brandonhagen1
Well-Known Member
What do you mean "we"? Are you working for Amazon.com?
he owns and runs brewhardware.com
Can you guys recommend a good, accurate thermometer to me?
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he owns and runs brewhardware.com
paraordnance
Well-Known Member
I would not reccomend CDN DTQ450X. I had problems with it and its not very accurate. You know, "you get what you pay for" and this is the case here. Don't fall for cheap thermometers they will fail you soon or later.
I purchased CDN DTQ450X couple years ago from Brewhardware and thought I was all set. I liked how fast it reads. I also calibrated it right out of box with ice water as well as boiling water at my elevation (900 meters above sea level) and used it as a reference thermometer, oh boy was I wrong.
For past 2 years I had this thin beer problem when all my beers came out little too low on FG, just a couple points nothing major. I had no known accurate thermometer to check it against so I just continued to use it and always thought it had superior accuracy compare to my other cheapo kitchen thermometer.
After I got Therma-K I discovered that I mashed 2 F lower for all these years. I mean its great and fast meat thermometer for stakes and fish always done perfectly but for brewing, NO thank you!
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Yes, I would say you do get what you pay for but there are definitely varying levels of value in this space.
First, there are people who will not pay $90 for a thermometer even if it were accurate to the .001F with a gold stamp of approval. What the DTQ450 offers is what I consider the next best thing to spending $90 with pretty amazing performance at less than 25% of the price of the thermaK or thermapen.
You're also saying that a variance of 2F was observed between the DTQ and the ThermaK. Since the ThermaK is accurate to +/- .5F it very well could be reading .5 high while the DTQ was reading 1.5F low (within it's +/- 2F rating).
I like accuracy just fine, but I wouldn't go as far to say that 1 or 2 degrees F would make that big of a difference in brewing and I wouldn't assume that everyone can spend a $73 premium to get 1.5F better accuracy.
If mashing at 154F "apparent" based on whatever thermometer you're using yields higher than expected fermentability, you brew the next batch at 156F apparent temp and see what you get.
I have a thermapen and I still brew with my DTQ450 because I don't really care if I drop it, step on it, or drop it in the mash. It's served me well for 2 years so I'd gladly buy another one when I trash this one.
What do you mean "we"? Are you working for Amazon.com?
Sorry, two different shops were mentioned in the post you responded to so I just flipped a coin and assumed you were talking about brewhardware.com
If $17 shipping is too rich, it's probably best to find which thermometers are locally available and put them up for discussion.
paraordnance
Well-Known Member
I personally think Therma K is way better than -+0.5F as they advertise. They just cover their backs. Most of error will come from interchangeable probes rather than handheld unit. Each unit comes with individual 2-point calibration certificate and my unit is accurate at both points down to decimals. They probably use the most accurate thermometer (probably cost thousands $$$) as reference. I definitely trust what it says compare to DTQ450. But hey, not everyone willing to drop $100 on thermometer. I'm sure didn't had extra cash 2 years ago when I purchased DTQ450. And may be my was just a lemon and others can report good accuracy with it. I still use it, now I just know that I need to compensate and all is fine.
Exactly. Instead, I bought $250 worth of camlocks and fittings from Bobby.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
Concerning thermometer accuracy vs constancy.
I think accuracy is not as important as constancy of readings. My go-to thermometer for brewing is highly consistent. Lets say I'm brewing the SN Pale Ale clone recipe from BYO. I know that if the recipe says mash at 152 f my mash needs to be at 153.5 and the beer body and mouthfeel comes out spot on.
Yes my thermometer is calibrated for boiling water and freezing. But it's response is not linear. It is off by a known fraction in the mash range. No worries because it is consistent in the range. I can take repeated temps of a cup of tea and have it come out +/- .2f. Because i know how that thermometer responds in my system my finished beer comes out right on.
Couldn't tell the brand. Picked it up for cheap at my LHBS years ago.
I think accuracy is not as important as constancy of readings. My go-to thermometer for brewing is highly consistent. Lets say I'm brewing the SN Pale Ale clone recipe from BYO. I know that if the recipe says mash at 152 f my mash needs to be at 153.5 and the beer body and mouthfeel comes out spot on.
Yes my thermometer is calibrated for boiling water and freezing. But it's response is not linear. It is off by a known fraction in the mash range. No worries because it is consistent in the range. I can take repeated temps of a cup of tea and have it come out +/- .2f. Because i know how that thermometer responds in my system my finished beer comes out right on.
Couldn't tell the brand. Picked it up for cheap at my LHBS years ago.
I recommend using a Thermapen. I also highly recommend against the Taylor 9842. Mine reads 212 in boiling water but in an ice water bath it reads 49.8 where my Thermapen reads 32.4. At mash temps it was off by 6-10 degrees depending on where it was in the range. I have the long probe style thermometer that you can pick up at any HBS and it reads 36 in an ice bath and 210 in boiling water, which is close enough for letting me know I need to check temp with my Thermapen, an early warning thermometer if you will. I really recommend using a Thermapen just because of how fast and how accurate it is. It's 90% of the way to a full reading within a couple of seconds. 3-4 seconds and you're there. Nothing else I've used has even come close to that speed. I have a couple of other generic thermometers as well and they are all just as bad as the Taylor. I also have a floating glass candy style thermometer I got from the local HBS and it is very accurate but a minute or two to stabilize to the correct temp. Basically, if I had just bought a Thermapen in the first place and not bought all of the cheaper ones I would have spent $87 (I got the brown one on special) instead of the ~$160 I spent all told.
dadshomebrewing
Well-Known Member
i use a standard kitchen thermometer... absolutely nothing fancy.
+1 thermapen lover here. Got it for cooking a couple years ago as a gift and can't understand why I never had one before. It's now invaluable to me on brew day. Yep it's expensive but IMO worth it. I use for brewing and cooking. For steaks it is killer I always know just when to pull them at 125 for medium rare.
It's one of those things like really nice sunglasses. Once you spoil yourself with a pair it's really hard to go back to anything else. If my thermapen ever dies ill be buying another the next day.
It's one of those things like really nice sunglasses. Once you spoil yourself with a pair it's really hard to go back to anything else. If my thermapen ever dies ill be buying another the next day.
Thermapen is the BEST thermometer you can get in terms of accurate, fast readings.
It is not the most convenient for continually readings though. I use this if I want to watch the temp, vs spot check it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VXZVNG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Also if you want to cook steaks properly you should cook them sous vide, you can use your mash tun to do it if you don't want to buy a machine for it.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/...er-cooler-the-worlds-best-sous-vide-hack.html
It is not the most convenient for continually readings though. I use this if I want to watch the temp, vs spot check it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VXZVNG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Also if you want to cook steaks properly you should cook them sous vide, you can use your mash tun to do it if you don't want to buy a machine for it.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/...er-cooler-the-worlds-best-sous-vide-hack.html
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I'll also vouch for the CDN DTQ450X. I acquired mine from Amazon for $11.50 two years ago and have been very happy with it. I've not observed any inaccuracies but agree that as long as it's consistent, adjustments get built into your process anyway.
danorocks17
Well-Known Member
I had a floating thermometer, but it broke, so I decided not to replace it. I got this digital one that I really like, and it's cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009WE45/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009WE45/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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That's pretty cool, I had never heard of that. I have a FoodSaver and the bags already, I'll give that a try. Thanks!
If you've eaten steak at a high end restaurant recently you've had it cooked sous vide. You will be surprised at how tender and juicy they come out.
I've been tempted to try this out, but on a lot of my meats, I prefer a good grilled/charred outside. Seems that the complete lack of that would throw it off
Bigcorona
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I really like this one from OXO. A little expensive, but really useful. You may see some negative reviews because you can not purchase a replacement probe. Don't worry about that. I had one go bad after 2.5 years. Contacted customer service by email asking how to get a replacement. They sent me one for free even though I made it clear I had purchased it over two years ago. You can get it on Amazon or Bed Bath & Beyond.
timrox1212
Well-Known Member
My turkey burner came with a clip on thermometer that is about 6-8 inches long. Are these reliable? I haven't used it yet plan to brew my first turkey burner batch next week.
Mikethepoolguy
Well-Known Member
I did not have a good experience with my OXO. It started giving me crazy readings after a few months . Messed up a couple of batches of beer because of it. I still use the timer on it though. It was expensive also, but then again Williams-Sonoma is overpriced on everything.
I've had 2 of them. I used them both at the same time as a check. One day the glue/weld broke on one of them and it would free spin. The other one I still have and it is accurate within ~5 degrees. It's best to check it against a known good calibrated thermometer if you can. I just recently got a Thermapen and I wish I would have bought one to begin with. Thing is friggin amazing.
cernst151
Well-Known Member
I bought this one recently and it works great.
http://www.kitchenwindow.com/browse.cfm/digital-candy-deep-fry-thermometer/4,2842.html
Clips firmly to the side of the kettle, reasonably long so it can reach the wort even as it boils down, seems accurate (though I have nothing more accurate to test it against), seems durable. I've brewed my last few batches with it and it works perfectly. The only changes I'd make is for it to have a longer measuring stem so I could get a deeper reading and so the thermometer part won't warm up so much from the heat of the burner.
http://www.kitchenwindow.com/browse.cfm/digital-candy-deep-fry-thermometer/4,2842.html
Clips firmly to the side of the kettle, reasonably long so it can reach the wort even as it boils down, seems accurate (though I have nothing more accurate to test it against), seems durable. I've brewed my last few batches with it and it works perfectly. The only changes I'd make is for it to have a longer measuring stem so I could get a deeper reading and so the thermometer part won't warm up so much from the heat of the burner.
