I've always brewed with a handy-dandy electronic thermometer, even though some of my kits threw in a free mercury thermometer.
Well one day my buddy got me this awesome infa-red thermometer gun! You might have seen these before but you just point them at the thing and boom.
That was all cool and everything, but I was alarmed that there was a solid difference of 10-20 degrees between the two!
I grew further suspicious when the gun said my wort boiled at 190, and my electronic thermometer said it boiled at 220. Now, water boils at exactly 212, and it is supposed to hold at that temp.
I dug out the mercury thermometers, and to my suprise, they were all measuring room temp at different temps as well! Between three of those, there was an 8 degree range!
I took 5 different temps and got 5 different results with 5 different instruments!
Now considering how in brewing you strive to hit mash temps within a degree or two... how on earth are you making sure your instruments don't suck? Have you challenged the equipment you use?
Well one day my buddy got me this awesome infa-red thermometer gun! You might have seen these before but you just point them at the thing and boom.
That was all cool and everything, but I was alarmed that there was a solid difference of 10-20 degrees between the two!
I grew further suspicious when the gun said my wort boiled at 190, and my electronic thermometer said it boiled at 220. Now, water boils at exactly 212, and it is supposed to hold at that temp.
I dug out the mercury thermometers, and to my suprise, they were all measuring room temp at different temps as well! Between three of those, there was an 8 degree range!
I took 5 different temps and got 5 different results with 5 different instruments!
Now considering how in brewing you strive to hit mash temps within a degree or two... how on earth are you making sure your instruments don't suck? Have you challenged the equipment you use?
)
