After reading quite a few posts, I have decided to purchase two stoppers with thermowells. I have two 6 gallon glass carboys. Any suggestions where I can get one that is dependable? Also can someone please tell me where I can find the correct temperature ranges for all types of yeast. I gotta lot to learn. :?
thanks,
Brent
For yeast info including optimal temperature range consult the manufacturers website. Generally speaking you want to ferment most yeast at the lower end of their range, 60-63 for ales, 48-52 for lagers, for the cleanest finished profile.
Never used a thermos ell. The stick on fermometers have served the purpose for me.
If you want to save money, just use the stick on fermometers. A lot cheaper and work just fine.
For my temp control, I tape my probe to the side of the carboy and then tape a piece of thick bubble wrap over it to shield it from the sudden change of the heater or freezer turning on (so it’s not constantly going back and forth). I am able to pretty much keep it right where I need it +/- 1 degree.
I do the exact same thing as Templar and it works great for me as well.
Maybe I am jumping the gun here. My fermometers seem to be pretty accurate and my carboys are insulated with pillow cases. These posts that your liquid temp is different in the middle caused me to panic a little. I have been at 66 degrees on both of my carboys and my pantry temp gauge reads 69 degrees at the moment but it always fluctuates with the house thermostat. That is probably good enough.
Active fermentation does increase the internal temp of the liquid, but the stick on thermometer doesn’t measure ambient temp, it measures carboy/bucket temp which is much much closer if not the same as the liquid temp.
Most of the questions that pop up here and the posts you’re referring to usually involve someone setting their bucket or carboy in a room where the ambient temp is what they are measuring and that’s why they are a bit off (maybe like 5 degrees). With a stick on thermometer you’re so much closer, probably well within 1 degree. Not really anything to worry about.
Brent, I use a thermowell and love it. I want to know the temperature in the wort, not the outer edges. I bought mine at Williams Brewing years ago and bought a digital thermometer with a probe small enough to fit inside the thermowell.
One small drawback is the thermowell pushes up in the wort because it’s like a boat in water. I tape down the bung to prevent it from popping out. Cheers!! :cheers:
I highly recommend getting you a few bungs with thermowell. By being able to measure the heart of your wort during fermentation is the most accurate. As I have said in other post most people would be surprised the temperature difference compared to the stick ons. I got mine at my local brew shop, I do know that Williams brewing sells them also. I also have never had a problem with mine floating up.and pushing the bung out.
This has me curious. Have you actually seen a difference between the temp measured by the thermowell and the stick on thermometer? If yes, how big a difference? And the follow-up question is, if you fill your fermentor with water and let it sit for a day (no yeast activity to cause heat generation), what is the difference between the thermowell and the stick on thermometer in that situation?
What I am getting at is the potential difference between a thermal gradient within the wort generated by yeast activity vs. simply a difference in calibration between your thermowell thermometer and your stick on thermometer. Having worked with temperature control for many years, I’d be surprised to learn there is a significant thermal gradient in the fermenting beer. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear there is a thermometer calibration problem.
This is something I would like to know as well.
I am willing to bet that the temperature difference is no more than 1 degree.
This has me curious. Have you actually seen a difference between the temp measured by the thermowell and the stick on thermometer? If yes, how big a difference? And the follow-up question is, if you fill your fermentor with water and let it sit for a day (no yeast activity to cause heat generation), what is the difference between the thermowell and the stick on thermometer in that situation?
What I am getting at is the potential difference between a thermal gradient within the wort generated by yeast activity vs. simply a difference in calibration between your thermowell thermometer and your stick on thermometer. Having worked with temperature control for many years, I’d be surprised to learn there is a significant thermal gradient in the fermenting beer. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear there is a thermometer calibration problem.[/quote] like I said most people be surprised the temp difference. I have seen as much as 8 degrees compared to the stick on thermometer. I always make sure my thermometer is calibrated before ever brew. I guarantee that my thermometer is way more accurate than the stick on’s. Now I’m not always saying there is that large of a difference. I have come to notice that the more wild the fermentation going crazy like with a hefe weizen and some of my Belgian’s and fruit beers seem to create the most and the biggest difference in temps.
This has me curious. Have you actually seen a difference between the temp measured by the thermowell and the stick on thermometer? If yes, how big a difference? And the follow-up question is, if you fill your fermentor with water and let it sit for a day (no yeast activity to cause heat generation), what is the difference between the thermowell and the stick on thermometer in that situation?
What I am getting at is the potential difference between a thermal gradient within the wort generated by yeast activity vs. simply a difference in calibration between your thermowell thermometer and your stick on thermometer. Having worked with temperature control for many years, I’d be surprised to learn there is a significant thermal gradient in the fermenting beer. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear there is a thermometer calibration problem.[/quote] like I said most people be surprised the temp difference. I have seen as much as 8 degrees compared to the stick on thermometer. I always make sure my thermometer is calibrated before ever brew. I guarantee that my thermometer is way more accurate than the stick on’s. Now I’m not always saying there is that large of a difference. I have come to notice that the more wild the fermentation going crazy like with a hefe weizen and some of my Belgian’s and fruit beers seem to create the most and the biggest difference in temps.[/quote]
OK, I’m surprised. I’ve seen fermentations generate up to 6F higher temperatures in the wort than the room, but I wouldn’t expect to see that between the middle and edge of the wort. I’ve also never seen the stick-ons be off by more that a couple of degrees max, while I’ve seen digitals display truly wacky results at times. But I would ask if you could do the test I recommended in the above post, as that will definitively tell if the difference you are reading is due to yeast activity or because one of the thermometers is reading wrong. It won’t tell which thermometer is reading wrong, but it is a first step in quantifying the issue.
