Outdoor burners?

[jb3218]

I have been looking for a way to start doing my brewing outdoors and need a good propane burner, does anyone have any recommendations on a good burner that they have had success with? Thanks for the help!

Ch eck out wal-malt's web site. Type in 50 qt. turkey fryer. It comes with a 50 qt. aluminum pot with a drain basket and a burner with a regulator all for $50.00. I had it shipped to the store near me so I didn't have to pay for shipping. The aluminum pot heats up a lot faster than stainless steel. Just boil a full pot of water only to build up a coating on the inside of the pot. Check out the thread on SS versus aluminum. I have used both and prefer aluminum because it heats up a lot faster. Either way, burners are great for AG and full boils.

 

[mastroni83]

I have been using the SP10 for about a year and a half and have been very happy with it. I can raise 28 quarts of water in my HLT to 170 degrees in 10-15 minutes. I heat my keggle as I sparge and have a nice rolling boil about 10 minutes after the sparge has finished. Only problem I ever had was when a bug crawled into the burner and disrupted the air/gas mixture. The metal stand is not the prettiest anymore, but who am I trying to impress?

 

[stu4stew]

I use my river blaster (https://www.cascadeoutfitters.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=695&framein=)

very high btu output capabilities, and very efficient propane usage = no qualms from me

 

[dmcclain]

I have an SP10 and brewed 4 times with it so far. The black paint looks like crap now, but it works really well. When I've brewed in the garage (wind/rain) it is pretty noisy, but out on the patio it's not bad at all. I'm in a pretty open area and fight the wind quite a bit. The wind shield is nice. I have no complaints.

 

[Bulls Beers]

For the money, you can't beat the SQ 14. I've had it for more than 5 years. Still works great. I can do 10 gallon batches with zero problem..

 

[jskinner10]

Blichmann all the way. Super quiet, uses less propane than some burners I've used and it's built like a tank! Sure it's pricey, but well worth the extra $$.

 

[rednblack_500]

Also Blichmann. I had the basic turkey frier and it was fine getting a boil with the pot it came with, but I upgraded to a 15 gallon pot (how do you control boil overs? get a bigger pot! Ha!) and even doing 6 gallon boils, the performance was abysmal. I did a brew in February and with a slight wind, it took ~1.5 hours to get to a boil. The Blichmann took 25 minutes to get 10 gallons rolling. Yes, it's spendy. But if you're able to budget for it, it's a solid buy (~$208 with shipping and the legs added). It was worth it for me simply due to the time I was able to save. Just wish I had bought it in the first place and now I wouldn't be stuck with a frier I doubt I'll ever use again.

 

[VonAle]

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/bac...ge-patio-stove-with-hose-guard/554BPHP17.html

I got this one last Christmas
The pot sits about 1/2" above the outer ring. Wind is not an issue.

I can get my mash water into my MT in 10 minutes from flame on.
About 10 minutes to boil after the sparge is done.

I got this one with the intention to convert to NG some day.

I use about 3.5 to 4 lbs propane for a 5 gal batch.

 

[zippyclown]

Ch eck out wal-malt's web site. Type in 50 qt. turkey fryer. It comes with a 50 qt. aluminum pot with a drain basket and a burner with a regulator all for $50.00. I had it shipped to the store near me so I didn't have to pay for shipping. The aluminum pot heats up a lot faster than stainless steel. Just boil a full pot of water only to build up a coating on the inside of the pot. Check out the thread on SS versus aluminum. I have used both and prefer aluminum because it heats up a lot faster. Either way, burners are great for AG and full boils.

Walmart all the way. Got their cheapest turkey fryer setup. Think it was $50 and want to say brand was Bayou Classic. I don't use the cheap aluminum pot that came with it for brewing but the burner gets the job done. So far it's lasted about 5 years of brewing and boiling maple sap for hours on end. I store it indoors but have on occasion left it outside, got it wet, etc. I've literally never cleaned it or given it any attention whatsoever. A little rust here and there but will probably last me at least another few years. Great deal.

 

[oakbarn]

http://www.lacrawfish.com/Bayou-Cooker-KAB6--P289.aspx?gclid=CJq_xOnFp7cCFYJi7AodUykAag

We have this and a KAB4 (16 inch). They have worked flawlessly for 3 years.

 

[neophilus]

I use the Bayou Classic Banjo in the garage and out in the driveway and love it. The thing is a beast.

 

[TheZymurgist]

http://www.lacrawfish.com/Bayou-Cooker-KAB6--P289.aspx?gclid=CJq_xOnFp7cCFYJi7AodUykAag

We have this and a KAB4 (16 inch). They have worked flawlessly for 3 years.

This is a great burner, and the stand is large enough to fit a keggle easily. You can find them much cheaper than that, though. I picked mine up for just under $80 shipped.

 

[Nagorg]

SQ14 for my HLT
Blichmann for my Boil Kettle

 

[oakbarn]

This is a great burner, and the stand is large enough to fit a keggle easily. You can find them much cheaper than that, though. I picked mine up for just under $80 shipped.

Absolutely correct. We did not pay this much either. I just googled to find a quick link of the burner. Not as a great deal. Sorry.

 

[Capecodwhale]

King Kooker CS29 30-Inch Two-Burner Outdoor Cook Stove
54,000 BTU

Can have 2 boils at the same time. 2 different batches. 2 people brewing together...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O3LKYS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Lab_Rat]

+1 for the Blichman Burner. Although the burner is more expensive than others, it has a couple of things going for it.

1) It's Stainless Steel. This thing will last for ever.
2) The gap between the burner and the pot is fairly small and the wind screen comes almost all the way to the pot (about a 1 inch gap). I don't have to worry about wind and loosing BTU's out the sides.

 

[Clef051]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002913MI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I got this one earlier this year it works great on any batch ive done so far up too 15 gallons. before that I used a burner that came with a bass pro turkey fryer.

 

[Yesfan]

Even though I'm happy with my SQ-14, could one switch out the manifold for a different one? Seems the burner on the Blichmann is the same as on the Banjo Burner (or is it the Hurricane?). People rave about the Blichmann, so could I use the Banjo's manifold on my SQ's frame and have a (theoretically) better burner? Has anyone ever done that?

 

[HDIr0n]

This is where I got mine from, they have several others as well.

http://www.agrisupply.com/high-pressure-cast-iron-burner-100000-btus/p/64494/

-G

 

[MaxStout]

I have the SQ-14, it provides plenty of heat. Only downside is that I cannot get the fuel/air mixture to the point where it doesn't leave a lot of soot on the bottom of the kettle. I have played with the air inlet and tried many settings. When there is nothing sitting on the burner, the flames are deep blue with just a little yellow on the tips. But when I put a kettle on it, the flames turn more yellow, as less air is getting to the flame.

 

[kh54s10]

My HLT is on my original turkey fryer. I plan to replace it because it is slow. I have my boil kettle on an SP10 and it is a bit loud at full throttle but as soon as the boil starts I turn it down, almost off. I may look into the SQ-14 since it is about the same price as the SP10. I would like a Blichmann but they are WAY out of my budget.

 

[Magic8Ball]

+1 Blichmann. I wanted to brew 10 gal batches so I got the Blichmann, Bling, Shiny, My Precious, Bling Bling, Floor Burner with Leg extensions and a Natural Gas Conversion kit. Say goodbye to proPAIN refills? Turkey Fryer Bayou Classic worked fine for 5 gal batches and I owned it already to fry turkeys, so it was great. But now my Bling Bling Burner makes my wort boil faster & I am setup for a top tier stand when I want to.

 

[TheZymurgist]

Someone please explain why the Blichmann is better than a Bayou Classic KAB6. They use the exact same banjo burner, but the Bayou Classic is at least $50 cheaper. The only difference I can see is the Blichmann name and the fact that it's shiny.

 

[glenn514]

Just got the latest catalogue from Northern Brewer, and they are now offering a burner at $39.99 that looks pretty good. Called the "Dark Star Burner," they claim that it heated 5 gallons of water from 67°F to boiling in 17 minutes, while using only 0.8 pounds of propane. It is a "torch"-style burner, and is able to support a boil kettle up to 10 gallons in capacity.

glenn514

 

[MaxStout]

Just got the latest catalogue from Northern Brewer, and they are now offering a burner at $39.99 that looks pretty good. Called the "Dark Star Burner," they claim that it heated 5 gallons of water from 67°F to boiling in 17 minutes, while using only 0.8 pounds of propane. It is a "torch"-style burner, and is able to support a boil kettle up to 10 gallons in capacity.

glenn514

That does look promising. And it's rated 54000BTU/hr., the same as the Bayou Classic.

 

[Magic8Ball]

Someone please explain why the Blichmann is better than a Bayou Classic KAB6. They use the exact same banjo burner, but the Bayou Classic is at least $50 cheaper. The only difference I can see is the Blichmann name and the fact that it's shiny.

Blichmann vs BC KAB6
You can find the output data and propane fuel usage on to the Blichmann Website.. Yeah the data is from Blichmann but I don't think that anyone is disputing the numbers.

Beyond having higher output and being more efficient: the Blichmann won't rust, has pot stops to keep kettle on burner, does better in wind, optional leg extensions make it the perfect height to drain straight into carboy, if you decide to you can convert to NG, you can put it on the Top Tier Standard and yes it is shiny and looks great, and will never rust.

IMO If you can afford a Blichmann, go with it. I have brewed for years on a Bayou Turkey Burner, it will work for you just fine too.

Side Note: When you fire up your BC banjo for the 1st time make sure its outside and not in garage with door open. You have to burn off the paint on the banjo. You get fumes and smoke.

 

[Nagorg]

I have also read where some folks say the KAB6 has too much distance between the burner and the kettle. Folks wind up hacking and re-welding the bars to be closer to the burner, more like the Blichmann. So, unless you have the tools and skillset to do that yourself it's probably cheaper to just buy the Blichmann.

I was going to buy the KAB6 myself but went ahead and spent the extra cash for the Blichann. Man am I glad I did; that thing kicks some "Bling, Bling" arse!

Plus it truly "sips" propane!

 

[bd2xu]

I have also read where some folks say the KAB6 has too much distance between the burner and the kettle. Folks wind up hacking and re-welding the bars to be closer to the burner, more like the Blichmann. So, unless you have the tools and skillset to do that yourself it's probably cheaper to just buy the Blichmann.

I was going to buy the KAB6 myself but went ahead and spent the extra cash for the Blichann. Man am I glad I did; that thing kicks some "Bling, Bling" arse!

Plus it truly "sips" propane!

+1 on this. I did the hack job on my kab6 and with the extra hardware and time spent, should have just got the blichman. To be clear though its only when using a keggle. With a flat bottom kettle the kab6 is fine out of the box. With a keggle I don't think it can be too close. Mine is all the way up and wow, I barely have to turn the flame up, prob 25%, to get a killer boil. I am working on a strut built Brutus 10 rig now and I plan on mounting kab6 burners pretty much flush with the top bar.

 

[nolabrew85]

I just use a good old crawfish burner. Boils crawfish and beer equally well. And it sounds like a rocket is taking off.

 

[nolabrew85]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bayou-Classic-Jet-Cooker/11413757?findingMethod=rr