Brew Report and Temperature Recording

I am fairly new to home brewing and wanted to share the temperature data and brew report form my second batch. I am attempting to capture as much data as possible, so a great recipe will be easily duplicated. From the chart it will be pretty obvious with the temperatures, as to what part of the process was being performed. Due to the learning curve I did allow the steeping temperature to drop a little low as you can see. Any advice or comments would be appreciated. The final brew turned out excellent, with the vanilla truly standing out. The mint is interesting for the simple fact, that there is just a hint of mint, with a slight cooling effect in your mouth. The coffee was good but was not carbonated very well. I think this was due to the oils I may have extracted from the beans, as I made the mistake of brewing the coffee at full temperature and then cooling it. Live, brew and learn.

View attachment 2013-01-08 Rogue Shakespeare Stout Report.pdf

Sounds tasty. I think what you're recording there is great! I have been looking for a temperature logging device with software to do the same. What did you use to create this chart?

I've seen some log tags to do this but they are $ 150.

It would be cool to see this chart thru lagering stages if you get into that too.

WildTex - I am actually using a Fluke 289 with FlukeView Forms. It is not cost effective for doing this, but since I had one laying around, it did a wonderful job. As far as lagering I am limited to a 24 hour logging window. I am looking to incorporate some other items for this use, but like you, I am weighing the costs of a dedicated device. I do have a temperature controller with a programmable 4-20mA output range. I am going to do some more research on this over the weekend. If I find anything economically viable I will let you know. I did look at the LogTags that you mentioned, and they are indeed pretty nifty items.

I ran across an interesting website that has data loggers that may just do the trick. They are inexpensive and can use standard thermocouples. They even have 802.11 wireless models with acquisition software exportable to Excel. Check it out.

http://www.dataq.com/products/hardware/el-usb-data-loggers/el-usb-tc-data-logger.html

Wifi would be so awesome. I'm assuming you could track your temp progress as you go.
I also like how the thumb drives can be set for different measuring intervals,, every second during brew day, then change to every minute for two months of lagering.

Thanks for the link, this looks great, I'll see if I can find reviews and let you know if I purchase or not.

One last question for you, since you seem to know some about this. I used a digital bbq thermometer during my last mash and brew, and I'm guessing the hot liquid shorted the thermocouple as it broke. Are these thermocouples (and the one you have used) made to be immersed in boiling water? I'd like to find one that is.

Thanks again

I am not sure what type of digital bbq thermometer you were using, but by application they are normally designed to be inserted into meat to display internal temperature, which would be exposed to liquid from the meat itself. If the model is a type used to display the ambient temperature inside of the cooking device, then there is no guarantee that submersion would be acceptable. If the type you have does have a probe on the end for measuring internal temperature, it would not be recommended to submerse the entire probe in water. The thermocouple wire would be inside the probe, and water left in the probe could alter the resistance, causing it give improper readings. If the type that you have has a tether between the display and the probe, you could insert the probe into your grill or evn and heat it above 212F for about 30 minutes to help remove any water from inside the probe. If the probes are directly attached to the display, steam from the boiling could have penetrated the housing and condensed on the circuit board. You could also try removing the battery and placing the entire unit in rice for a couple of days so the rice will absorb the moisture.

The thermocouple on the unit I used is a J-type thermocouple that does not have a probe housing. It is a 3 foot long thermocouple wire with a small 1/16" metal ball on the end, and is suitable for full submersion.