No thermometer

[Trueblue]

I have a big problem. I recently moved to Romania where I just germinated a batch of malt, but its getting time to prepare it, and they don't sell oven thermometers here, ANYWHERE! They look at me like I'm stupid, like, "what would you need something like that for?" So, any suggestions on regulating temps without one? I have seriously looked everywhere...

 

[Uziyahu]

What about an instant read meat thermometer or something like it. That would be easy to rig up to sit in your oven to monitor temperature.

 

[Trueblue]

Yeah I could rig something up if I can find something. I was thinking of actually looking in a hardware store, some kind of industrial gauge for water heaters or something. It's sparse here to say the least. For toasting the grain, I could run a medium temp on the stove and see how fast the grain browns. Believe it or not I have never bought store bought malt, I've always made it myself and could gauge it from history, my biggest concern is the wort boil now that I put some thought into how important such a simple instrument is.

 

[duboman]

IF you can find thermometers it sounds as though you could have a money making bonanza!

 

[Uziyahu]

Time to start a business?

 

[Trueblue]

Highly considering it, made a nice dehydrator so I can stop the germination exactly when I want out of screen, a fan, tinfoil and lightbulbs. Dries 20 pounds in 10 hours and its perfect. Bottles are free, caps are 50 for 3 dollars, and grain is a dollar for 6 kilos and everything else I built from scratch. Yeast I'm currently cultivating from my favorite local beer, since I couldn't find a strain I trust and I have a fresh spring in the back yard flowing straight out of the mountain. I seriously can't wait to try this batch. Hops grow freely through my forest on vines 40 feet high. I'm going to make two simple batches without too much variation, mostly to test these hops. I have NO idea what I have for AA and since I can't buy bittering hops I need to figure out what they provide for bittering.