Broken thermometer in beer

[gio]

I went to take the temperature of my fermenter today and when I pulled the thermometer out I noticed the glass at the very bottom of the bulb was missing. It was a red liquid glass thermometer and I only noticed because the bulb was no longer red. It didn't break in the fermenter as I lower the thermometer through the hole in the stopper using a string until it is just deep enough to get a good reading. I assumed that it broke when I dropped it into the glass jug i keep my star san mixture in and was storing it in. Investigation of the glass jug did indeed show tiny pieces of glass and so it seems like it broken in there.

I'm not too worried about glass in the beer as it did not break in the beer but I will filter it regardless when I rack it to a secondary. Also, most of the red liquid in the bulb in the bottom probably ran out when it broke in the jug. Still it is possible that some got into the beer I assume as it was obviously not sealed at the bottom (strange thing is the thermometer still worked!). Is this something I need to worry about. According to the internet, the liquid could have been dyed ethanol (safe), toluene (mostly safe), or maybe kerosene (less safe). Would a tiny fraction of a drop in 5 gallons of wort make a difference? I'm going to go to the store I bought the thermometer and see if I can figure out what they use as an indicator. I really don't want to dump the beer but I want to make sure I'm being safe.

 

[LakewoodBrew]

Sorry, but you are way off the beaten path for me. I'm going to steer clear of giving any advice on this except to say - be safe. If you wouldn't drink it, then don't drink it.

 

[bovineblitz]

I would say you're probably okay, but cover your bases before drinking it.

 

[devilishprune]

I would hold off on dumping it for now. Definitely go check where you got it to see if you can find the manufacturer of it and ask them what's in it. My first thought would be ethanol, and that would be perfectly fine. I would dump it if it were kerosene or toluene, although the total amount there is going to be extremely small. The glass should settle out in the trub, but filtration is a good step to take to avoid any unwanted surprises.

 

[bja]

I wouldn't think twice about drinking it. Regardless of what was in your thermometer, (ethanol, toluene, or kerosene) the amount is so small it's irrelevant.

 

[mtbiker278]

I belive I read that 90% of all standard 0-220F liquid thermometers are now alcohol (ethanol) thermometers. Anything that is meant as a food thermometer is suppose to be food safe too I'm pretty sure.

Never hurts to check out the manufacturer though.

 

[MoreBeerPlease]

I would drink it.

 

[dinertime]

I would drink it even if it were kerosene. The LD50 of kerosene (lethal dose that kills 50% of rabbits) is 2.8 g/kg. Assuming you weigh 180 lbs = ~80 kg, that would mean you would have to ingest a half a pound of kerosene to get near a lethal dose. In reality, there is likely less than half a gram of liquid in one of those thermometers. You could drink the entire contents of the thermometer at once and feel only minor irritation at most.

Not to mention it almost certainly leaked into your sanitizing bucket. Not a big enough deal that it is worth tossing a batch for.

 

[TheSeether]

Finish the beer, bottle it up and send it to me.

 

[2wide]

The working liquid is probably some kind of mostly harmless alcohol. But I would be sure it isn't something much worse.