[quote=“Demus”][quote=“kcbeersnob”]I recommend this thermometer and this procedure http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=109024
for monitoring temp inside the cooler. The thermometer is made by the same people who make the Thermapen, but it is more versatile because you can use any number of probes for different purposes.[/quote]
What’s the damage $$ on that one?[/quote]
I think the Therma K unit and fast probe were basically the same price as a Thermapen. The waterproof thermocouple was an additional $20-30 bucks.
[quote=“muddywater_grant”][quote=“Demus”][quote=“kcbeersnob”]I recommend this thermometer and this procedure http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=109024
for monitoring temp inside the cooler. The thermometer is made by the same people who make the Thermapen, but it is more versatile because you can use any number of probes for different purposes.[/quote]
What’s the damage $$ on that one?[/quote]
I don’t understand the need of that at all.
I only care about the strike temp and mash temp at the beginning. I set my mash temp and the most I have seen in fall in an 90 min mash is 0.5 degrees. Why are people checking their temp so often? This may be way yours is dropping so much. I do lunch mashes more times than not this days, and with the 10gal cooler setup over the four hour mash time period it has only dropped by three degrees.
Needing to know the exact temp every second of 60 minute mash is just silly. If you are losing that much in temp, you need to find a way to rework your cooler IMO.
rant over…for now.[/quote]
Being farely new to all grain brewing, I’m excessively paranoid about temperature. I’ve made only 6 AG’s and have had issues with regulating the temperature - at least during the mash in (I usually get to aggresive an over shoot my starting temps). I get what you’re saying about checking temps constantly, but if I can see the temp at all times, why not? At least then, if I have an issue, I can get it corrected. Maybe I won’t be as worried the further in I get, but for now, its comforting to see the temp where it’s supposed to be. Plus, with a long probe, its very non-invasive. I don’t have to unstrap my insulation to see where I’m at.
[quote=“muddywater_grant”][quote=“Demus”][quote=“kcbeersnob”]I recommend this thermometer and this procedure http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=109024
for monitoring temp inside the cooler. The thermometer is made by the same people who make the Thermapen, but it is more versatile because you can use any number of probes for different purposes.[/quote]
What’s the damage $$ on that one?[/quote]
I don’t understand the need of that at all.
I only care about the strike temp and mash temp at the beginning. I set my mash temp and the most I have seen in fall in an 90 min mash is 0.5 degrees. Why are people checking their temp so often? This may be way yours is dropping so much. I do lunch mashes more times than not this days, and with the 10gal cooler setup over the four hour mash time period it has only dropped by three degrees.
Needing to know the exact temp every second of 60 minute mash is just silly. If you are losing that much in temp, you need to find a way to rework your cooler IMO.
rant over…for now.[/quote]
Dude, I have to say your comments come across as condescending, whether you meant it that way or not. You may feel it’s overkill to have the convenience of knowing what’s going on inside the mash at any given point without opening the lid and releasing heat, but nothing about this is silly. Correct temp is perhaps the most fundamental and critical part of the mash procedure, so you can’t blame brewers who get a little obsessive about it–especially as we are just getting started in the hobby.
I used to think I had problems with temp control until I implemented the aforementioned solution. Through experience I discovered that the bulk of my problem was temp monitoring, and that I just needed to upgrade that portion of my equipment. Now I know I can fully trust my temp readings from start to finish, and I can focus on other parts of the procedure or I can walk away for a while and go do something else after temp has settled in–oh, and the process is a lot more fun now. Without this, I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to attempt a two step infusion mash on my last batch.
At the end of the day, we should each do whatever allows us to achieve our objectives–perhaps most importantly, having fun.
[quote=“muddywater_grant”][quote=“Demus”][quote=“kcbeersnob”]I recommend this thermometer and this procedure http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=109024
for monitoring temp inside the cooler. The thermometer is made by the same people who make the Thermapen, but it is more versatile because you can use any number of probes for different purposes.[/quote]
What’s the damage $$ on that one?[/quote]
I don’t understand the need of that at all.
I only care about the strike temp and mash temp at the beginning. I set my mash temp and the most I have seen in fall in an 90 min mash is 0.5 degrees. Why are people checking their temp so often? This may be way yours is dropping so much. I do lunch mashes more times than not this days, and with the 10gal cooler setup over the four hour mash time period it has only dropped by three degrees.
Needing to know the exact temp every second of 60 minute mash is just silly. If you are losing that much in temp, you need to find a way to rework your cooler IMO.
rant over…for now.[/quote]
I would agree that most brewers familiar with their equipment wouldn’t need to, but new brewers would or those who change up their equipment and need to monitor it more.
I never use it on the mash myself except at the beginning. I really only use it for when I’m heating strike water or to see how close my wort is to boilover. I also use it when cooling to pitching temp. For these cases, I don’t see how a constant monitor would be overkill.
I only care about the strike temp and mash temp at the beginning. I set my mash temp and the most I have seen in fall in an 90 min mash is 0.5 degrees. Why are people checking their temp so often? This may be way yours is dropping so much. I do lunch mashes more times than not this days, and with the 10gal cooler setup over the four hour mash time period it has only dropped by three degrees.
Needing to know the exact temp every second of 60 minute mash is just silly. If you are losing that much in temp, you need to find a way to rework your cooler IMO.
rant over…for now.[/quote]
I’ve used standard home brew glass tubes, kitchen digital probes, and meat thermometers all on the same mash and seen a range of +/- 11 degrees. They’ve been calibrated using reccomended freezing water or boiling methods but seem unable to read that critical 150 degree range accurately. Rant all you want but it’s tough to argue that a mash that’s 11 degrees too hot or cold isn’t a problem. If you don’t know what the temp of your mash is, you don’t know what kind of wort you are producing. That’s my issue; I know the temp won’t drop much in an hour, I just need to know what it is in the first place!!
PS- for you quoters, please take the time to erase the other quoters and leave only the quote you are commenting on. Gets kinda confusing otherwise…
[quote=“brwrboy69”]I absolutely recommend this remote probe. It’s waterproof and accurate and you can leave it in your mash tun or your kettle as you approach boil.
At $52 this is much cheaper than the thermapen and has the advantage of reading the temp from further away or even inside a mash tun or kettle. Do you believe the accuracy? Do you brew all grain without issues?
[quote=“Demus”][quote=“brwrboy69”]I absolutely recommend this remote probe. It’s waterproof and accurate and you can leave it in your mash tun or your kettle as you approach boil.
At $52 this is much cheaper than the thermapen and has the advantage of reading the temp from further away or even inside a mash tun or kettle. Do you believe the accuracy? Do you brew all grain without issues?[/quote]
I believe the accuracy and this quote from the site is good enough for me:
“A serial numbered certificate is provided from an ISO 17025 calibration laboratory accredited by A2LA to indicate instrument traceability to standards provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.”
