Mash temperature thermometer

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CorneliusAlphonse
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Mash temperature thermometer

Post by CorneliusAlphonse » Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:09 pm

What does everyone use to measure the temp of their mash? I've mostly been steeping grains with extract up til now, so temp hasn't been that important. Now, though, I need to get myself an accurate thermometer, so I'm looking for suggestions. Did you get one locally or order online?
planning: beer for my cousin's wedding
Fermenting: black ipa
Conditioning:
Kegged: barrel barleywine from 2014 - i think i still have this somewhere

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mr x
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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by mr x » Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:15 pm

I made my own probe from an RTD and a temperature controller. Overkill, but the set-up serves many purposes. I guess the main question is what kind of money do you want to spend, and how hard are you on gear. Because if you want to go super cheap, you could just use a lab thermometer. I use one to double check my RTD every brew, and I'm sure I could get away with just using that thermometer at this stage of the game.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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akr71
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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by akr71 » Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:31 pm

I have a digital that I picked up at SuperStore. I had a floating 'candy thermometer' that I picked up at a brew shop. Just recently, it fell off the deck during a brew session and now has air bubbles in it.

I have my eye on a 'cordless' digital oven thermometer at Sobeys. The probe goes inside the over (or mashtun) and the base goes outside, so you can monitor the temp with out opening the mashtun.
Andy
"Now son, you don't want to drink beer. That's for Daddies, and kids with fake IDs." - Homer J. Simpson

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CorneliusAlphonse
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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by CorneliusAlphonse » Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:40 pm

I'm pretty cheap for the moment, wouldn't want to spend more than ~$40.. I've been looking at the standard digital ones with the probe on the long lead (look like this, sorta.), but I had heard that they aren't very waterproof ... ever have issues with that, akr71?
planning: beer for my cousin's wedding
Fermenting: black ipa
Conditioning:
Kegged: barrel barleywine from 2014 - i think i still have this somewhere

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akr71
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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by akr71 » Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:51 pm

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:I'm pretty cheap for the moment, wouldn't want to spend more than ~$40.. I've been looking at the standard digital ones with the probe on the long lead (look like this, sorta.), but I had heard that they aren't very waterproof ... ever have issues with that, akr71?
Mine is handheld (about 2 inches longer than a steak knife - metal probe end with a plastic handle and lcd screen) & occasionally its gotten a bit wet, but never completely immersed. No problems so far... I think I paid $15 tops, probably less - and I would guess its accuracy is directly proportional to its cost.

I miss my glass thermometer (and it was only $10 too).
Andy
"Now son, you don't want to drink beer. That's for Daddies, and kids with fake IDs." - Homer J. Simpson

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mr x
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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by mr x » Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:59 pm

I would think that if you were to seal the end of the probe with a bit of silicone or epoxy, it would be almost indestructible.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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LiverDance
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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by LiverDance » Mon Nov 29, 2010 2:01 pm

I use a $10 digital themometer from Walmart, it works like a charm.
"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: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by BBrianBoogie » Mon Nov 29, 2010 3:56 pm

LiverDance wrote:I use a $10 digital themometer from Walmart, it works like a charm.

Yup.

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ratchet
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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by ratchet » Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:11 pm

$15 digital thermometer from Cdn Tire.

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Re: Mash temperature thermometer

Post by chalmers » Fri Dec 03, 2010 11:14 pm

LiverDance wrote:I use a $10 digital themometer from Walmart, it works like a charm.
I notice you didn't mention who paid for it.
;)

I maybe drunk posting from Flossmoor Station in Illinois.

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