4 gallons.

We're you able to dial this down enough?

johnbrain said:

I've been thinking of upgrading to a banjo burner as well even though I currently only have a 5 gallon pot. On the stove, I can safely boil 4 gallons.

We're you able to dial this down enough?

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Not sure yet, I haven't tried it yet. I will post the results.

I use this for a five gallon pot and have no problems on the boil. I run into problems steeping specialty grains though. Once I get to temp it will flame out when I reduce the flow to keep it at about 155. Other than it works fine. Does go thru a lot of propane. I get about 3.5 batches per tank.

dfaridoni said:

I use this for a five gallon pot and have no problems on the boil. I run into problems steeping specialty grains though. Once I get to temp it will flame out when I reduce the flow to keep it at about 155. Other than it works fine. Does go thru a lot of propane. I get about 3.5 batches per tank.

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Excellent! Thank you for posting. I wondered about that as far as steeping goes....do you have a flame out because of the wind and that low of throttle on the regulator? Would an additional shield from wind help?

For my next brew (Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA Clone) I plan on doing a partial mash so will probably just kill the flame and insulate the pot once to mashing temp. Looking forward to using this burner as opposed to the kitchen gas range which is only about 7000 BTUs I believe.

Again, thanks for the info and posting! Cheers!!

Overkill?

Are you serious?

That's like asking "do her boobs look too big"?

Enjoy the upgrade!!

craft_beer_fan said:

My kettle and new burner.....overkill?

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I get flame out because I can't regulate the burner to keep a constant temp at 150-155. I let it go up to about 160 then kill it until it gets back down to 150, relight and finish steeping and then up to boil. It's not the breeze it's the low flow for that temp. I have fabricated a wind shield for it from flashing and it works well. Also, I never had a problem with scorching or flames running up the sides of the kettle (mine's a 12 inch diameter as well). I plan on getting a 10 gallon so this was the way to go, especially at $55 from homebrew heaven

kscarrington said:

Overkill?

Are you serious?

That's like asking "do her boobs look too big"?

Enjoy the upgrade!!

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LOL.....okay, ya got me.

dfaridoni said:

I get flame out because I can't regulate the burner to keep a constant temp at 150-155. I let it go up to about 160 then kill it until it gets back down to 150, relight and finish steeping and then up to boil. It's not the breeze it's the low flow for that temp. I have fabricated a wind shield for it from flashing and it works well. Also, I never had a problem with scorching or flames running up the sides of the kettle (mine's a 12 inch diameter as well). I plan on getting a 10 gallon so this was the way to go, especially at $55 from homebrew heaven

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Cool. I will see if mine will hold around 155, if not, maybe i will steep on my kitchen stove and then move the kettle outside for the boil.

Took 15 minutes to reach typical steeping temp of 155 F from ice cold tap water. I didn't have the regulator wide open since I was losing heat off the sides since I only have a 5 gallon kettle on top of this monster burner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuE_EjQ0LCA&feature=youtu.be

New burner in action!