I was at the very end of my last brew day and cleaning up all of my equipment when I shattered my floating glass thermometer. This is the second one I have shattered in 3 years and I always worry about breaking it off in a mash or in a kettle. I was also a little suspect of the accuracy.
Besides the floating glass, I also own a CDN ProAccurate Digital Thermometer. Though I love how quick it gives you reading vs. the glass, I was always suspect of the readings because of the need to constantly recalibrate and sometimes its differences from the glass thermometer (Which one was wrong? Who knows).
I have become tired of the fear of accuracy as well as breaking the glass so I ponied up ($96) and bought a Thermapen. Everyone that has one raves about them so I figured why not. Even though they are supposed to be one of, if not the most accurate thermometer on the market, I ran my own test to verify. While I tested the Thermapen, I decided to do a side by side with the CDN to see if it was also accurate. Thought it would have been nice to test a glass thermometer as well that was not an option.
I made the ice bath just as the Thermapen directions suggested. The estimated temperature of the solution should be very close to 32. The Thermapen gave me a reading of 32.3 in a few seconds. Very happy about that. I put the CDN into the same solution.
Now I knew I'd have to calibrate the CDN for best results and temperature must be in the 32-34 range to do so. Well when I put the CDN into the ice bath, it read 29.6. If you try to calibrate at the temperature you get an error. So right away I was concerned with the accuracy. That almost 3 degrees could make a big difference in an hour mash.
I also had some water boiling. Based on my elevation and air pressure at the time of the test, water would boil at 210.6 degrees. I put the Thermapen into the boiling solution and it read 210.5 degrees. After both test I was now a Thermapen believer! I put the CDN into the boiling water and it read 208. Again, was around 3 degrees off in the same direction.
I then put the Thermapen and CDN back into the ice bath. The Thermapen again read 32.3. The CDN now read 32. That bugged me that it read a different temperature in the same medium. However, I'd now be able to calibrate the CDN. So I did and it read 32.1, very close to the Thermapen and expected temperature of the solution.
The CDN and Thermapen went back into the boiling water. The Thermapen again read 210.5 and the CDN also read 210.5. Interesting results.
So what this tells me in this very limited test is that the Thermapen and the CDN are very close to each other as long as the CDN was calibrated. However, as I said the first time, in the ideal ice bath solution I could not get the CDN to calibrate.
Though the Thermapen is around 5x the price I think over the long term I'd put my faith in it over the CDN. However, if you don't have around $100 laying around the CDN is a viable option as long as you can calibrate it. That's the key!
Showing posts with label Misc.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc.. Show all posts
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Drink Local - Support Craft Beer "Sellers"
Though I love everything about homebrewing, I admit that compared to some of
you, I've been less passionate about the craft beer scene. I don't check-in
every beer on Untappd or drop everything to
go try the newest "must have" beer on tap. I do however admire craft
brewers that make that leap from homebrewing to pro-brewing.
I've recently decided that I'm going to start writing a business plan for a brewery. Part of my 10 year plan? Perhaps, or maybe just the daydreams of a guy that loves to brew. I truly don't know. Writing down every detail into a structured format as it comes to me is a discipline that will help me in other aspects of my career (I shared a document I wrote with my group’s VP about how the retail energy business is similar to the craft beer industry and he loved it!).
As I started my business plan research, it gave me a new appreciation for the professional craft brewer, or really what they are -- craft beer sellers. They are not in the business of making beer; they are in the business of selling beer. Anyone can learn to make beer, but not everyone will be fortunate enough to successfully sell it.
I also now appreciate the phrase "Drink Local.” I see people post it on Twitter and I never really gave it much thought. But when you think about what it means, it’s incredibly important. It goes beyond trying the new local beer just to try it; it’s about supporting local/regional business over the long-term. Every time you buy a pint/bottle of something local, you play a role in giving that brewery the chance to brew (or actually sell) another day. No different than supporting a "mom-and-pop" restaurant vs. a nationwide chain.
As quickly as craft brewers are popping up around the country, there is the unfortunate reality that many of them will fail. And likely, they didn’t fail at brewing beer, they failed at selling beer.
This awareness now changes how I will drink craft beer. When I have the opportunity to go out, or when I travel, I make every attempt to purchase at least one local/regional beer. It is very easy to play my part in supporting the local craft beer seller.
If you have friends that are scared to drink anything that doesn't say Bud, Miller or Coors on it, buy them a local craft beer to try. I have successfully changed minds of people and maybe you can too. By doing this, you not only open their mind to a whole new world of beer, but you also support local businesses.
There are tons of ways to find local breweries. I've found PubQuest and Craftbeer.com to be pretty helpful when travelling.
If you happen to be in Cincinnati, here's a list** of local breweries to support:
Blank Slate Brewing
Rivertown Brewing
Mt Carmel Brewing
Triple Digit Brewing
50 West Brewing
Great Crescent Brewery
Christain Moerlein
**I hope I didn't forget anyone! Let me know if I need to add any!
I've recently decided that I'm going to start writing a business plan for a brewery. Part of my 10 year plan? Perhaps, or maybe just the daydreams of a guy that loves to brew. I truly don't know. Writing down every detail into a structured format as it comes to me is a discipline that will help me in other aspects of my career (I shared a document I wrote with my group’s VP about how the retail energy business is similar to the craft beer industry and he loved it!).
As I started my business plan research, it gave me a new appreciation for the professional craft brewer, or really what they are -- craft beer sellers. They are not in the business of making beer; they are in the business of selling beer. Anyone can learn to make beer, but not everyone will be fortunate enough to successfully sell it.
I also now appreciate the phrase "Drink Local.” I see people post it on Twitter and I never really gave it much thought. But when you think about what it means, it’s incredibly important. It goes beyond trying the new local beer just to try it; it’s about supporting local/regional business over the long-term. Every time you buy a pint/bottle of something local, you play a role in giving that brewery the chance to brew (or actually sell) another day. No different than supporting a "mom-and-pop" restaurant vs. a nationwide chain.
As quickly as craft brewers are popping up around the country, there is the unfortunate reality that many of them will fail. And likely, they didn’t fail at brewing beer, they failed at selling beer.
This awareness now changes how I will drink craft beer. When I have the opportunity to go out, or when I travel, I make every attempt to purchase at least one local/regional beer. It is very easy to play my part in supporting the local craft beer seller.
If you have friends that are scared to drink anything that doesn't say Bud, Miller or Coors on it, buy them a local craft beer to try. I have successfully changed minds of people and maybe you can too. By doing this, you not only open their mind to a whole new world of beer, but you also support local businesses.
There are tons of ways to find local breweries. I've found PubQuest and Craftbeer.com to be pretty helpful when travelling.
If you happen to be in Cincinnati, here's a list** of local breweries to support:
Blank Slate Brewing
Rivertown Brewing
Mt Carmel Brewing
Triple Digit Brewing
50 West Brewing
Great Crescent Brewery
Christain Moerlein
**I hope I didn't forget anyone! Let me know if I need to add any!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Four Leaf Mash Paddle
Every gift I got for Christmas this year was beer related. I got a refractometer, a weldless fitting to convert a keg to a keggle and other miscellaneous stuff. But by far the coolest thing was my personalize mash paddle from my father-in-law. Its a 36" paddle made of unfinished maple. It has a nice long handle that would make stirring the mash a breeze. Can't wait to try it out in a few weekends.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Carboys, Why?
I used a carboy for the first time today. A co-worker gave me a 5 gallon one a while back but I never used it. I like the ease of buckets and using the carboy today confirmed that. The carboy is being used to secondary a cider that I plan to age for a few months before kegging. To clean it was a pain in the butt. The previous owner left some stuff behind so I had to rig up a wash cloth on the end of a bottle brush to try to scrape it out. Wasn't that easy. Also, I was also terrified of dropping it when it was covered with soap.
The work it took the clean and the fear of scattering glass seems not worth using a carboy for a normal 2-3 week fermentations. During that time you will have no issues just using a plastic bucket. They are so much easier to clean and no fear of breakage. I can see using carboys for longer-term storage as I am with this cider, but unless I'm in a pitch for space (which usually isn't an issue), I don't ever plan to use a carboy. I know some people may give me crap about that, but hey, that's just my opinion.
The work it took the clean and the fear of scattering glass seems not worth using a carboy for a normal 2-3 week fermentations. During that time you will have no issues just using a plastic bucket. They are so much easier to clean and no fear of breakage. I can see using carboys for longer-term storage as I am with this cider, but unless I'm in a pitch for space (which usually isn't an issue), I don't ever plan to use a carboy. I know some people may give me crap about that, but hey, that's just my opinion.
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