Blichmann burner now or wait for BoilCoil?

[MicahB]

Hey all, I was hoping someone here could help me out with my dilemma. I've been doing extract batches and PM's for the past couple years and am starting to feel a bit limited and ready to move into all-grain, namely, BIAB. A friend of mine hooked me up with an old keg which I've begun converting into a keggle, however, my old burner(a two burner CampChef stove@ 30K btu) seems like it may be a bit underpowered for larger batches as well as accounting for the shape of the keggle bottom and burner size rather than my current flat-bottomed kettle.

My question is; Should I spring for a new Blichmann burner now or wait until March(hopefully) for the release of the new BoilCoil system?

I think the BoilCoil would really help with hitting mash temps and be pretty sweet to have the MT and BK in one. Any thoughts or input would be appreciated!

Cheers!

 

[aiptasia]

The drawback that I can see with the boil coil is that since it's an immersion heater, it could potentially damage a BIAB bag. I'm thinking that like traditional propane boiling, a heavy nylon BIAB bag filled with grain might warp and melt if it comes into contact with a heating element.

 

[MicahB]

Well, I would definitely put something underneath the bag to keep it up and away from the element. I've found certain things like a small dollar store strainer can make you feel like MacGyver at times... :rockin:

 

[insanim8er]

You could use one of those strainers that fit in pots. The kind that come with turkey fryers.

Get one that fit inside the boil coil and put your bag in there.

Possible Downside would be it may limit your grain volume

 

[MicahB]

Yeah, I'm not terribly concerned with figuring out a way to keep my bag off of the element, I'm pretty crafty when the need arises. I'm more concerned with whether or not waiting for the BoilCoil is worth the wait. I think the idea of having my mash temp totally controlled sounds great as opposed to "goosing" the temp whenever it drops manually with a gas burner, but I'm not sure if that's just fanciful thinking or not.

 

[insanim8er]

Then wait and see how much they want for it. I have 3 blichmanns. I'm waiting to convert two pots and do a HERMS.

I'm just hoping it's not crazy expensive

 

[MicahB]

Does anyone have any idea of a ballpark starting price point for these?

 

[DurtyChemist]

I've done 2 BIAB batches and my third is tomorrow.

Burner doesn't matter. I did a turkey fryer for one and a Blichmann for the last one. I like the minimal sound of the Blichmann so if you can afford it now. My turkey fryer was rated about the same as your Camp Chef burners. I did full boil 10 gallon batches using that setup for extract for a long time. BIAB is just steeping grains (easiest way to think of it) then boiling so don't stress it.

I personally check mash temp and pH, using strips, every 10 minutes and mix the mash up. I've had good results doing that and it helps me keep the mash around 150-154 for a 90 minute mash. I enjoy brewing and spending the time doing nothing for 10 minutes at a time and relaxing a little bit.

Buy a large grain bag, get some of those big black clips you find at Office Depot to hold the bag, don't let the grains sit on the bottom of the kettle (scorching) and keep the thermometer up high enough to read it comfortably and also kept away from the flame. Oh, and brew a batch each weekend for three weeks, it's helping me get comfortable with a routine and figuring out how much I want to measure EVERYTHING before I stop measuring everything.

 

[insanim8er]

Does anyone have any idea of a ballpark starting price point for these?

Nope, prices aren't out. John has a post about the stuff, I'm sure you've seen it, and there's no pricing yet.

I'm guessing due to their prapriatory cable, it won't be as cheap as a hot water element. I'd say less than $200, but more than $100.

I'm expecting my 20 gallon will be closer to the $200 mark

 

[MicahB]

Nope, prices aren't out. John has a post about the stuff, I'm sure you've seen it, and there's no pricing yet.

I'm guessing due to their prapriatory cable, it won't be as cheap as a hot water element. I'd say less than $200, but more than $100.

I'm expecting my 20 gallon will be closer to the $200 mark

Yeah. I thought they had figured around that price point from the YouTube video I saw last year from BGN, but I couldn't remember. Well I think I may just hold off until it comes out and assess my options then. It's only another month anyway, right?