Propane burners

[gometz]

I recently moved from an apartment to a rental house. In the adjustment I was being full boil all grain on an electric stove (don't recommend it, broke it numerous times).

Now that I have a patio or driveway to brew on, I would like to move to propane. The thing is, I am wondering if buying a burner from my lhbs makes sense. I go to Defalco's here, and they have a 100k BTU burner for $110. Is it worth it over the 55k or 60k burners from Home Depot or Lowe's for about $50?

I am planning to brew this coming Sunday (4/5), so I'd like too pick it up this weekend and not order online.

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

Personally, I currently have a $50 55000 btu burner and it works great for 5 gallon batches

However if you're considering paying $110, for that money I would stick it out one more time on the stove then pay another 20/30 and order a Blichman.

 

[govner1]

+1 on the Blichmann. Efficient, quiet & worth e every penny!

 

[JohnSand]

My SP10 provides all the heat I need.

 

[Beernik]

The Bayou 55,000 BTU fits a keggle and boils 10 gallons easily. I got mine from Home Depot but it's online ordering only.

 

[chisena]

The low noise of the Blichmann alone made it worth the money for me. My cheapo burner heated OK but was like a jet turbine!

 

[brettg20]

I had a bayou classic when I started brewing, worked fine but was loud and after a while started leaving my pot black. Upgraded to a Blichmann and is worth every penny...efficient and QUIET

 

[brettg20]

And doesn't leave my pot black

 

[jbb3]

Here's the one I have my eye on. $10-$20 cheaper than the Blichmann but every bit as good from the reviews I've read.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/edelmetall-bru-burner.html

Do you absolutely need one of these? No. I have a $50 Bayou Classic that I use now. But I need a second burner and the Edelmetall is more efficient on gas. More bang for your gas buck

 

[brew_ny]

And doesn't leave my pot black

go electric and no black pot

 

[jekeane]

If you are spending that much on the burner I would personally go with the blichmann over the Eldemetal or whatever it is. You should look up reviews for the NB burner separate from their website. They have a knack for not posting any negative reviews for their house products. I have left about a dozen reviews on their site they have all been posted accept for the 2 less than positive that I have written.

 

[gometz]

Well the Blichmann its $150 local. Kind of hard too swallow three times the price of a regular burner. Are they really that much more efficient? I haven't known propane burners to be extremely loud, so not sure that's even a big advantage for me.

 

[brettg20]

It is more expensive obviously, but for me it was worth it. I brew 4-5 times per month. I've found that, at least compared to my old bayou, it heats up way quicker, it's way sturdier, and with the legs transferring is easy. I don't mind spending the money for quality. Does it make my beer taste different...no, but my brew day is easier / quicker and I go through less propane in the long run.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Well the Blichmann its $150 local. Kind of hard too swallow three times the price of a regular burner. Are they really that much more efficient? I haven't known propane burners to be extremely loud, so not sure that's even a big advantage for me.

While it isn't 3x as efficient (nothing short of electric could possiblybe), it is very well built, quiet, and they stand by their product. I don't forsee any upgrade to mine unless I go electric. (Also note that the price will be the same anywhere, aside from taxes. They have set pricing and distributors contractually may not change it )

 

[Grannyknot]

I have an edelmetal & like it a lot.
It is quieter, faster to heat water & wort, all while using less propane than my old sp10.

I found that using a big 30 psi regulator on the small bayou classic burners causes your propane tank to freeze up very quickly.

 

[jbb3]

If you are spending that much on the burner I would personally go with the blichmann over the Eldemetal or whatever it is. You should look up reviews for the NB burner separate from their website. They have a knack for not posting any negative reviews for their house products. I have left about a dozen reviews on their site they have all been posted accept for the 2 less than positive that I have written.

Thanks for the info. I will.

 

[doug293cz]

You want a banjo burner rather than a jet burner (the noisy ones). The Bayou Classic KAB4 and KAB6 are good models, and both have windscreens which help a lot when brewing on a breezy day. I have a Bayou Classic SQ14 (the $50 one) and would much rather have a KAB4. The Brulosopher reviewed a bunch of burners here: http://brulosophy.com/2014/12/10/brewing-with-gas-thoughts-on-homebrew-burner-options/

Brew on

 

[gometz]

You want a banjo burner rather than a jet burner (the noisy ones). The Bayou Classic KAB4 and KAB6 are good models, and both have windscreens which help a lot when brewing on a breezy day. I have a Bayou Classic SQ14 (the $50 one) and would much rather have a KAB4. The Brulosopher reviewed a bunch of burners here: http://brulosophy.com/2014/12/10/brewing-with-gas-thoughts-on-homebrew-burner-options/

Brew on

From what I can tell, the Blichmann is a banjo burner, correct?

 

[andrewmaixner]

From what I can tell, the Blichmann is a banjo burner, correct?

Yes.

 

[scientifics]

Here's the one I have my eye on. $10-$20 cheaper than the Blichmann but every bit as good from the reviews I've read.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/edelmetall-bru-burner.html

Do you absolutely need one of these? No. I have a $50 Bayou Classic that I use now. But I need a second burner and the Edelmetall is more efficient on gas. More bang for your gas buck

Yep, I have the NB Edelmetall Bru Burner and I am happy with it. Wait until there is a good % off coupon and you'll get a pretty good discount over a Blichman.

 

[eadavis80]

Think NB had that one burner at 20% off last week. Sometimes they'll bend the rules on promos if you call. You got nothing to lose. I just have the Dark Star Burner and I'm fine with it. It only sells for $50 and while it is fairly loud, I don't really care and as for the bottom of my kettle getting black, I don't really care about that either. I care about making beer - not really what the bottom of my brew kettle looks like.

 

[govner1]

The low noise of the Blichmann alone made it worth the money for me. My cheapo burner heated OK but was like a jet turbine!

+++1 on the Blichmann. Not only quiet but efficient re propane used.

 

[schematix]

I'll add myself to the list of people who suggest the blichmanns (i own 2 that i don't use any more due to going electric).

For years my buddy and I brewed together and he brought his crappy $50 turkey fryer burner over. It used way more gas, and heated half the speed of the blichmann.

 

[gometz]

I picked up the Blichmann last night. Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I'll be brewing Sunday, it'll be a big change from my slow old system. Now I just hope my gose recipe turns out good!

 

[jbb3]

Midwest has a 20% off sale and I couldn't resist. Snagged me an Edelmetall.

 

[chisena]

I picked up the Blichmann last night. Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I'll be brewing Sunday, it'll be a big change from my slow old system. Now I just hope my gose recipe turns out good!

Well how did you like your new burner!?

 

[gometz]

Well how did you like your new burner!?

It worked great! Strike water only took 5-10 minutes to get up to temperature, under 15 minutes to get my wort boiling. Saved probably 2 hours in the whole process (didn't hurt that I only cooled to 90*F for the lacto).

I do think though that when I get ready to buy another burner for the hot liquor tank (and I also need to get a 8 gal hot liquor tank), I'll probably go cheaper since heat distribution isn't as much of an issue and I'd only be using it to keep the liquor warm.

Thanks everyone for the advice.