Home of the BrewNosers

Took the all-grain plunge this weekend. Got a 15G pot from OBK last week and picked up a BIAB from Jimmy. Weather was cold and windy (and snowing for awhile), but hit my numbers bang on (~70% efficiency)...beginners luck?

I found the thermometer on the pot was about 4-6C lower than my digital one, not sure which one is correct. Also the pot thermometer on the pot was useless during the mash (registered 120F??) even though digital was 150F. However, still nice to have it on the pot for a rough guide and during chilling.

Jimmy, the new bag worked great!

I only ever use the dial thermometer for rough measurements. I'll keep an eye on it when heating my strike water as well as chilling and I use my digital thermometer for the accurate measurments.

I like the use of the railing - good spot for hanging the bag!

There may be a screw on the back of your dial thermometre for calibration. Easiest way is to boil water and set it to 100 depending on your altitude or current atmospheric pressure. More precise way is to calibrate it at mash temps using a thermapen or other highly acurate thermometre.

Also, I don't like how long the couplers are on those pots and on the outside. You lose a lot of probe length. That's one thing keeping me from buying one - I'd rather have none at all and make my own.

HoweFox wrote: Jimmy, the new bag worked great!

Oh yeah Jimmy, ditto!

RubberToe wrote:There may be a screw on the back of your dial thermometre for calibration. Easiest way is to boil water and set it to 100 depending on your altitude or current atmospheric pressure. More precise way is to calibrate it at mash temps using a thermapen or other highly acurate thermometre.

Also, I don't like how long the couplers are on those pots and on the outside. You lose a lot of probe length. That's one thing keeping me from buying one - I'd rather have none at all and make my own.

I left the coupler out altogether when I put my thermometer in my keggle.

I calibrated my thermometer in a glass of cold water and ice, but it might make more send to calibrate it to mash temps.

RubberToe wrote:There may be a screw on the back of your dial thermometre for calibration. Easiest way is to boil water and set it to 100 depending on your altitude or current atmospheric pressure. More precise way is to calibrate it at mash temps using a thermapen or other highly acurate thermometre.

Also, I don't like how long the couplers are on those pots and on the outside. You lose a lot of probe length. That's one thing keeping me from buying one - I'd rather have none at all and make my own.

You really only need the end of the probe for measurement, and you can still make your own using that coupling.

Jimmy wrote:I like the use of the railing - good spot for hanging the bag!

Yup, worked out well!

RubberToe wrote:There may be a screw on the back of your dial thermometre for calibration. Easiest way is to boil water and set it to 100 depending on your altitude or current atmospheric pressure. More precise way is to calibrate it at mash temps using a thermapen or other highly acurate thermometre.

Also, I don't like how long the couplers are on those pots and on the outside. You lose a lot of probe length. That's one thing keeping me from buying one - I'd rather have none at all and make my own.

Thanks for the suggestion on calibrating, I will try that out.