Thermapen Open Box Sale

For those who want a quality digital thermometer, but don't want to spend $80-$100:

http://www.amazon.com/RT600C-Super-...1398951689&sr=8-1&keywords=RT600C+thermoworks

It's made by the same company as the Thermopen. Accurate to within 0.9F. 5 second response time.

$20

 

This is what I use. Basically the same thing.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermoworks-W...8&qid=1422567371&sr=8-10&keywords=thermoworks

Might not be as instantaneous as a Thermapen, but it's generally less than 5 seconds. It works well for me.

 

That is the same digital thermometer I use and I am happy with it. A 5 second response time is fast enough for me.

Cheers!

 

There is a reason the Thermapen costs what it does. It kicks major booty. EASY to read and nothing (that I know of) even comes close to the response time (3 sec.). I obviously use it for brewing but also for checking meat temps all the time. This is where the fast response time is super nice. One of the best $100 anybody ever spent on me (it was a gift). $74 is a steal.

 

Mine cost 16 USD.
It reads on the low end of the tolerance range.

PRO TIP: Response time and display instability can be reduced by inserting the probe into the substance for a few secs ... then turning it on.

 

ThermoWorks- 15% off everything for the next couple days

 

This is what I bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OXHQL3Q?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Only $25 when I got it ($27 now) and +/- 0.9F and 4-sec response. Works very well and checked against ice and boiling water, nails the temps. It only takes about two seconds to get the temp to balance out, shorter than 4 for sure.

 

I use this, accurate to 0.1F within a second (claimed, actually more like 3. oh noes)

http://www.uk.salterhousewares.com/...GoogleBaseUK&gclid=CNjnpZDUx8cCFZUYGwodKjABvA

Although I paid £7 for it about four years ago and just had to change the battery


Same with scales too, you can get some super accurate jewellers scales (to within 0.1g at least super accurate for us) for under £10. There is never any need to pay a lot of money for some things for a hobby like ours, unless you want to of course.

 

I use the thermapop from them. Its got a large rotating display that is super easy to read especially when youre reaching into a 154 degree steaming mash tun.

 

Amen to that!

 

I've been reluctant to buy in to the hype. I can see how a fast response time and +/- 1 F accuracy might encourage me to take more accurate measurements, I'm not convinced more accurate temperature mash temp measurements will improve my brewing. How many temp measurements are you making in a brew session, do you calculate means and standard errors and let them guide your actions? It just seems like one of those cases where we are sweating the small stuff.

And if you really think all this accuracy does help, I have to ask, don't you feel a little inadequate with only a 4.5 inch probe? Quit your snickering. It's a serious question. 4.5 inches won't measure temps at the bottom of my mash tun. Is there a vertical profile that is absent from your temp consideration?

Perhaps my perspective is based on the fact that I use a cooler as a mash tun with no means of heating, and therefore no means of fine tuning the temp. Unless my mash temp is grossly in error, I'm not pulling a decoction to raise the temp.

 

TBH your points are valid. That said, you'll be hard pressed to find another thermometer that will last you, essentially for the rest of your life. Additionally, I probably get more use from my thermapen outside of the brewhouse. I love that thing for cooking, and my once skeptical wife has now also fallen in love with it. That $74 I spent has been recouped long ago by not buying (and rebuying as they inevitably break) different thermometers to use throughout the household.

 

I have no reason to doubt that it is a fantastic measuring device. What I question is whether a fantastic thermometer will really facilitate my brewing experience or lead to better beer. And by question, I mean I'd like to know how you and others think it really helps.

 

No it doesn't make better beer. I think you already knew that. It measures the temperature a few seconds faster than cheaper models and might be 0.5F more accurate. Some may consider this to be worth a price premium. I don't.

 

For me the thermapen wins due to two factors: rapid equilibrium and large display. I really can't stand waiting around for a typical thermometer to come into equilibrium and these old eyes really appreciate the large display. Based on some measurements I've done, I don't think it is any more accurate than a typical digital thermometer. Is my beer any better because of it? Probably not. Is my disposition any better? Definitely!

 

Thermoworks has a few models with extra long probes available. Check their website. These units are really for commercial kitchens and light lab duty but also marketed for BBQs, smokers, brewers etc.

I think most people realize that the thermometer they use won't make them a better brewer but everyone who uses the Thermoworks product is impressed. It does what it is supposed to do all the time. If you are like most people who have bought a dozen crappy thermometers from the grocery store over the years having a Thermoworks RT6000 or Thermapen is just nice. You just get one and forget about that little area of headache. Plus they work great in the kitchen and anywhere else you might want a temp. Like a Leatherman, I use mine all over the place.

Cheers.

 

I would never had been able to justify the cost of a Thermapen if I did not BBQ and cook also. It is great for taking a couple of temps of a standing rib roast without dumping all of the oven heat into the kitchen. It is also great for brisket in the smoker where you don't want to loose heat/smoke but still want to check temps.

For brewing, I like that it responds fast but more importantly, it is very easy to read, even when the mash tun is sending out a lot of steam on a cold winter morning.

great piece of equipment that gets used a lot

 

Maybe I just use my lab grade glass thermometer differently than you all use your thermapens. I add strike water to my mash tun. I put the thermometer in so that the bulb rests on the bottom of my cooler mash tun, where it is generally the hottest. The thermometer is balanced against a manifold crosspiece so that it does not fall in. When the water has cooled to strike temp, I remove the thermometer, add the grain, stir it up, re-insert the thermometer, wait about 1 minute for it adjust, close the mash tun, set a timer for 15 minutes. Check the temp again. If at either of these checks, something seems way off , I'll adjust temps with cold water or decoction. Adjustment is a tricky, inexact business, but usually I nail the target temp to within a degree or two and it holds.

Do all you thermapen people look at your temp more frequently than I look at my thermometer? How often are you are you making brew day adjustments based on your thermapen readings? I was not being facetious when I asked if it facilitates brewing experiences or leads to better beer. I was thinking that people might be doing something with temp reading beyond what I am doing.