First you boil, then you chill. In our 2017 Gear Guide issue (April/May), our editors tested and reviewed a couple of burners and a chiller. Here are the results.
Anvil High Performance Burner
Efficiency fanatics will love its power-to-gas ratio.
Test lab notes
You may think that a burner is a burner and any one will do, and to some extent, there is some truth to that fact. The most important factors to us when evaluating these burners are build quality (we don’t want our boiling pot of wort to fall off), speed, noise, efficiency, and to a lesser extent aesthetic. Like everything Anvil builds, the manufacturing quality of their High Performance Burner (above, left) is great. The sturdy stand is easy to assemble and reassuring when holding our 20-gallon kettle. It also maintained a low enough auditory volume to comfortably sit around the brew and have a conversation. Where it falls a little short of its competitors is on speed, but it did make that up in efficiency. The burners we were pitting it against rated at 4x the BTUs but only brought us up to a boil at about 1.5x the speed. We also loved the burnt orange aesthetic that the Anvil burner shipped with. Unfortunately, that becomes a truly burnt orange (brown) after a couple of uses.
If you’re more worried about gas efficiency than speed and can work with the 20-gallon kettle limitation, this is a great burner for you. Well-built, quiet, and gets the job done.
Scorecard
Easy to Use? X
Easy to Sanitize? X
Build Quality? X
Enjoyment?
High Value?
Price: $99.99
Manufacturer: Anvil Brewing
Available from: anvilbrewing.com
Bayou Classic KAB4
Fast, furious, and relatively inexpensive
Test lab notes
After putting a range of Bayou burners to the test, the KAB4 (above, middle) came out as our favorite (or KAB6 for a larger stand/capacity). It’s a fully assembled, welded unit at a price point that seems more than fair given the output, quality, and capacity (30-gallon pots). Some of the lower end models put off too much of a directed flame, giving us concerns about hot spots and scorching. The lower-end kettles also roared at a volume that made it uncomfortable to maintain conversation with our assistant brewers.
At 210,000 BTU with good flow control, the burner can be dropped to a simmer and cranked to full boil. The only minor complaint we might have is the black shielding does melt off during the first couple of uses, putting off a small flame and unpleasant aroma. It’s also not the most efficient burner we tested, but with a little bit of foil, we had no issue blocking the wind and sending the heat directly into the kettle.
Scorecard
Easy to Use? X
Easy to Sanitize? X
Build Quality? X
Enjoyment?
High Value? X
Price: $79.99
Manufacturer: Bayou Classic
Available from: Various
ExChilerator Maxx
What’s cooler than cool? Ice cold.
Test lab notes
This recirculating wort chiller (above, right) can cool boiling-hot wort to yeast-pitching temperatures fast. We tested it twice, and it performed very quickly both times, against a small and large plate chiller. The large plate chiller was powerful and tough to beat, but that doesn’t reduce our estimation of the ExChilerator’s abilities. The inline temperature gauge was large, and the display, even while on the ground, was readable, allowing for real-time, accurate readings. Aside from the garden hoses, all the hardware you need to operate the unit is included (though some brewers do use an optional pump). Assembly was straightforward, and we were able to use it out of the box fairly quickly. This is an upgrade that will cut time out of the brew day vs. most plate chillers or immersion chillers, but it is an advancement in price, too.
Scorecard
Easy to Use? X
Easy to Sanitize? X
Build Quality? X
Enjoyment?
High Value?
Price: $183.95
Manufacturer: Brick River Brew Co.
Available from: exchilerator.com