Burner advice

[Banjo-guy]

Im getting ready to make the move to biab. I have an electric glass top stove. I have a 9 gallon kettle.
I think that I am going to need a burner.
I am very tempted to go for a Bilchmann burner but am starting to think it is overkill for my needs.
I will be brewing 2.5 - 4.00 gallon batches. I don't go though that much beer in a week so 3.00 gallons is most likely the batch size I will stick with.

The other burner options that I am thinking about are Dark Star, Cajun Fryer or Walmart Turkey fryer.

I do like to have equipment that won't have to be replaced as I get more brewing experience. That's one reason the Bilchmann might actually be cost effective in the long run. ( I am just rehearsing for the conversation with my wife. )

I love to hear the borg's thoughts about burner options.

[philm00x]

I also have a glass top electric stove, and it has no problem boiling nearly 3 gallons of wort. A gas burner will definitely get it boiling faster, and I've heard good reviews about the dark star. Personally, if I could avoid the cost of extra equipment, I would (cuz I'm cheap like that, lol).

[Banjo-guy]

I see that there is another thread asking about burners. I'm sorry for asking the same thing twice.

I thought that I had to worry about the weight of water and grain on my glass top stove. That's one reason I'm thinking of getting a burner.

I have to see if my electric stove can bring the amount of water I need for an average 3.00 gallon brew to a boil. I just don't want damage the stove with too much weight on the glass surface.

[gwcr]

I have two of the Bayou Classics. Got them both from Amazon.

This one was just the burner. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00029 ... UTF8&psc=1

This one was a full kit that had a big sale going on at the time. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000B ... UTF8&psc=1

Both burners work great for me.

[philm00x]

I see that there is another thread asking about burners. I'm sorry for asking the same thing twice.

I thought that I had to worry about the weight of water and grain on my glass top stove. That's one reason I'm thinking of getting a burner.

I have to see if my electric stove can bring the amount of water I need for an average 3.00 gallon brew to a boil. I just don't want damage the stove with too much weight on the glass surface.

Ahh ok I see now. When I did BIAB, I put my pot in the oven, and not the stove top. The weight of the grains isn't so much the issue as the weight of water/wort. A gallon of water usually weighs about 8-10 lbs, so wort will be a little heavier with the dissolved solids, but even with my pot filled to the brim (so probably about 20-25 lbs plus the weight of the pot) the glass top didn't crack. The wider the pot is, the more the weight will be distributed across the surface which makes it less likely to crack the glass.

In any case, do what feels comfortable and go with it!

[Gymrat]

I used the same one gwcr showed in his first URL for a couple of years. I was brewing once or twice a month with it. The burner part itself was getting pretty rusty and I thought I was using a bit much propane so I splurged and bought a blichmann. The difference is like night and day. If you can afford the big bucks for a Blichmann you won't regret it. Not only does it bring to a boil much faster but the control I have with the regulator is unreal. I can't believe how precision it is. It is definitely one of my better purchases.

[Banjo-guy]

I got the Bilchman burner.
I'm starting to act like my beginning guitar students who go out and buy a 2500.00 Fender Strat and a hand wired all tube amp before they can play a G chord!

[FrozenInTime]

I got the Bilchman burner.
I'm starting to act like my beginning guitar students who go out and buy a 2500.00 Fender Strat and a hand wired all tube amp before they can play a G chord!

Dayum good burner, I'm jealous! I'm also jealous of your students!!! I want a nice strat so bad I can taste it, but I can hardly play a g note... LOL... freaking arthritis. I'd love to have a 'tar teacher, I'm kinda hitting a big brick wall, this self teaching stuff is for the birds.

[Banjo-guy]

I got the Bilchman burner.
I'm starting to act like my beginning guitar students who go out and buy a 2500.00 Fender Strat and a hand wired all tube amp before they can play a G chord!

Dayum good burner, I'm jealous! I'm also jealous of your students!!! I want a nice strat so bad I can taste it, but I can hardly play a g note... LOL... freaking arthritis. I'd love to have a 'tar teacher, I'm kinda hitting a big brick wall, this self teaching stuff is for the birds.

I can't wait to fire up my new burner. I have a great place to brew in my back yard.

Youtube is an amazing resource for self instruction on guitar. Sometimes I use it to save myself the time needed to figure out how some artist plays a song. Just don't tell my students! I need them to keep coming.

There is a lot of brewing info also but I would love to have someone show me how to do certain things. Human interaction is a good thing!

[John Sand]

I have a recent Maytag glasstop. It will support and boil 4+ gallons in reasonable time. It does have a "Speed Heat" option and one triple ring element. I use a 20qt canning cooker to make batches of 2-5 gallons. For the five gallon batches, I top off.

[monsteroyd]

I got the Bilchman burner.
I'm starting to act like my beginning guitar students who go out and buy a 2500.00 Fender Strat and a hand wired all tube amp before they can play a G chord!

Hey come on G is pretty tough getting that little finger down there, let them start with a C or even a D.

Monty

[haerbob3]

Go with the Bilchmann I love the control Use it for doing boils fish, crab other assorted seafood. Let your inner foodie rule