Rolling boil

[plonker]

I am currently building an all grain setup that is based around 3 x 100 lt SS Pots.

My question relates to how to mount the 4 ring burner under the kettle to best achieve the requirement for a rolling boil.

Will mounting the burner on an angle help?

If not, has anyone had success using other methods?

Any help much appreciated.

[Ross]

Why on an angle?? not sure what you are trying to achieve there. Just place level with the height set so the blue flame is just tickiling the bottom of the kettle. Get yourself a high pressure regulator though, otherwise you'll be struggling to heat it properly.

cheers Ross

[plonker]

Hi Ross,

Several websites refer to the importance of a vigorous rolling boil and expand on the roll it plays coagulating proteins and isomerising hops etc etc

I've read that the key to achieving the physical rolling is to provide uneven heating to the kettle. I thought that this may possibly be achieved through tilting either the kettle or the burner.

I am worried about the 4 ring burner as well. I could have (and still can I suppose) gone with the nasa or mongolian but was informed that the 4 ring had effectively similar BTU's.

Can you safely use a high pressure reg with the 4 ring burner? The quality of these burners is very "chinese"! The nasa burners are designed for HP regs.

Thanks for the reply.

[Cortez The Killer]

I've read some where on AHB that a lot of people are using HP regulators on the 4 rings - You should be right.

I got myself a nasa and the noise and the size of the flame is insane.

It doesn't take very long at all to bring stuff to the boil.

Cheers

[plonker]

Hi Cortez,
Did you have a 4 ring prior to the nasa?
If so is there a significant difference in heat output, the time required to achieve the boil and the vigorousness (is that a word ) of the boil to that of the 4 ring?

Cheers

[Cortez The Killer]

I've only done 1 AG to date and that was with the nasa

have a look at this thread

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/i ... 32&hl=nasa

and

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/i ... =12645&hl=

Cheers

[velophile]

I've just done my first AG this weekend using a 4 ring burner & 90 litre SS pot. Once the boil got going I could shut off the outer ring & maintain the boil just fine. This is with a regular 3.4Kp/hr? regulator.

[plonker]

Thanks for the links Cortez and Velophile congrats on the first AG!

After reading all the threads on burners I am still yet to see a winner emerge.

I suspect the 4 ring will be fine for HLT but still concerned about the kettle.

The local GAS shop where the 4 rings were purchased has a HP "Wok burner" that looks similar to a nasa. The guy sells them to heat 44 gall drums for crays!.

He is happy to exchange 4 ring for HP, so for now have decided to go empirically and heat 60 lts with both units and see who "wins".

I'll post the results

[Hogshead]

I think I'm in the same situation you are in!
I'm looking forward to any replies you get.

[beernut]

Am I the only one to discover duckbill burners?
I get a rolling boil (80lt) with my 18 jet number.
24 brews and performimg well.
Cheers Glenn.,

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I googled 'duckbill burner'. The first site I clicked on - http://www.keeferbros.com.au/burners_wok.shtml - even had pictures of them.

The biggest at 200MJ/Hour seemed a bit grunty, until I started looking for the ratings of other burners to compare.

Check out http://www.gameco.com.au/cat2000/burners.htm - down towards the bottom, they have a burner which boasts 1000MJ/Hour. I think they're surplus rocket motors or something...

[Hogshead]

http://www.northernbrewer.com/burners.html

Is the "King Kooker"/"55000BTU cast burner" what we are all calling a Nasa burner?

[velophile]

Thanks for the links Cortez and Velophile congrats on the first AG!

After reading all the threads on burners I am still yet to see a winner emerge.

I suspect the 4 ring will be fine for HLT but still concerned about the kettle.

The local GAS shop where the 4 rings were purchased has a HP "Wok burner" that looks similar to a nasa. The guy sells them to heat 44 gall drums for crays!.

He is happy to exchange 4 ring for HP, so for now have decided to go empirically and heat 60 lts with both units and see who "wins".

I'll post the results

Hi Plonker

I've seen the wok burners in the same shop I bought my 4 ring from.
If in Melbourne, try Chefland on Victoria st Richmond.

My reason for getting the 4 ring over a wok, NASA, duckbill or mongolian was mainly the shape of the pot I'm using as a kettle. It's a 50cm SS stockpot with a wide flat base, the 4 rings cover nearly the whole base evenly with flame.

The guys using keg shaped kettles, that are narrower & taller, seem to have better results with a NASA or wok burner.

I also had a reg & hose to suit a ring burner.

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Primarily to displace the bot scum from the top of the posting vat...


What if you went for a plastic bucket boiler with a magnetron from a microwave at the bottom? If the horn of the magnetron works as it should and the water is deep enough, there should only be a huge amount of danger involved???

[KEG]

bahahaha... golden idea, but if your eyes were to get in the way of that magnetron for even a tenth of a second, you'd be permanently blind

[velophile]

There was a thread on AHB about plastic boilers. I think it was called "Plastic Bucket of Death" ?

The real cheap one I read about was a large pool chlorine bucket & 2 cheapo jug elements! One problem is the plastic softening during heating & fittings leaking or the whole thing sagging & dumping hot wort over your feet. The right plastic container will work as a boiler but the cost to buy new & fit with an element is likely to be no less than a metal pot that you can also heat with a gas ring.

That said, I am building a plastic HLT out of a 20l pail & jug element etc. I plan to fit a stirrer & hope to avoid hot spots that could soften the plastic too much.

[Brewaholic]

Isnt the trouble that you still get a small amount burning on the element giving you unwanted flavors? Not to mention a bitch to clean around.

[plonker]

Thanks to all who replied.

Based on the advice I bought a wok burner, 4 ring burner and had a magnatron surgically implanted (I tried non-surgical but it kept popping out at the most inopportune times. At the time I told the Doc I was a Star trek fan and he threw in Spock ears for free).

The plastic boiler lasted longest with the megatron.

Probably because of my aim (I could have done with something to keep my ankles back behind my ears. I know they make these things, Ive seen them in movies.)

The 4 ring was OK but the wok burner really came into its own with this test. First there was fire but the 60 lts water soon had it under control.

I then had to resort to the old SS pot.

Unfortunately same story with the megatron (but I have learnt to wiggle my new ears)

The difference between the burners was significant.

With 60 lts in a 50 cm base pot

the 4 ring took ~ 53 mins to boiling from 21 DegC

the wok burner took ~ 38 mins to boiling from 21 DegC

The wok also provide a more vigorous boil.

So, after the comprehensive testing decided to ditch 4 burner and wok burner and entire system in favour of cloning.

Wish me luck.

[rwh]

Heh heh heh heh heh heh nice

[beernut]

I googled 'duckbill burner'. The first site I clicked on - http://www.keeferbros.com.au/burners_wok.shtml - even had pictures of them.

The biggest at 200MJ/Hour seemed a bit grunty, until I started looking for the ratings of other burners to compare.

Check out http://www.gameco.com.au/cat2000/burners.htm - down towards the bottom, they have a burner which boasts 1000MJ/Hour. I think they're surplus rocket motors or something...

I got mine from Keefers
Very nice people to do business with! (no affiliation blah blah)