Capuccino Thermometers

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black_labb

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I've been using one of those capuccino thermometers for my brewing but recently decided to check it against a decent thermometer when it said the area under my house was at 28* when it hadn't been over 26* for weeks. I just checked it next to a glass style thermometer and guess what, around mash temps it's 7* out! My mashing and mash out has actually been a step mash at around 60 and then stepping up to 68 for alot of beers. Also explains why my single infusion IPA with a fair bit of oats didn't clear well even after crash chilling for a few days.

I expected it to be reading a bit on the high side as I tend to have quite attenuative beers but I didn't expect more than a couple degrees. I'm pretty sure it was pretty accurate when I got it.

I've just adjusted it to where it should be by adjusting the little hex head where the probe goes in, but I'm going to get a proper thermometer as I don't want it drifting out again.
 
I've got a clip-on thermometer i think was meant for cheese making, (its a handy backup when I break a glass one), didnt realise at first but its 3 degrees shy of what the real temp is,
 
As long as it is consistant... enzymes are innumerate.

But well done on spotting that it was out of calibration. I had a run of 2 to 3 beers with attenuation issues a year or so ago. Probe had me mashing warm.
 
Boiling water is 100c. Easiest way to calibrate.


At my altitude boiling water is just over 97c.

Having wrapped my head around a number of AG issues, getting a new thermometer revolutionised my brews haha. Good luck with the new one :icon_cheers: .
 
Boiling water is 100c. Easiest way to calibrate.

Its really most important to calibrate at mashing temps. You might calibrate at 100C (or 97C), or 0C, but that doesn't guarantee accuracy across the full range of the thermometer.

I have a good quality spirit thermometer which I use to calibrate my STCs at ferment temps, and my digital probe thermos at mash temps.

At least as long as I don't break my spirit thermo, everything should be calibrated to approximately the same level, and then I can just vary my mash and fermentation profiles based on personal experience
 
At my altitude boiling water is just over 97c.

Having wrapped my head around a number of AG issues, getting a new thermometer revolutionised my brews haha. Good luck with the new one :icon_cheers: .

are you 900m up over there?
 
No, but well over 700, closer to 800 I think, so if you (not you specifically, just the general, ubiquitous 'you') want to be pedantic about it (and depending on the calculator) my boiling point is closer to 98 than 97 - my point was that calibrating at boiling temperature can easily be 2 or 3 degrees out and this amount of variance matters in a mash.

My suburb is at the southern extremity of some of the outlying volcanic lumps from the Dividing Range and my house is located on a gentle slope that places my house well above Ballarat city and well over halfway to the plateau around the Wombat Forest...my parents are halfway between my place and the Wombat...quite often it is raining in Ballarat, sleet at my parents and snow in Daylesford. While it is not 'mountainous' by comparison to the range proper, East of Ballarat is not particularly flat, and it is lumpier than the word undulating would IMPLY.

Alternatively:

East of Ballarat is not particularly flat, and it is lumpier than you may infer from the word undulating.

Sorry Manticle - I'll do better next time.
 
not being pedantic, just curious. We're only ~40m above sea level here, so it never enters my mind that it would be different elsewhere. :p
 
I'll be pedantic about your incorrect use of the word 'infer' though.

Some tertiary student you are.
 
See above.


Edit - actually, should it be "may infer" or "might infer"?
 
'implied by' unless you are 'inferring from'.

Tell me to **** off whenever you like. I feel slightly dirty now.
 
Yes, but in the alternative ending I've re-arranged it so that it is clearly the subject ("you") that could perhaps make an inference from "undulating" haha, and I think the original version with the revised "imply" is suitable.











Now **** off.
 
Things see to be heating up in here, though it may just be my dodgy thermometer again
 
my head hurts listening to you two... :icon_cheers:

i pretty much fucked up at school (and now im a teacher....)

I've completely forgotten basic shit like, what's a vowel, noun, proverb, adjective etc....

grammar nerds the both of you!
 
that explains why I just stabbed the thermometer in my eye. Unfortunately I can't read the thermometer anymore.
 
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