Which Burner Would You Get?

[mongoose33]

The hellfire is definitely overkill, but it's not out of the question. It would be if I found out the suggestion from PADave met what I was looking for.

I was fine w/ a 54,000 BTU burner, so yeah, it's overkill. However, eventually I may do 10-gallon batches. I can grow with this.

Lastly, how safe are burners? Just curious if I need to pay attention to certain things.

How safe? How cautious are you? Do you leave them unattended? Will you touch it while hot? Hold your hand over it while it's lit?

If you use common sense, don't leave it unattended, don't have it too close to something that is flammable, and treat it with respect, such burners are "safe."

 

[indymedic]

I started with a turkey fried burner and upgraded to a blichman which I found used. It also had the leg extensions. Best money I've spent on brewing other than a kegging system. It is quiet uses less gas and brings water to a boil in at least half the time. I would buy a blichman again any day.

 

[BrettCo124]

Thanks all. Are the cheaper models of burners a lot louder than the hellfire? I have no experience with them, so I just would like to know. If it's annoyingly loud, I will get the hellfire. If not, I will go for the Bayou Classic 55,000 BTU burner (it's 100 bucks less).

I'm not afraid to go for the blichmann, but it really will need to make sense. It sounds like sound may be the big issue. The reviews on the cheaper one I mentioned above have positive things to say, no accidental flame outs, and built sturdy and strong. Either choice, I'm okay with.

 

[oujens]

Blichmann is obviously a great burner, but you don't have to spend that much to boil wort. A banjo or classic burner will still be way better than a turkey fryer. If you can afford bling, buy the hellfire. I opted to buy a KAB4 and Put the savings towards an oxygenation kit. Now I'm considering going electric...just something to consider but do what will make you enjoy your brew day the most.

Edit: I should note my KAB4 is not loud to my ears, but it's definitely nowhere near the "jet burners" some describe. You can't go wrong with the burners you listed.

 

[JLeuck64]

I had a two burner Camp Chef stove given to me when I was still making 5gal batches and I must say (since buying an Edelmetall burner for 10gal batches) it works VERY well! I still use the Camp Chef for heating up water, but if you are really planning to stay at 5gal batches... for the money they are asking for a Camp Chef you won't be disappointed.

You aren't really going to stay at 5gal are you?! Better go with a Blichman then. Investing in the future pays dividends bro!

 

[fatherdan]

most brew days I heat up approx. 8 gallons for strike, 11 gallons for sparge and then a 60/90 boil. All in a keggle.

Can I drain from keggle into 7.9gall bucket with the Blichman(without leg extensons)?

Are the fuel savings very noticeable? Sorry for the highjack in advance.....

 

[Morrey]

Thanks all. Are the cheaper models of burners a lot louder than the hellfire? I have no experience with them, so I just would like to know. If it's annoyingly loud, I will get the hellfire. If not, I will go for the Bayou Classic 55,000 BTU burner (it's 100 bucks less).

I'm not afraid to go for the blichmann, but it really will need to make sense. It sounds like sound may be the big issue. The reviews on the cheaper one I mentioned above have positive things to say, no accidental flame outs, and built sturdy and strong. Either choice, I'm okay with.

Brett, when I started BIAB it was with a turkey fryer burner, and if not mistaken, was a Bayou Classic. While a decent burner, it was darn near as loud as a jet engine preparing for takeoff. When my wife would join me in the brew cave, we literally had to shout to each other above the roar.

The Blichmann replaced it very quickly and is whisper quiet. I was bringing my wort to a boil when she walked in and asked me when I planned to light the burner off to begin the boil. Yep...its THAT quiet. Plus factoring in fuel efficiency, I figure that the propane savings alone will eventually pay for the burner. Might take some time, but the way I brew...maybe not so long after all!

 

[Morrey]

Are the fuel savings very noticeable? QUOTE]

I calculate I am doing close to 5 brews per 20# propane tank with my Top Tier Blichmann and I think my new Hellfire may do even better than that. Compare to my old turkey fryer Bayou Classic where I was getting slightly over 3 brews per tank. Significant difference at least in my setup.

Note: I live in SC so my source water is never really THAT cold to bring to mash temps. This is a factor for you to compare as YMMV.

 

[GHBWNY]

I have the Darkstar 2.0 (65,000 BTUs). For 5 gal it is more than enough. Gets to a boil really fast and it keeps a boil rolling on a relatively low flame.

 

[mongoose33]

most brew days I heat up approx. 8 gallons for strike, 11 gallons for sparge and then a 60/90 boil. All in a keggle.

Can I drain from keggle into 7.9gall bucket with the Blichman(without leg extensons)?

Unless your 7.9 gallon bucket is only about six inches high, the answer is no.

You'll have to either pick up the keggle to a higher level to drain it, or use a pump, or get the leg extensions, or build a stand for the Blichmann that is fireproof/fire resistant which will allow you to drain it into your bucket.

If I were to do that, I'd probably make a narrow stand out of 2x4s with a flat surface, use foil-faced insulation on top if it or maybe ceramic tiles, set the blichmann on top, and go. And I'd makes sure that the result was no warmer than warm to the touch.

*************

I went through this with the Hellfire--do I buy the extensions or do I not? They ended up costing about $63 with shipping, and against that price I had to weigh the cost of materials to build a stand and the time and effort involved to do that.

I figured it would be about $15 in materials, two trips to the home store (one to get what I needed, the second to get what I forgot), and about 2 hours additional time.

One also has to include the additional satisfaction of building something oneself and enjoying that result. Might be worth a lot of money depending.

Of course, if one doesn't have the $63 handy, it makes building more attractive, but in the end, I decided to go w/ the engineered extensions. I'm not in the least unhappy I did that.

 

[InTheBasement]

I think it all comes down to what you WANT, not what you NEED. I have the Darkstar original version and it has done me fine for 2 years now. Yes it's louder than the Blichmann, but I have to say it gets my wort boiling fast enough to make me happy. Yes, from time to time I can get a bit of soot on my kettle bottom, but I really don't have any issue with that. I am not at all worried abouit my kettle bottom being a bit less than artistic. The inside of the kettle is what does the magic.

 

[BrettCo124]

Very true, it's what's happening in the kettle that really matters. Although, i really don't want to be listening to the sounds of a jet engine, so I think I'll go with the hellfire anyways just to not deal with that sound. If it's truly loud like that, then it's worth it to me to pay for the hellfire.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I'm surprised nobody said Anvil. I'm a fan of blichmann stuff cause it lasts. I have three of the original blichmann burners, they are sturdy.

 

[MindenMan]

I'm still using the turkey fryer burner that I pulled out of my scrap pile. I keep wanting to buy a new one, but this one works good, so I have a hard time justifying that purchase right now. Had my eye on one of these for a while.

http://www.homebrewing.org/14-Propane-Burner--220000-BTU_p_1190.html

I just opened this link. This is a ($12.00 without the stand) 4" 55k BTU with a high pressure regulator. That makes the stand cost $60.00 by itself. If you are a handy person, for $60.00 you could build a very cool brew stand from scratch.

 

[DirtyD]

I used a turkey fryer burner for a long time I recently bought the Anvil burner (John Palmer and Blichman) and couldn't be happier

 

[BrettCo124]

Great idea!

So is the sound on these other burners really, really loud? Is it hard to hear when it's lit? It's pretty much the only thing that's holding me up from buying one over the other. Just concerned about sound at this point.

 

[BeerAddikt]

I use a Dark Star 2.0...65,000 BTUs for $56. It's been a great burner...has its flaws but if I had to do it all over again I'd still buy it over everything else I was considering.

 

[OleBrewing]

I chose the Blichmann for the BK and used the smaller bayous for HLT and MT. i find the little burners are a good enough size to heat strike water and lauhter for my needs usually running around and grindn grain etc. The blichmann once fired up will get 12 gallons rollin pretty fast.

 

[BrettCo124]

Thanks all. Blichmann is in the lead...but I just would like to know about sound on the less expensive burners. Is is so significant that it's hard to even be around it?

 

[DirtyD]

The Anvil is decently quiet

 

[oujens]

Below is a link that might help you make some comparisons. My experience with a KAB4 is that it is a quiet burner. You will always hear gas flow though no matter what burner you purchase. The burner itself does not make noise and has been a great performer for me on both natural gas and propane.

http://brulosophy.com/2014/12/10/brewing-with-gas-thoughts-on-homebrew-burner-options/

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Below is a link that might help you make some comparisons. My experience with a KAB4 is that it is a quiet burner. You will always hear gas flow though no matter what burner you purchase. The burner itself does not make noise and has been a great performer for me on both natural gas and propane.

http://brulosophy.com/2014/12/10/brewing-with-gas-thoughts-on-homebrew-burner-options/

I second this, the kab6 is the exact same burner, just has a wider stand that will fit a keggle w/o risk of it falling off. I've had times the burner blew out and I didn't notice until I saw my wort stop boiling! But if I had to pay full price? I'd jump up to the hellfire in a heartbeat! I got a great deal on my Bayou so the hellfire would almost triple my out of pocket.

 

[Morrey]

Unless your 7.9 gallon bucket is only about six inches high, the answer is no.

You'll have to either pick up the keggle to a higher level to drain it, or use a pump, or get the leg extensions, or build a stand for the Blichmann that is fireproof/fire resistant which will allow you to drain it into your bucket.

If I were to do that, I'd probably make a narrow stand out of 2x4s with a flat surface, use foil-faced insulation on top if it or maybe ceramic tiles, set the blichmann on top, and go. And I'd makes sure that the result was no warmer than warm to the touch.

*************

I went through this with the Hellfire--do I buy the extensions or do I not? They ended up costing about $63 with shipping, and against that price I had to weigh the cost of materials to build a stand and the time and effort involved to do that.

I figured it would be about $15 in materials, two trips to the home store (one to get what I needed, the second to get what I forgot), and about 2 hours additional time.

One also has to include the additional satisfaction of building something oneself and enjoying that result. Might be worth a lot of money depending.

Of course, if one doesn't have the $63 handy, it makes building more attractive, but in the end, I decided to go w/ the engineered extensions. I'm not in the least unhappy I did that.

Like mongoose33 says, Blichmanns leg extensions are designed and engineered to match the burner in a precise way. It's hard to build something that will give you this engineering precision.

I saw several ads for internet sales offering free shipping if you spend $XXX. The legs were $44 and I added 10# of malts and hit the magic free shipping number. These legs are well worth the investment, otherwise your burner is darn near sitting on the floor if used w/o a tower option.

 

[BrettCo124]

Thanks all! So I have a great opportunity to buy a brand new blichmann, but the model prior to the hellfire, for 110 bucks at my local homebrew store. He is liquidating it so he can bring in the hellfire. However, I have yet another question:

How necessary is it to have a burner? The absolute only reason I wanted a burner was because I was/am afraid that all of the condensation can be a problem in the house. And naturally, I am also afraid of all the heat coming off the stove on to a heavy 8.5 kettle of boiling liquid can eventually cause perhaps a soft spot or something on the stove and weaken it. I can totally be letting my mind wander, but if the only issue is that a boil over can occur, then I'm going to continue to do the 5 gallon batches on the stove. FYI, My last 5 gallon batch was successfully made on that stove.

 

[govner1]

Thanks all! So I have a great opportunity to buy a brand new blichmann, but the model prior to the hellfire, for 110 bucks at my local homebrew store. He is liquidating it so he can bring in the hellfire. However, I have yet another question:

How necessary is it to have a burner? The absolute only reason I wanted a burner was because I was/am afraid that all of the condensation can be a problem in the house. And naturally, I am also afraid of all the heat coming off the stove on to a heavy 8.5 kettle of boiling liquid can eventually cause perhaps a soft spot or something on the stove and weaken it. I can totally be letting my mind wander, but if the only issue is that a boil over can occur, then I'm going to continue to do the 5 gallon batches on the stove. FYI, My last 5 gallon batch was successfully made on that stove.

You don't have to have a burner but consider how long it takes you to reach strike temp and then boiling.
My guess is quite a while. A burner dedicated to your brew will speed that up considerably & avoid the boil over concern in the kitchen!
Also, if you're doing 5 gal batches in an 8.5 gal kettle I'd consider upgrading to a good 10-12 gal SS kettle. Fewer issues with potential boil overs and it gives you room for future high gravity brews.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[BrettCo124]

Thanks govner. Good points. It below freezing outside where I'm from this time of year, and it gets in to single digits too. So I'd love to continue doing the boil inside for that reason alone.

Do a lot of people make beer inside on their stove tops? I guess what I'm trying to say is, is it a no-no in the brewing community for any of those reasons I listed above? (Too much Condensation damaging the house, too much heat and weight at the same time on top of the stove, etc)

 

[mongoose33]

Thanks govner. Good points. It below freezing outside where I'm from this time of year, and it gets in to single digits too. So I'd love to continue doing the boil inside for that reason alone.

Do a lot of people make beer inside on their stove tops? I guess what I'm trying to say is, is it a no-no in the brewing community for any of those reasons I listed above? (Too much Condensation damaging the house, too much heat and weight at the same time on top of the stove, etc)

I don't know of anyone who's a "serious" brewer who is still making beer on their stovetop.

Actually, that's unfair; many people make small batches, or they may do an extract boil on the stove and use makeup water to bring the batch to 5 gallons.

But if you're going to all-grain, unlikely you'd be happy w/ stovetop boiling. Yes, there are moisture issues unless you have a fan above the stove to exhaust steam. And the stove will be slower, more than likely, though that's not absolute. But I'd bet on it. Will the stovetop handle 50-60 pounds of liquid and kettle? I don't know.

I do know that all the burners you've been considering--and have you noticed as you've done this whole brewing thing that you worry these things to death--will handle a full 5-gallon batch.

Since it doesn't sound like money is an issue for you, get what you want. I wanted the Hellfire, I bought it. Is it an extravagance? I don't know, I brewed beer just fine w/ my 54000 btu burner. But I wanted the increased speed and the ability to go up to 10-gallon batches if I wanted to at a later date.

Get the Blichmann and be done with it. Get the leg extensions as well. You'll likely never need another burner.

 

[TallDan]

I don't know of anyone who's a "serious" brewer who is still making beer on their stovetop.

Actually, that's unfair; many people make small batches, or they may do an extract boil on the stove and use makeup water to bring the batch to 5 gallons.

I guess my brewing isn't serious in the wintertime. I use a blichmann in the garage in the spring/summer/fall, and the stovetop in the winter. I'll be brewing a 5G batch of 1.100 imperial stout all-grain, no make-up water this weekend. It'll be in the kitchen on the stove. It's destined for a whiskey barrel that my homebrew club acquired. I've brewed 5G batches of beer that scored in the 40's and won medals in competitions on the stove.

What a shame, maybe if i'd take this "seriously" I could make some better beer.

 

[mongoose33]

I guess my brewing isn't serious in the wintertime. I use a blichmann in the garage in the spring/summer/fall, and the stovetop in the winter. I'll be brewing a 5G batch of 1.100 imperial stout all-grain, no make-up water this weekend. It'll be in the kitchen on the stove. It's destined for a whiskey barrel that my homebrew club acquired. I've brewed 5G batches of beer that scored in the 40's and won medals in competitions on the stove.

What a shame, maybe if i'd take this "seriously" I could make some better beer.

You know, Dan, I walked back from that and I thought it was very clear. That was the "unfair" part of it.

 

[AF1HomeBrew]

I guess my brewing isn't serious in the wintertime. I use a blichmann in the garage in the spring/summer/fall, and the stovetop in the winter. I'll be brewing a 5G batch of 1.100 imperial stout all-grain, no make-up water this weekend. It'll be in the kitchen on the stove. It's destined for a whiskey barrel that my homebrew club acquired. I've brewed 5G batches of beer that scored in the 40's and won medals in competitions on the stove.

What a shame, maybe if i'd take this "seriously" I could make some better beer.

I wish I could get away with brewing in the house, but the wife won't let me so I brew in the garage. Much easier cleanup in the garage too. I've learned over the 9 years that I've been brewing to brew around the weather so that I am not brewing in too cold or too hot of weather.