My Twelve Inch Probe

I'm very pleased. My probe has increased in size from 5 1/2" to 12". Oh yes baby, I've got a big one.

I'm talking thermometer probes. When making beer, temperature is king and my new brewery has well designed tuns with cavities, into which you can stick your probe. Here's a picture of the Copper, with said probe hole. (give it a click)

Here's a picture of the digital thermometer I'd usually use.

As you can see from the following shots, it's nicely situated to poke into both the Hot Liquor Tun and the Copper, to monitor the temperature.

Trouble is, there isn't a probe hole in the Mash Tun - this is the vessel in which the liquor (hot water) and the malted barley are combined - as I need to remove the false bottom (don't ask) for cleaning, and the enclosure for the probe hole wouldn't enable me to do this.

Until now, I've just been sticking my thermometer into the mash from the top. All well and good, but now I'm brewing 10 gallon batches, the mash is quite deep and my five and a half inch probe is, well, distinctly inadequate. Put simply, it's not man enough for the job.

Hence, the need for a big'un, a full twelve inches.

I can shove this in the top of the Mash Tun and get a more accurate reading as it penetrates deeper into the mash. I'll look forward to playing with it, next time I brew...