Burner Opinions

[KarmaCitra]

So piece by piece I am upgrading my equipment and I thought the next piece I would upgrade is my burner (currently using a standard turkey fryer burner). I have a 15 gallon AMCYL kettle, and I feel like the burner now doesn't get it to boil all that fast. So, I wanted to see what everyone's opinion/experience was with various burners heating a 15 gallon pot. I've looked at a few (Darkstar 2.0, SP10, bayou classic high pressure, etc) and I can't decide!

 

[enkamania]

I use a Blichmann burner and I love it

 

[Morrey]

Just went thru the same search as you. Decided on the Blichmann with leg extensions. I cannot begin to tell you how impressive this burner is. Spendy, but it is whisper quiet and sips propane in a frugal manner. Maybe I am wishful thinking, but over time, the propane savings may possibly pay for the burner.

 

[EcuPirate07]

I could be wrong but the dark star might have trouble holding a 15g pot. I have the edelmetall, but I think 85% of responses you will get will be for the blichmann. I enjoy my edelmtall, its comparable to the blichmann but a little cheaper. I would say spend the money now and be happy. I bought the bayou first then went to the edelmetall, so I could have saved myself the $60. I left like the bayou just didn't get me to the rolling boil I needed and if I pushed it too hard half the gas ports would go out.

 

[KarmaCitra]

I thought about the blichmann, it's the price that makes me hesitant. I've heard nothing but great things though. So are the blichmanns ok to hold a 15 gallon pot?

 

[EcuPirate07]

I thought about the blichmann, it's the price that makes me hesitant. I've heard nothing but great things though. So are the blichmanns ok to hold a 15 gallon pot?

Yes

 

[ZebulonBrewer]

If you're handy, you can buy the burner part of the blichman off of Amazon and build it to suit your needs. There are only a few different actual burners out there (mainstream easily buyable stuff). The SQ10/Darkstar 1.0, the Darkstar 2.0 and SQ14 are identical. The blichman is identical to the KAB4. Differences are just regulators, stand, and price. With a 15 gallon pot are you doing 5 gallon batches with lots of headspace? The SQ14 can handle it. If you're pushing 10 gallons+ of wort and are not full of patience and free time, get the bigger burner.

 

[KarmaCitra]

I'm currently doing 5 gallon batches, but will get into 10 gallons in the near future.

 

[Murphys_Law]

I currently use a Bayou SP10 and it does a good job. Thing sounds like a jet engine, though! I'm thinking of upgrading to a Blichmann but can't justify getting rid of a perfectly workable piece of hardware.

 

[day_trippr]

I currently use a Bayou SP10 and it does a good job. Thing sounds like a jet engine, though! I'm thinking of upgrading to a Blichmann but can't justify getting rid of a perfectly workable piece of hardware.

See, that's where they get you: you have a rig you'd love to replace but you're invested.

The Blichmann burner is the bomb wrt construction and performance.
They will handle at least a 30 gallon kettle. I run 10g and 20g kettles on mine.
I'm pretty sure they will outlive their original owners and look good doing it
And they are priced accordingly.

If you're going to buy a burner once, it is the one to buy...

Cheers!

 

[brick_haus]

Blichmann is the best choice.

 

[Morrey]

I thought about the blichmann, it's the price that makes me hesitant. I've heard nothing but great things though. So are the blichmanns ok to hold a 15 gallon pot?

The Blichmann burner has four adjustable bases that the pot sits on. I have two Blichmann kettles with one being a 10G and the other 20G. It takes a couple of minutes and I can adjust for either kettle to a custom fit. 15G kettle is no problem.

You ever see one of those round stands they use in a circus and the elephant stands on it to do tricks? I would bet an elephant could stand on this burner.

Buy a Blichmann and only cry once.

 

[MrE_the_Great]

I have both a Blichmann and an Edelmetall burner. In all honestly I notice little difference in the two performance wise. The Edelmetall has a second adjustment valve that allows for mico adjustments to the flame if that's something you think you would need. I like it but don't really adjust it anymore as I got more comfortable with the burner.

Construction: they are comparable...but I think the Blichmann wins this category. It seems to be indestructible and is slightly shorter if that's important to you.

Performance: IMO, they are so close I don't know that I prefer one to the other here.

Good luck!

 

[oujens]

I opted for the Bayou KAB4. I think it works great. Disclaimer, I have not used it with propane in a brew session but have had success with natural gas. I have done some test runs with propane and it seems to run great (the regulator was touchy and needed to get used to it). I think there was a redesign where it brings the platform closer to the heat shield and makes it more efficient, so older comments might not apply to the current product. I'll bow to the blichmann as a superior burner, but I think you can achieve good results with the KAB4 and have some money left over for other equipment. The cons I have with the KAB4 is that you need to set something under it if you want to raise your kettle higher for draining into a bucket with a ball valve (blichmann has leg extensions for this) and the frame is painted so it burns off the first couple of uses. Other than that, I get to a boil much quicker than my turkey fryer. I think a good burner is a wise investment, so don't feel bad for spending some money on one.

 

[Morrey]

See, that's where they get you: you have a rig you'd love to replace but you're invested.

The Blichmann burner is the bomb wrt construction and performance.
They will handle at least a 30 gallon kettle. I run 10g and 20g kettles on mine.
I'm pretty sure they will outlive their original owners and look good doing it
And they are priced accordingly.

If you're going to buy a burner once, it is the one to buy...

Cheers!

That is so true! One marketing slogan I am paraphrasing......"That Blichmann burner will last longer than my liver" LOL I agree those bad boys are built for the long haul.

 

[jmill]

I have both Blichmann and a KAB4 based burner. The Blichmann is expensive but I find it is better in a few respects. 1. It uses far less propane. 2. It is much quieter. 3. I get a more consistent blue flame with it.

I was happy enough with the Blichmann that I bought a second.