craigmw
Well-Known Member
Interesting story about these burners...
I really wanted to purchase a cheapo burner locally, checking the various big box stores last Saturday, with no luck. My LHBS had a Bayou Classic burner/stand combo for $89. I don't need a stand, as I intend to do BIAB brews on my BBQ island. I was looking at the shorter BC burner stands (e.g. the KAB4 and KAB6), but they were almost $90+ using Amazon Prime. Given the fact that my BBQ island is plumbed for natural gas, and since the Blichmann burner can be outfitted to run on natural gas, I was tempted. I intend to start with LPG, but really hate going down to purchase over-priced LPG refills (about $20 per 20lb tank), so will eventually switch to natural gas. Another issue is that those BC units are made from steel and will rust, thus I was also tempted by the Blichmann unit. Nice.. shiny... to much to resist! I think the price differential between the better BC units (and others) vs. the Blichmann was probably much more attractive only a few years ago. I imagine that many turkey fryer accidents over that time (and the ensuing lawsuits) have made those big box burners much more expensive, thus reducing the delta in price between them and the Blichmann.
So, I made the executive decision to a) have a homebrew and b) hit the purchase button on the Blichmann. Starting at a) made the choice to commit to b) much easier. I'll have my first run with it this Saturday. Wish me luck!
I really wanted to purchase a cheapo burner locally, checking the various big box stores last Saturday, with no luck. My LHBS had a Bayou Classic burner/stand combo for $89. I don't need a stand, as I intend to do BIAB brews on my BBQ island. I was looking at the shorter BC burner stands (e.g. the KAB4 and KAB6), but they were almost $90+ using Amazon Prime. Given the fact that my BBQ island is plumbed for natural gas, and since the Blichmann burner can be outfitted to run on natural gas, I was tempted. I intend to start with LPG, but really hate going down to purchase over-priced LPG refills (about $20 per 20lb tank), so will eventually switch to natural gas. Another issue is that those BC units are made from steel and will rust, thus I was also tempted by the Blichmann unit. Nice.. shiny... to much to resist! I think the price differential between the better BC units (and others) vs. the Blichmann was probably much more attractive only a few years ago. I imagine that many turkey fryer accidents over that time (and the ensuing lawsuits) have made those big box burners much more expensive, thus reducing the delta in price between them and the Blichmann.
So, I made the executive decision to a) have a homebrew and b) hit the purchase button on the Blichmann. Starting at a) made the choice to commit to b) much easier. I'll have my first run with it this Saturday. Wish me luck!
My SWMBO commented that it looks cool and "space age." I agree with the earlier comment that it really has a solid build and great quality. So, this has just confirmed my decision to get one of these. I'm really looking forward to trying it out on my new BIAB rig. I was thinking about going with an eBIAB setup, but I'm starting to rethink that. Has anyone set up their own automation using one of these burners (e.g. with a gas solenoid valve)?
