Fess up

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Tony L
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Fess up

Post by Tony L » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:36 pm

OK, fess up... what type of thermometer do you use and how accurate do you think yours is?

I used quite a number of different thermometers over the years and the last one was off so much it spoiled a batch I feel.

Anyway, I bit the bullet and went and bought a Thermapen. Just got it today and am using it to check the ribs I have on the grill.
From all the hype it gets, I'm sure I will love it... I do so far.
When I do my next brew sometime later this summer, I'll get a feel for how well it does with a mash.

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Re: Fess up

Post by jeffsmith » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:43 pm

Right now I'm using a cheapo Taylor digital from Walmart for brewing. It seems relatively accurate, but is so flimsy, I've nearly smashed it multiple times. It's not long for this world methinks.

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Tony L
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Re: Fess up

Post by Tony L » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:48 pm

I have had a couple that were so so, but were so long to take a reading... this one is 3 seconds or close enough for me not to worry about it.
I used a cheapo meat thermo from Super Store.. the digital one with the probe until it went south and I ended going back to old reliable
floating thermo.

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Re: Fess up

Post by CorneliusAlphonse » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:59 pm

Tony L wrote:I have had a couple that were so so, but were so long to take a reading... this one is 3 seconds or close enough for me not to worry about it.
I used a cheapo meat thermo from Super Store.. the digital one with the probe until it went south and I ended going back to old reliable
floating thermo.
yeah i've got a cheapo from somewhere. the readings seem to be accurate enough... if i can wait the 20 seconds for them to stabilize. i just wait for five then take a guess where it would land. that''s why i am getting one of the 12$ thermapen gauges from the group buy.
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mr x
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Re: Fess up

Post by mr x » Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:11 pm

I use about nine different thermos. Maybe more.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: Fess up

Post by LeafMan66_67 » Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:35 pm

mr x wrote:I use about nine different thermos. Maybe more.
All at once? That seems like overkill!
"He was a wise man who invented beer." - Plato

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Re: Fess up

Post by mr x » Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:44 pm

Not at once. Just different stuff lying around the house.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: Fess up

Post by benwedge » Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:02 pm

I use a fairly cheap meat thermometer. My friend broke my not-quite-bargain-bin one and the replacement isn't very good for brewing. I use the "it looks close" approach, someday I will upgrade.
Brewing right now: whatever is going on tap at Stillwell in a few weeks.

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Re: Fess up

Post by pet lion » Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:08 pm

The meat thermometer I was using broke after using it actual meat. Now I'm using a borrowed candy thermometer until I buy a new brewing thermometer.
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Re: Fess up

Post by GAM » Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:38 am

I have several glass and 2 digital ones (one pen one cabled).

at 20c the are all +/-1c at 100c they are all +/-2.5c.

Sandy

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Re: Fess up

Post by mr x » Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:42 am

Lets see.....

One dual probe thermocouple, 3 pid with rtd/thermocouple, ir, a box of glass dial type, mercury, thermapen, mavericks, new thermoworks on the way, AQ controller, johnson controller....
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: Fess up

Post by GillettBreweryCnslt » Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:42 am

I use the lab-grade glass thermometer from NG. I had to ditch my digi thermo cause it was way off, only learned it when I noticed my efficiency had dropped to 50%

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Re: Fess up

Post by akr71 » Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:37 am

My favorite is my floating glass one. It sits in the mashtun & I take it out at the end of the mash. I also use it when heating strike water and chilling the wort. For everything else I use a cheap digital probe/pen type.
Andy
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Re: Fess up

Post by LiverDance » Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:49 am

walmart jobbie for me.
"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.

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Re: Fess up

Post by erslar00 » Fri Jun 22, 2012 2:59 pm

I use a digital meat thermometer I got at Superstore $14.99. How much did you pay for your thermapen Tony with shpping & taxes etc.

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Tony L
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Re: Fess up

Post by Tony L » Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:47 pm

$112 delivered I think.. it was $108 US.

I still remember the lab thermo I got from Paddock Wood 7 years ago.... put it in the mash and didn't realize that it didn't float until
it hit the bottom of the mash... I stuck my hand in and grabbed it. It was a tad warm down there :lol:

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