accurate brewing thermometers

what kind of thermometers do you all use? brands? type? links?

i bought a 3" thermometer for my mash tun, and im having a hard time calibrating it. thanks

 

Classic Thermapen

On sale right now

 

+1 for Thermapen

 

I just have an analog thermometer with 12" probe. It's calibrated and more accurate than I'm ever going to be at measuring the mash. Bought it from the LHBS for a few dollars.

 

I've found that the dial thermometers are only accurate close to the temperature they are calibrated. Currently the only one I trust is a glass lab thermometer but I think I'm close to splurging on the thermapen.

 

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/km1...CDD773651FC3&gclid=CO7N9dL7rtMCFQ9LDQodq30IWA

KM14, Accurate, easy to calibrate, and waterproof.

 

I lack a magic thumb so I've used a Thermapen in the kitchen and smoker and grill for years. Love it - even take it with me on far-flung travels when I know I'm doing some cooking.

It's also handy for many brewing efforts, and for correlating all my electronic temperature probes. But I also have one of these on brew days for keeping an eye on the recirculating mash in a 20g MLT. Perfect for that as it'll reach all over...

Cheers!

 

I have the 600C by the same maker as the Thermopen. really happy with it - I actually have 3 - one for brewing, one for smoking / BBQ, and one for general kitchen use.
I have a few other thermometers I use when brewing, a candy-style one I keep in when mashing - once I have the temp from the 600C, I use that to keep an eye on how far the temp drops. PLus an infrared / laser I use to keep tabs on liquid temps, mostly when coming up to temp for mash / sparge, and to see where I am in chilling. I still get exact temps with the 600C.

 

$80 for a thermometer???
How about this that has 2000 positive reviews and stayed calibrated for a year and counting...no need to over buy a simple thing

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0021AEAG2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

That's the model I started the hobby with, but after about a year of having trouble hitting target FG, I suspected my thermometer was the problem. Asked for and received a Thermapen for Christmas and found the CDN was reading 4°F too low at mash temps (meaning I was mashing 4° higher than I thought), even though it read +1° in an ice bath and -1° at boiling. After the Thermapen, no more FG problems. Well worth the money, IMO, even at full price.

 

Yes. Another vote for the Thermopen. A thermometer is one of the most important brewing tools, so investing in a quality one is a good idea.

@Jonny.... How can you preach $65 (flow control) faucets, then cheap out on a very important brewing tool? It's not "over-buying", it's buying good quality, especially if you do any cooking.

 

Thermoworks Heavy Duty Waterproof Thermometer, 12-inch (RT610B-12) - drops into the hole in my lid for constant monitoring... works perfect for $25. My brew bud has a huge 25 gallon kettle and uses the 24" model.

 

I'll admit it would have never dawned on me that a calibrated thermometer would be off. I've always just trusted that if it says 32 in an ice bath its 32. That being said I've never had efficiency issues either. To be honest I've never noticed any difference between a beer mashed at 148 or 158 [shrug] I wouldn't call it cheaping out not buying an $80 thermometer if the one I'm using forever works perfectly fine.

Comparing flow control to thermometers is not even in the same ballpark.
There are endless,And I mean ENDLESS threads and posts regarding foamy beers.balancing,long lines ETC....Flow control eliminates all that...they make huge difference in kegging.
Theres not many "thermometer issues" threads for a reason..there're simple tools that work.
Not to say there cant be ones that read off..I just don't buy into the fact that you need an expensive one for accurate readings.

 

I've been using the CDN thermometer for a year and a half now. It's been working great for me. A couple brew days ago I dropped the thing in my hot mash and was certain I'd be buying a new one. Nope, it came out of the mash, I rinsed it off, and it just looked cleaner.

 

I bought the Thermapen Mark IV just after Christmas. It would take two strong men wielding crowbars to pry it from my hands.

Yeah, expensive. And I get that I'm at a place in my life where I can afford that. Ten years ago, twenty years ago, no. Kids had priority.

But when you see how accurate it is, and how FAST it is, you come to appreciate a quality and precision piece of brewing equipment.

I especially like it when I am dropping the temperature of a small glass of wort to room temperature so I can take a PH reading. I pour that wort back and forth between two thick whiskey glasses I pulled out of the freezer--so they're cooling that wort fairly fast.

I don't want to overshoot--and the speed of the Thermapen helps prevent that.

Same with mashing in. I can take several temps fast, and see if I have mixed well enough to create consistent temperatures.

 

I have the Thermapen and the Chef alarm with the 12 inch probe. The thermapen is great and I use it for cooking regularly. I have switched exclusively to the chef alarm for brewing though.

 

Guess I have to be the contrarian on this. I use a simple low cost dial thermometer like in the link below and I've never had a problem hitting mash temp or FG pretty much spot on. I just made sure to calibrate it for my elevation.

https://northernbrewer.ca/products/...7pWz2ahfOIoasFuD-t6PsPwM0lq5mzb8c0aApBs8P8HAQ

 

+1 on the Thermoworks 600C; only $19 and nearly the same read speed as the classic Thermopen but isn't waterproof and probably doesn't have as tight as a resolution.
I use it for everything.

 

Another vote for the Thermopen. It's the only thermometer I use anymore.
I bought the newer Mk 4 and even at that price, if it broke I would not hesitate to buy another.
Yes it's expensive, but it is worth every penny.

 

One more for the 600C

 

I use a Taylor Digital probe thermometer/ timer (here) for getting strike and sparge water up to temp. The alarm feature is nice because I kept overshooting temps as I got other things ready or sitting, drinking coffee, and staring off. I also use the alarm to let me know when I'm getting close to boiling so I can start watching it. I set the alarm at 210F.

I checked the calibration against my certified lab thermometer at multiple points and it is close enough for me. For checking the mash temp. I suspend my lab thermometer in the mash so it is easy to check.

 

Regardless of equipment, redundancy in temperature measurement is key. A combination of fixed and portable thermometers will tip you off to potential problems. Just my 2c.

 

I use this one...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OXHQL3Q/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's held up well over 2 years and is accurate. I use it for cooking, brewing, fish tanks...pretty much everything. Like Yooper, maybe I should get another one!

 

I'm not comparing faucets to thermometers. I'm saying that if someone talks about buying (expensive) flow control faucets because they swear they are better than less expensive faucets, then claims their cheap thermometer is just as good as a higher quality (more expensive) one because they don't want to spend the extra money, they are being cheap.

The fact that you don't see a difference between a beer mashed at 148° vs 158° explains why maybe you need to make the investment.

There are some thermometer threads, but you're right, not that many. But, I'd guess that at least some of the "why does my beer have an off taste?" or "why did my fermentation stop at to high an FG?" threads could stem from temperature issues somewhere throughout the process. I started with a cheap, homebrew store thermometer myself. The calibration was always just a little off, until one day I realized it got way off and screwed up the mash. It only took tossing one batch due to temperature to convince me to spend the money. You really do get what you pay for.

 

I look at it like this:
Precise temperature control is a key element of advanced brewing. To have precise control, you have to have precise measurement. To have precise measurement, you have to have a precision instrument.

Is it possible to get an inexpensive instrument that is also reliably precise? Sure it is possible, and maybe one of the inexpensive options here fit the bill.
However, in my experience, precision costs (not just in brewing, but in everything mechanical - cars, guns, tools, etc). Quality is rarely cheap.

The Thermapen is without a doubt precise, reliable, and durable (and incredibly fast, nearly instantaneous, to boot).
You may find those qualities elsewhere cheaper, you may not, but you WILL find them with the thermapen.

But your own experience and wallet will guide you.

 

It sounds like your emotionally attached to your thermometer and looking to get into it otherwise you wouldn't have brought up faucets in a thermometer thread....I could absolutely care less if you drop $1000 on a thermometer...Myself and many other here think its a waste of money and theres a difference between wasting money and being cheap...
Not looking to take away from the OP's thread but regular faucets and flow control are completely different. If a $1 thermometer reads the same temp as a $100 thermometer..thats it... its work is done.
AND if your mashing is off by 2 deg and you think that's the reason for off flavors and not a 1000 other things your mistaken...I wish you and your thermometer all the best

 

I plugged along with a glass floating thermometer for years, and then I finally looked into a more accurate/reproducible reading option... I went with something more expensive, because I wanted to be able to change the thermocouple probe for various applications...I have a standard spear-type probe for quick liquid or meat measurements, and a waterproof cable probe that I can place in my mash tun and actually close the lid and keep a continuous measurement of the internal temperature.
Yes, it's really pricy, but this thermometer, I feel certain will last me a lifetime, and I can use it for multiple applications...
It's waterproof, and I know I can be confident of the results it gives me....and if I ever need a probe for a different application, there's tons of them available from ThermoWorks

 

I'm not sure how you know that your $10 thermometer is accurate.

I've wanted one of these for a while and this price--$59--is too good to pass up. Its a product that everyone, not just brewers, swear by. Cooks Illustrated and Kenji Lopez Alt among others.

 

I have a Thermapen but bought a few cheap Chinese TP101 for backup. They are as accurate as the thermapen but not as fast.The cheapies TP101 aren't as cheap anymore and there are a few knockoffs of the Thermapen that get great reviews.

 

I don't follow the reasoning here. Is a person cheap because they use an inexpensive thermometer, even if it works flawlessly? Is it not possible to easily tell the difference between a 148F and 158F mash with a cheap thermometer? Is mash temp the most likely reason for off-taste or high FG?

 

I bought a 12" from thermoworks along with a thermopen. The 12" sits in a hole on the top of the MT as yours. At first I would use the thermapen to double check the cheaper 12" thermometer but the readings were always the same. The thermapen only gets love now when grilling thick pork/chicken, when I need to validate another thermometer or if I believe I have a fever (used it for that yesterday )

 

I purchased a CDN and am happy with it. I calibrate it before each brew. Bobby at brewhardware had a performance comparison between a CDN and thermopen and didn't appear to be a material difference in temps, just a quicker read. I purchased a CDN with a budget to upgrade other items in mind. If you fall in this category I don't think the CDN will let you down. Thermapen obviously will be a good choice as well.

 

No. That comment was made towards someone who always pushes what he thinks is the best piece of brewing equipment and happens to be the most expensive option. Then, a discussion comes up about thermometers and all of a sudden, the "cheap" option is good enough for them because they just can't see spending what the good quality one costs. That particular person stated that they didn't know the difference between a beer mashed at 148 vs 158, so I guess for them it's not possible to tell the difference with a cheap thermometer. Maybe that thermometer is a little off at mash temps? Even a thermometer calibrated in ice water and boiling water can be off at the temperature most people mash at. Different recipes have different mash temperatures for reasons, and 10 degrees is a pretty big spread to not see some difference in the finished product.

As far as the off flavors or stalled fermentation, I was simply stating just because there aren't a ton of thermometer threads, doesn't mean that some of the other threads might not be caused by temperature related issues. I would think that mashing out of the desired temperature range COULD cause some issues with off tastes and possibly final gravity. It might not be the most likely reason, but it is a possibility.

I'm not saying that everyone HAS to buy expensive stuff. Brew what you want, how you want, using whatever tools or methods you want. Spend your money however you want to spend it.

 

I have about 4 inexpensive digital thermometers. I have occasionally measured and compared between them and they all seemed very close.

A few months ago I tested all of them in crushed ice water insulated cup, and at boiling and was shocked how close they all were. Within a degree if I recall correctly.

Recently my strike water seemed to be taking a long time to heat up, sure enough a cheap $6 eBay Chinese therma pen clone was reading 20 degrees low

My take is that lesser expensive digital thermometers tend to be very accurate, and it is a good idea to have at least two.

For the money, I think the therma pen should be water proof, as I've dropped a couple thermos in the kettle over the years.

 

Exactly.
The guys just being a jerk...maybe he's got the flu and has a cheap thermometer stuck up his @ss

 

Can't we all just get along?

Almost everybody has resource limitations, in time and money, that guide their purchase decisions. Heck, I was 38 years old before we first reached the end of the month before we reached the end of the money.

Everybody balances cost against utility (time and effectiveness), and they make their choices. Sometimes those choices work out well, sometimes not as much. Me, too.

I bought a Thermapen MkIV because I never read any review or reaction by someone who owned one that wasn't just glowing. Yet, it'll cost you nearly $100--is it worth it?

And can you buy less expensive thermometers that will also tell you the temperature within an acceptable margin of error? I have one like that. It's not as fast as the thermapen, not as easy to hold and read, not quite as accurate. Yet despite its faults I've made a lot of good beer using it.

In other words, you're not wrong to make a different choice than I.

************

We see a lot of people on the internet trying to convince others of the value of their own choices--as if others choosing something else is somehow critical of their own choice. So they engage in a campaign to get others to buy their choice, as a way to validate their own decision.

It's hard sometimes to break out of that, to admit that a different choice is perhaps better than our own choice. Did we pay too much? Not get enough resolution? Choose something not as effective as some other choice?

What you choose to do, I have to assume, is the best fit between money and utility, given the information to which you have access. Sometimes we make a good choice, sometimes not so much, but in the end, it's our choice.

.

 

+1 for the cheaper Thermoworks units. Sure the Thermapen is nice, but the price is excessive.

I have multiple Thermoworks thermometers and they are all verified in the typical mashing temperature range with my NIST-certified mercury lab thermometer. That is the way to make sure your temp readings are accurate. Trying the calibrate a thermometer at the freezing or boil points is far from the temps we brewers are interested in and assuring that you are actually at those freezing or boiling temps can be difficult.

With any electronic thermometer, the Reagan motto: Trust but Verify is certainly applicable.

 

I used a dial thermometer for years and after a couple trouble batches I checked to see if my thermometer was off. It was off by about 15 degrees. That's when I bought the $20 thermometer from thermoworks. I would highly recommend getting one of those if you don't want to spend the money on a thermapen. They're just as accurate.

The new version is waterproof.

 

I've been brewing for about 5 years, but not as experienced as some people here. I started off with some random digital thermometer we had in the kitchen drawer.

I never really trusted it so I moved up to the CDN thermometer people love so much. It served me well for a few years, but after about 3 years it started to get all wonky around mash temps. I mean it would read 150F one second, and then immediately jump to 156F. Seemed fine in an ice bath and at boiling. But the important temps? It was wild. Maybe I got it wet once or something, I dunno.

So I bought the Lavatools one people rave about nowadays. That thing lasted about 6 months before it just quit working entirely. I probably should have gotten another under warranty, but I got pissed at it and just threw it away. I do not recommend that thermometer.

So a few months ago, I bought my 4th thermometer. The MK4. We'll see.