Austin Homebrew Burner vs. Blichmann TopTier

[zmanzorro]

Looking for a new burner online and came across these two at AHS:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Blichmann-TopTier-Floor-Burner.html

72k BTU/hr burner with short stand, $150.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/Propane-Burner-with-18-Stand-220-000-BTU.html

I don't see a brand on this one, so I assume it's something AHS manufactures themselves. The one thing I don't believe that it gets 220k BTUs, but is $50 less than the Blichmann.

Maybe because they don't have the mark up from the retailer? Can anyone confirm/deny this or speak for either one?

 

[Dixon9717]

Can't speak for the Austin burner but my Blichmann burner has been the best investment I've made so far concerning homebrewing. It's super quiet and gets great gas mileage

 

[sikkingj]

+1on the Blichmann burner, a very solid investment. What've particularly like is how quite they run (I run two at once).

 

[jschein]

Can't speak for the Austin burner but my Blichmann burner has been the best investment I've made so far concerning homebrewing. It's super quiet and gets great gas mileage

I run 2, they are the best. 220k btu will suck your gas dry mighty fast.

 

[schematix]

When I used to brew with gas I used 2 Blichmann burners. Prior to having 2 blichmann burners my buddy would bring over his turkey fryer burner. Not only was it loud as a jet engine, but it didn't heat as quickly and used twice as much gas.

The Blichmann burner is pretty much the perfect home brewing burner. It's worth the price.

Another point to make is that even when trying to get to a boil you don't really run the burner at 100%. Heat can only transfer so fast from the hot gas to the metal and into the wort.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

I have the Blichmann and love it. I also have a 220,000 that I bought on amazon for $70 shipped... It's a beast! But it empties my tank rather quick. It's far and away better than the Blichmann for boiling 12g +. For anything under 10g, I use the Blichmann and save a ton of lp, and is much quieter than the other burner.

So I guess it depends on how big the batches are that you brew...

 

[zmanzorro]

Thanks for the quick responses! I mostly do 5 gallon batches, with a 10 gallon here and there.

I currently use a turkey fryer stand that's on it's last legs, but not sure how many BTUs it used.

Might be leaning toward the Blichmann. It might be awhile before I build my brew stand anyways.

 

[aprichman]

For $50 more the Blichmann is a no brainer in my opinion. Depending on how much you brew you might save $50 in propane over the first year alone. Additionally the Blichmann burner is stainless so you don't have to worry about the powder coating flaking off and smoldering while you brew. You also get the option of adding leg extensions in the future. I use leg extensions on my burner and it's really nice - not only does it keep the kettle at a good height while you're brewing, you can take advantage of the potential energy of the wort to drain it into a carboy.

 

[jekeane]

I have 2 blichmanns found them both used on craigslist and I love them.

 

[zmanzorro]

Decided on going with the Blichmann. After taxes and shipping, it looks like AHS has the best price right now because the Northern Brewer discount doesn't apply to Blichmann and it's too heavy for standard shipping.

 

[MaxStout]

I can't say anything bad about the Blichmann. It's been a top-notch burner for me.

I'd be a little skeptical about some of those low-cost 200k-plus BTU burners. A great deal of that heat will wash up the sides of your kettle and be wasted. The Blichmann keeps an even area of flame on the bottom of the kettle. The cylindrical shroud focuses the heat where it belongs.

 

[PeteNMA]

That second burner you list is the same style of jet engine type burner which you currently have in your turkey fryer burner.

I have a blichmann burner and love it as many others have said, it was certainly worth the money. Wouldn't like to say it it's paid for itself on propane yet but it certainly uses less.

You might want to check out those new Anvil brewing burners though. It's still made by blichmann, with input from John Palmer for whatever that is worth, but it has three legs with a much wider stance than a blichmann does so it should be much more stable on a variety of surfaces.
From the photos I've seen it looks like it used the same actually burner so the performance should be pretty comparable.

 

[zmanzorro]

Looking at the standard Anvil burner, it says it's 45k BTU/hr, which boils 5 gallons in 20 minutes.

 

[zmanzorro]

So I ended up getting the Blichmann for Christmas and it is completely worth every penny. So much that I wasn't paying attention and accidentally boiled off an extra 1.5 gallons on my first batch with it.