Dark Star burner or...?

[MitchK]

Right now I'm looking at doing 5 gal biab, but I have heard mixed things on whether the dark star burner at everwood can do 10 gallon batches, which I would like the option of moving to in the future (already have a 15 gallon kettle, so moving from just that and a bag to adding a cooler would move me up to 10 gal batch sparge pretty quick). I suppose I could use a dark star and the 15 gallon kettle for 5 gallon biab, then in the future pick up a bigger burner to turn the kettle into my 10 gallon batch boil kettle, add a cooler mash tun, and get a smaller kettle to use with the dark star as my HLT if I go 3 vessel...

Any opinions? So far I've just done 1 gallon biab on the stove since I don't have a burner yet.

[mumblecrunch]

Pretty sure Keith did 10 gallon batches in a 15 gallon kettle on a dark star for quite some time before he upgraded to the Bayou Classic. I think even Home Depot/Kent burners can generally accomplish the same. That said, if you're going to brew as much as you have talked about, I would consider biting the bullet now and getting a Blichmann burner. It will scale up quite a bit higher and in my experience uses far less propane per batch. Not that propane is that expensive right now (at least if you get it at Costco), but the difference between 10+ 5-gallon batches per tank and 5ish 5-gallon batches per tank is non-trivial (those numbers are based on my experience).

[Keith]

10 gallons is pushing it for the Dark star. I had a windy brew day and couldn't get 10 gallons to boil. Last time I used the Burner for more than 5 gallons. IMO get a blichmann or bayou classic kb4 or kb6. I think someone was selling a blichmann for 150 in the classifieds.

[MitchK]

I'm already brewing a fair bit just so far all festa/extract/cider 5/6 gallon or 1 gallon all grain/mead batches, so I think it is safe to say this hobby is a sure thing for me... Probably is worth splurging a bit in that case.

[jtmwhyte]

do you have access to 220v dryer outlet and a window nearby?

[MitchK]

I wish. There is laundry in the basement (and therefore an outlet) but no real ventilation there whatsoever (no window)

I've been tempted the whole time to just say fuck it and grab a grainfather to run on 110v but that is a sizable investment (though looking at an eventual 3v propane system would cost just as much in the end...)

[jtmwhyte]

I wish. There is laundry in the basement (and therefore an outlet) but no real ventilation there whatsoever (no window)

I've been tempted the whole time to just say fuck it and grab a grainfather to run on 110v but that is a sizable investment (though looking at an eventual 3v propane system would cost just as much in the end...)

Interesting side question: are you related to the Rocky Bay Kehoe's?

[MitchK]

not that I'm aware of - but I don't really know anyone on the Kehoe side of the family further away than uncles/aunts/first cousins.

Dangerous math time: Interest on borrowing the money for a grainfather and paying it off over a few months is much less than the cost of buying a propane tank and burner just to "obsolete" them with a grainfather later.

[darciandjenn]

Dangerous math indeed. Keep in mind that you'll always be able to flip that burner and tank to someone else getting into the hobby if you decide to upgrade to the Grainfather or some other electric setup.

[jtmwhyte]

Dangerous math indeed. Keep in mind that you'll always be able to flip that burner and tank to someone else getting into the hobby if you decide to upgrade to the Grainfather or some other electric setup.

Not to influence your decision too much but here's my perspective:

I went through this process and I found that by buying cheap first and then gradually upgrading has cost me far more than it would have to just build my current system from the get go. Cheap gear is tough to resell and expensive gear is... well... expensive... so it the grainfather.

Of course I didn't know enough about brewing when I started to see the benefits of what I now have to have the foresight to build it from the beginning. If you're torn between the grainfather now or cheap burner/cheap pot upcycled to eventually get to the grainfather you will spend more on gear in between. Don't forget the grainfather is the boiler, biab basket, all plumbing hardware, pump, counterflow chiller, etc.. while a cheap burner/pot is just that; a burner and pot. As I found myself getting deeper into the hobby I ended up investing in things like ball valves, re circulation ports, hop filters, a cheapo pump, a chugger pump, plate chiller, several different sizes of immersion chillers, and countless other things until I found what worked for me. Most of these things are no longer a part of my system and if you look here at my setup I'm clearly still tinkering:

http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/viewto ... &start=100" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The ability to get all these things in one package is awesome and well worth the price IMHO.

[MitchK]

I remembered that I had a new credit card with dirt cheap promo interest that will last more than long enough for me to pay if off so I'm going to join team grainfather tonight I think.

Edit: shit roads means I'll be getting my grainfather tomorrow

[gm-]

Good choice, I just sold my 3 vessel gear last week. Very happy with the grainfather so far.