February’s Brew of the Month is a Belgian Pale Ale. This style is known for being packed full of flavor yet sessionable at the same time. All ingredients act harmoniously to create a delightful and crisp brew.
More than 90% of the grain bill for the Belgian Pale Ale is base malt. Pilsner malt accounts for 60% and is complimented with smaller additions of 20% Vienna and 10% Munich. For increased malt complexity, small amounts of aromatic and cara 20 were selected for a sweeter biscuit flavor. For all-grain brewers, the grains are mashed at 152F to create a balanced wort that will not be too fermentable or too sweet.
Hops include an ounce of Glacier at 60 minutes, an ounce of UK East Kent Goldings at 20 minutes and an ounce of German Select at fire out. It is also dry hopped with an ounce of UK East Kent Golding to bump up hop aroma. This combination was chosen to highlight delicate floral and bright citrus flavor without turning this fun crisp pale ale into an IPA.
This beer was fermented with White Labs 550 Belgian Ale yeast. This yeast likes to ferment a bit warmer (around 68 degrees F on the low end) but produces a wonderful bouquet of estery spice, phenolics and banana. Starting gravity on this beer was 1.049 and it finished around 1.007 making this beer a sessionable 5.5%.
Overall malt and hops balance well and allow the yeast to shine through on the palate. It has a touch of residual sweetness which plays nicely with the floral aroma from dry hopping. This beer is great to drink fresh but will also do well with some age on it.
The all-grain Belgian Pale Ale brew of the month recipe is $29.93 and extract is $33.05. As always, we encourage our patrons to take our recipe and put their own spin on it. Curious about how this beer would taste with a saison yeast? Make it yours. Brew on, Grand Rapids.
All Grain
6lbs Cassel Pilsner Malt
2lbs Weyermann Vienna Malt
1lb Briess Munich 10L
.5lb Cara20
.25 Aromatic
1oz Glacier @ 60min
1oz East Kent Golding UK @ 20min
1oz German Spalt (Select) @ 0min
1oz East Kent Golding UK Dry Hopped 5 Days
Extract
6lbs Briess Pilsen Light LME
1lb Briess Sparkling Amber LME
.5lb Cara20
.25 Aromatic
1oz Glacier @ 60min
1oz East Kent Golding UK @ 20min
1oz German Spalt (Select) @ 0min
1oz East Kent Golding UK Dry Hopped 5 days
The staff at Siciliano's is always eager to answer your homebrewing questions. Stop by for help developing custom-made recipes like this one!
Love stinks ... a lot like tobacco and roses. Surprisingly, it wasn't the couple sitting next to me at my favorite dive bar that inspired this revelation. I was daydreaming about the Barolo I had a few days earlier.
Although it's hard to pick one fermented liquid over another, I must confess that if forced to choose, I always seem to come back to my first love: Wine. Not only do the tastes and smells allow you to explore all the terrains and climates of the earth, a bottle of wine is also like a time machine. Memories of a favorite dish, a place you've visited, even someone you loved — something about wine helps us transcend the present moment and uncorks feelings and memories from long ago, bottled up, as it were, for our convenience.
That's why we here at Siciliano's are excited to announce that it just got a little easier for you to express your own love for this romantic elixir. Starting today we will be offering a 10% discount on 6 or more bottles of wine. Once again we're doing our part to redefine the 6-pack and encourage our customers to mix and match from our carefully selected, approachable and affordable wines. The discount applies to any six bottles at check-out and does not require any special coupon or code.
In addition, listed below are our staff's monthly wine picks for February. Each is sure to inspire love songs and poetry, to help create new memories or bring you back in time with just one whiff from the glass. Happy Valentine's Day!
Steve: Costa Di Bussia Barbera D'Alba, $14.19/750ml
Barb: Treana Cab/Syrah Paso Robles, $29.89/750ml
John: El Somo Rioja, $9.89/750ml
Sarah: Moutard Champagne Grand Cuvee, $33.99/750ml
Kati: La Cala Vermentino Di Sardegna, $12.89/750m.
Max: Chateau Haut Bomes Sauterne, $27.89/375ml
Ed: Shoofly Shiraz, $10.99/750ml
Matt: Lucatoni Pinot Noir, $8.99/750ml
Joe: Brunn Blaur Zweigelt, $14.39/1Liter
New and Returning Beer
Goose Island Four Star, $1.69/12oz - "This golden-hued pilsner has a light, fresh body and clean finish. Bright, refreshing carbonation mingles with German and American hops to give this pilsner a unique Goose Island spin" (source).
Goose Island Rasselbock, $1.69/12oz - "A German style strong, dark wheat, rye beer" (source).
Rochester Mills Newton's ALEchemy, $2.59/16oz - "Brewed with a precisely calculated “mountain of hops” to exploit the gravitational pull of today’s craft beer drinker toward the big and delightful bitterness bliss commonly found in American Double IPAs of the highest caliber. Newton’s ALEchemy gets the bulk of its flavor from Pure Michigan™ Cascade hops grown just a few miles up the road from the brewery. It’s smooth bitterness is derived from the power of Magnum hops. The brew is finished with dry hopped additions of Citra & Calypso hops for a complex fruity, citrusy aroma. The result is truly liquid Gold, the elusive quest of Newton and alchemists of his day" (source).
Oddside We Be Jammin', $2.49/12oz - "Rasberry, peanut Butter, wheat" (source).
Jolly Pumpkin La Roja, $16.09/750ml - "La Roja, an artisan amber ale brewed in the Flanders tradition. Deep amber with earthy caramel, spice and sour fruit notes developed through natural barrel aging. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and blended from barrels ranging in age between two and ten months. Truly an ale of distinction" (source).
Jolly Pumpkin Sea Buckthorn Fandango, $14.39/750ml - "Ale with sea buckthorn juice added" (source).
Short's Bim Bam Boom, $2.39/12oz - "Bim Bam Boom is a rich dark stout brewed with cocoa nibs, cayenne pepper, and orange. Initial flavors are of sweet citrus followed by a lively tingling of peppery spice. A finish complete with roasted cocoa and tart orange flavors leaves a lasting impression" (source).
Great Lakes Conway's Irish, $1.69/12oz - "A malty beer with a notable toasty flavor derived from lightly roasted malt. Slight fruit and hop accents add to the overall complexity. Available Mid-January to late March" (source).
New Holland Night Tripper, $3.99/12oz - "Night Tripper is an Imperial Stout brewed for a Fat Tuesday release. Dark, mysterious and poetic, Night Tripper's abundance of roasted malts, combined with flaked barley create a rich, roasty beer with deeply intense and lush flavors. Night Tripper's layered, nuanced tones invite intrigue and reward a curious palate" (source).
Stone Americano, $2.99/12oz - "The coffee notes in Stone Americano Stout are bold, rich and full of American swagger. For each 120-barrel batch, we incorporated over 250 lbs. of artisanal espresso-roast beans into the mash and added in Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade hops to invigorate the coffee taste with a slight citrus and resin hop presence. When it came time to selecting our coffee, we chose the same local roasters who contributed to our sought-after 2013 Stone ESPRESSO Imperial Russian Stout. Their fantastic beans helped us achieve this dark, hoppy and wonderfully aromatic espresso stout" (source).
Stone Pataskala Red IPA, $1.99/12oz - "Made with Mosaic, Cascade and Amarillo hops. Special brew in honor of voters approving the Southwest Licking Local Schools’ emergency operating levy. 32 total kegs produced at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station in San Diego, California" (source).
Stone Old Guardian, $9.49/22oz - "From time to time, we like to tweak the recipes of some of our most long-standing beers—like Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine—to create unique variations. This year we’re taking it to the next level by dry-hopping it with Pekko hops—a new varietal from Washington’s Yakima Valley—which in turn add notes of stone fruit, orange, lemon and mint to this bready, toffee-like beast of a beer" (source).
The Bruery Jardinier, $8.59/750ml - "Jardinier, which is French for “gardener,” was inspired by the fresh, sessionable beers so often found on the Belgian dinner table. Bright and flavorful with an assertive hop character, Jardinier is a perfect beer for any occasion, casual or ornate" (source).
The Bruery Mash, $20.79/750ml - "An English Barleywine aged in Bourbon barrels, Mash is an intense yet balanced beer with notes of burnt caramel, toasted bread, ripe pear, dried figs, vanilla, toasted coconut and finishes with oak tannin. This has become an instant favorite around the brewery due to its balance, subtle complexities and overwhelming deliciousness" (source).
The Bruery Or Xata, $11.79/750ml - "Horchata is a traditional, sweet, milky drink originating in Spain and Latin America that has become quite popular in Southern California, particularly with Mexican cuisine. Our take on the traditionally non-alcoholic drink is a blonde ale brewed with a heavy dosing of rice, cinnamon and fresh vanilla beans along with lactose for a little extra creamy character. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was carbonated horchata. The flavor is hard to describe, but for those who know it, you know you love it" (source).
The Bruery Terreux Rueuze, $20.79/750ml - "Rueuze is our take on the traditional Belgian-style blend of lambics of different ages. We carefully select a number of oak barrels from our warehouse that have been aging our sour blonde ale for various lengths of time and blend them to what we think is the ideal flavor. this is one complex beer. Notes of hay, barnyard funk, apricots, and even olives play wonderfully with the balanced acidity" (source).
The Bruery Terreux Saison Rue, $12.99/750ml - "Saison Rue is an unfiltered, bottle conditioned, Belgian/French-style farmhouse ale. This is a beer of subtlety and complexity, with malted rye, spicy, fruity yeast notes, biscuit-like malt backbone and a slight citrus hop character. With age, this beer will dry out and will become more complex with rustic notes of leather and earth from the contribution of a wild yeast strain. Being a saison, Saison Rue is ambiguous unto itself as it is a different beer when fresh and when aged" (source).
Thirsty Dog Rise of the Mayan, $3.59/12oz - "Celebrate the new rise of civilization with this bittersweet, big, bold, black beer filled with old world and traditional Mayan spices, including honey and cocoa nibs" (source).
Video of the Week | Brewed For Us
Been a while since we posted this one from our pals at Founders.
This is a formal call for judges and stewards for the Thirteenth Annual Siciliano's Homebrew Contest, one of Michigan's premier homebrew competitions. This a BJCP registered event.
The following is pertinent information regarding the judging for the 2016 Siciliano's competition:
Date: Saturday, April 23th
Location: The Guest House, 638 Stocking Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Check in for judges & stewards: 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Coffee and pastries will be provided in the morning and there will be a lunch and liquid refreshments at the conclusion of the judging.
If you plan on participating in this year's competition either as a judge or a steward please go to reggiebeer.com, click on the Siciliano's link under Upcoming Competitions and you will redirected to the Siciliano's Competition page. After creating an account you will be able to register as a judge or a steward.
IMPORTANT
After clicking on the Guest House Judging Session and indicating whether you will be participating as a judge or a steward, click the Update Judging Session button. After indicating your judging preferences and dislikes, click the Update Judging Preferences button.
Preregistration is encouraged as it will help reduce lines at the check-in table on the day of the judging.
Please ensure that you arrive at the judging venue by 10:30 a.m. so that the competition staff can organize flights and complete table assignments by the 11:15 judging start time.
Please be reminded that your participation as a steward or judge does not preclude you from entering a beer in this competition.
By Max Spencer Prairie Artisan Ales is a brewery located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 2012 by brothers Chase and Colin Healy, Prairie aims to make unapologetically great beer. The lineup of beers created by Prairie includes a large variety of stouts, farmhouse and Belgian ales, each with a distinct character and tons of flavor. One of the brothers, Colin Healy, further develops the character of each beer with his offbeat and attractive label designs.
Prairie BOMB! is a brazen Imperial Stout aged on cocoa nibs, vanilla, espresso beans and ancho chiles that sits at 13% ABV. The beer, available year round, pours pitch black and viscous with a dark tan head that quickly dissipates. The ancho chiles commandeer the nose with hints of earth and dried fruit, accompanied by light vanilla and coffee aromas. When cold, the vanilla and cocoa dominate the palate and ride into the finish where the ancho chiles and espresso beans reveal themselves slowly and delicately. As the beer warms, the rich earthiness and light heat of the chiles as well as the bitterness and flavor from the coffee come into play throughout the palate. The buildup of coffee and chili flavors balance out the sweetness of the beer, which can be overbearing when too cold. The malt build is well designed; it provides a backbone that supports all of the flavors present, smoothing out their edges and allowing them to play together.
BOMB! is an appropriately named, well-executed beer that incorporates many different flavors without going overboard — it's well worth a try. I would recommend drinking it at slightly below room temperature (55-65°F) from a goblet or tulip glass and pairing with a cinnamon crumb cake.
Prairie BOMB! is available now at Siciliano's for $8.99/12oz.
Are you passionate about craft beer, fine wine and quality spirits? Siciliano’s Market, one of Michigan’s premier specialty stores, is looking for a friendly, hardworking individual to join our elite sales team. Candidates must be willing to work nights and weekends and knowledge of homebrewing and winemaking is definitely a plus. Please send cover letters and resumes to steve@sicilianosmkt.com.
I had just wheeled a carboy and four cases of wine bottles out to a customer’s car when a young man walking into the store held the door open for me. “Thanks,” I said pushing the two-wheeler past him. The young man followed me in and stopped in front the display of bulk teas. “Are you going to need some help?” I asked him.
“Possibly,” the young man said. “This is tea, right? My wife loves tea. I’m going to buy her some tea. But first I want to look at the ingredient kits.”
“Beer or wine?” I asked.
“Beer,” he said. “She bought me an equipment kit for Christmas.”
“The ingredient kits are over there,” I said motioning to the right. “I’m going to park this two-wheeler in back.” When I returned the young man was looking at the kits.
“I noticed that you sell good chocolate too. My wife loves chocolate. I put a couple of chocolate bars on the sales counter.”
“You’re a smart man,” I said. “Now, what kind of beer do you want to make?”
The young man took off his green and white stocking cap and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, I like IPAs but my wife prefers darker beers. Stouts and porters. But I really, really want to make an IPA.” He put the stocking cap back on his head and stroked his chin. “What’s the darkest beer you have?”
“Probably this Imperial Stout,” I said. “But it’s a lot different than an IPA.”
“Oh, I know,” he said. “I guess I’ve got a decision to make.”
After offering the young man a few more suggestions, I was called away to help a customer with cigars then helped a lady choose some wine and another lady put together a mixed six pack of beer. After ringing up a few sales I looked out the window and saw the young man driving away.
“Who waited on the customer with the Spartans cap?” I asked the employees. “He just left.”
“I did,” Sarah said. “Why?”
“What did he buy?”
“Some tea, chocolate, a pound of French roast coffee, an ounce of pipe tobacco and an ingredient kit.” she asked again.
“What kit?” I asked.
“I didn’t notice. Why?”
“Just wondering if he made the right decision,” I said. I walked over to the ingredients kits and smiled after seeing that he did.
New and Returning Beer
Rockford Brewing Anniversary Ale, $16.99/750ml - "Brewed with Barley, Wheat, Rye, Oats and Michigan beet sugar! This Belgian specialty has a rich, malty body with layers of molasses, chocolate and dried fruit like raisin, plum and cherry! The Belgian yeast adds a hint of peppery clove to the overall complexity. Served in a snifter to assist with it’s wonderfully, complex nose" (source).
New Belguim La Folie, $15.99/22oz (1 per) - "La Folie, French for "the folly," is a beer steeped in New Belgium brewing tradition. This wood-aged, sour brown spends one to three years in big, oak barrels, known as foeders. And when the beer finally hits the glass, La Folie is sharp and sour, full of green apple, cherry, and plum-skin notes. Pouring a deep mahogany, the mouthfeel will get you puckering while the smooth finish will get you smiling. Not a beer for the timid, La Folie is a sour delight that will turn your tongue on its head. Find out why it's considered one of the best sour beers around" (source).
New Belguim Kriek, $15.99/22oz (1 per) - "In a never-ending quest to create new beers and defy category, New Belgium Brewing and Old Beersel of Belgium have partnered to create TRANSATLANTIQUE KRIEK, a spontaneously fermented lambic ale made with sour cherries. The 2016 edition of Transatlantique Kriek began life in the oaken vessels of Gert Christiaens’ Oud Beersel, a 130-year-old Belgian lambic brewery. After time spent aging in wood, Oud Beersel’s lambic was blended with tart cherries and shipped across the Atlantic to New Belgium. In concert with Oud Beersel’s cherry lambic, or kriek, we blended in a portion of our own sour Felix from our foeder forest, and created a golden brew to mix in, and round out, the engaging beer. The intense cherry nose leads to a pleasing tart, sweet flash across the palate. Crisp and effervescent, Transatlantique Kriek is a trip worth taking" (source).
Angry Orchard Old Fashioned Cider, $1.89/12oz - "The Old Fashioned is made with a blend of American apples and is aged on oak with dried tart cherries, California grown navel orange peel, and charred bourbon barrel staves, offering citrus and cherry aromas with a bright apple flavor and slight vanilla notes. It has lasting tannins and a full, round mouthfeel" (source).
Angry Orchard Knotty Pear, $1.89/12oz - "Knotty Pear’s main ingredient is juice from American apples, and also features pear juice, which adds a new dimension to the cider, creating a pleasantly dry flavor. Cardamom imparts a slight spicy flavor. With subtle notes of citrus and mint. This cider and showcases fresh acidity, lasting tannin, and a pleasantly dry finish from oak aging" (source).
Saugatuck Maggie's Irish Ale, $1.89/12oz - "Often served on nitro, our Irish Ale is a smooth, easy drinking, Irish Red Ale. A beautiful mahogany color and well-rounded flavors of caramel and tea with subtle hints of malt characteristics and a dry finish" (source).
Arclight Hail to the Darkness, $14.39/22oz - "Elijah Craig Barrel Aged Imperial Porter" (source).
Arclight Fornication, $3.59/12oz - "Double IPA made with honey" (source).
O'Hara's Leann Follain, $2.59/12oz - "True to it’s name, “Leann Folláin” being the Gaelic for “wholesome stout”, our full-bodied extra Irish stout is a fantastic example of how good stout can taste. Flavours of dark chocolate tones with a hint of vanilla combine with the mild mocha aroma. Opaque black in appearance with a tan head, this luxurious stout has a classic European hop bitterness giving a refreshing bite after the chocolate subsides" (source).
O'Hara's Irish Red, $2.69/12oz - "This Red stands out in this beer style category. The malt body is as impressive as a bock, albeit in a uniquely Irish way. With an incredibly smooth malt body complimented by caramel tones and perfectly balanced in bitterness, this Irish Red is much more complex than it’s mainstream rivals" (source).
O'Hara's Irish Stout, $2.69/12oz - "The flagship of the O’Hara’s brand, this uniquely Irish stout brings one back to how Irish stouts used to taste. First brewed in 1999, it has since been awarded prestigious honours for its quality and authenticity" (source).
Great Lakes Alberta Clipper, $3.29/12oz - "Bid farewell to winter’s cruel tyranny with the creamy, bittersweet dark chocolate flavors and fresh raspberry tartness of Alberta Clipper Porter. Named for the intense winter storms that sweep the Midwest and Great Lakes Regions, making us all a little tougher (and a lot colder), Alberta Clipper is the perfect treat to celebrate the return of milder weather and kiss those wintry winds goodbye… at least for a little while" (source).
Greenbush Dystopia, $3.49/12oz - "Don't be surround by sameness. Pull back from the droll daily grind with our Russian Imperial Stout that showcases just the right roasty, bitter qualities to help you escape whatever scene you're in" (source).
Atwater Cash for Gold, $1.89/12oz - No description available.
Oddside Fight Milk, $2.49/12oz - "Imperial Milk Stout. For bodyguards. By bodyguards" (source).
New Holland Dragon's Milk reserve Vanilla Chai, $4.29/12oz (4 per) - "New Holland Brewing Co. has taken its top-selling, year-round, bourbon barrel stout – Dragon’s Milk – and infused it with flavors of Vanilla Chai. The Michigan-based brewery is releasing its first 2016 “reserve” batch of Dragon’s Milk to markets around the country with Dragon’s Milk Reserve Vanilla Chai shipping from New Holland’s production facility by the end of January and hitting stores and local watering holes soon after. This reserve blend is aged in bourbon barrels for three months, with the nuanced flavor of Vanilla Chai for a portion of that time" (source).
New Holland Blue Sunday, $8.39/22oz (1 per) - "This unique anniversary libation, heritage-blended from our library of barrel-soured beers, exhibits deeply layered flavors of malt and oak, with a tart finish" (source).
Argus Cidery Fermentables Ciderkin, $2.39/335mL - "Based on nostalgic profiles of ciders everyone first experienced, Argus Ferementables Ciderkin delivers a straightforward apple palate, yet finishes dry and tannic.Traditional Ciderkin is made from reconstituted apple pomace that is pressed and fermented wild to produce a low ABV—dry cider style. Expounding on that tradition, we have employed a yeast blend that finishes dry, yet still preserves a prominent stone fruit nose and apple palate" (source).
Argus Cidery Fermentables Ginger Perry, $2.39/330mL - "Inspired by our affinity toward spicy ginger beers/ales, Ginger Perry is Argus’s first unpasteurized fermentation utilizing only the pear. Distinctly dry as characteristic of the Argus portfolio, development of this product placed the upmost importance on delivering a balance of ginger, stone fruit, and citrus flavors without palate fatigue after just one. Residual sugar is present, but don’t expect anything too sweet" (source).
Haandbryggeriet Haandbakk, $11.99/500mL - "This is a recreation of a Norwegian style naturally soured ale, aged in oak barrels for 18 months for the authentic sour flavour" (source).
Haandbryggeriet Dark Force Stout, $10.09/500mL - "From a country far, far away, comes the only imperial Wheat stout in the known universe. This Imperial really strikes back. Made with wheat malt and wheat yeast" (source).
Trois Dames Grande Dame Oud Bruin, $7.19/330mL - "A sour brown ale, brewed in the Flemish tradition, that rivals even the best Oud Bruins coming out of Belgium. Elegant and rustic, and full of complex flavors, berries, spice, and a hint of nuttiness, this is a great beer to share with friends on a special occasion" (source).
EKU 28, $2.89/330mL - "This world-famous beer has the character and richness to stand in for fine sherry or port. Just the right degree of sweetness - never cloying; wonderfully aromatic and warming. EKU 28 is the one whenever something good and strong is needed" (source).
“We have the tools. We have the talent!” - Winston Zeddemore, Ghostbusters
We're proud to announce that Siciliano's Market is now an authorized dealer of ThermoWorks products. ThermoWorks is a Utah based company that provides professional-grade thermometers and gauges which are used everywhere from commercial kitchens to food processing plants, and are even employed by researchers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. You’ll also find ThermoWorks manufactured components and sensors inside the products of an ever-increasing number of separate companies. And what’s more, their fast, accurate, and easy-to-use products are particularly useful to the home beer-, wine-, and cheesemaker, while still ridiculously affordable.
Anyone familiar with the brewing process knows the importance of temperature: Steeping grain in water that is too hot releases mouth-puckering tannins. Aerating wort before it has sufficiently cooled results in oxidation and a wet-paper taste. On the all-grain side of things, a difference of just a few degrees during the mash impacts fermentability, sweetness and mouthfeel of the resulting beer. And that’s just on brew day.
Fermentation and the carbonation process are both greatly impacted by temperature. So, how can one expect to control all these variables without an effective way to monitor temperature? That’s where ThermoWorks comes in. We are pleased to introduce our new products, as well as some of their proposed uses, below.
RT801 Digital Fridge/Freezer Alarm Thermometer w/ Probe ($19.00)
Range -58 to 158°F
Toggle between Internal (ambient) and External (probe) readings
Settable High/Low Alarm - Audible and visual alarm sounds if temp leaves pre-set parameters
Min/Max Memory - Records the highest and lowest temps achieved since the last memory reset
10,000 hours of battery life
Our thoughts: This unit is perfect for tracking your fermentations. The Min/Max Memory feature allows you to check if your closet or basement is really holding 65° all day long. The probe also allows you easily monitor the temperature inside your lagering chamber or kegerator, and the alarm will alert you if things get out of whack.
TX-1200 DOT® Probe Alarm Thermometer ($39.00)
Range -58 to 572°F
Extremely simple to use, only two buttons: Up and Down — set your temperature, and alarm sounds when you get there
Splash-proof construction, water-resistant probe
Pairable with Waterproof Pro-Series® Silicon Probe ($16, also available at Siciliano’s)
Our thoughts: The wide range of this thermometer makes it ideal for monitoring steeping, strike and sparge water, as well as mash temperatures. With care, the included water-resistant probe can be used, but a fully waterproof, immersible silicon probe is also available for an additional $16. With this set-up, you can drop the probe into your pot and walk away — it will alarm when you’ve achieved your desired temperature. You can place the probe inside your mash tun to continuously monitor the temp. While cooling, the large digit display makes it easy to check the wort temp from a distance, so you can focus on cleaning up until your wort’s sufficiently chilled, and forget about repeatedly taking the temperature with your manual thermometer.
RT600C Super-Fast® Pocket Digital Thermometer ($24.00)
Range -40 to 302°F
Highest accuracy in its class, to ±0.9°F
5-6 second read time
IP65 waterproof rating
Dishwasher safe to 190°F
4.7-inch probe length for deeper reach
Our thoughts: This little guy is perfectly useful throughout the brew day. In fact, it’s the model that a few of us at Siciliano’s have been brewing with for months. Ultra-quick readings streamline the brewing process, and the confidence you can take in this thermometer’s accuracy allows you to relax a little, not worry, and even enjoy a homebrew. At $24 dollars, the value of this almost-essential tool can’t be beat.
PT220 Dial Thermometer w/ 5” Probe ($6.00)
Range 0 to 220°F
±2°F accuracy
Recalibrateable
Our thoughts: This is a good option for someone just getting into the hobby. The easy-to-read display is a nice alternative to the traditional (and fragile) glass laboratory thermometer. The recalibration option is another nice feature to ensure you’re taking accurate readings. It’s perfect for extract brewing, where a difference of a few degrees isn’t going to make-or-break your brew. This is also a good affordable option for cheesemakers.
RT817E Thermo-Hygrometer with Outdoor Temperature Probe ($39.00)
Large digit display for humidity and temperature
Max/Min Memory - Records the highest and lowest temps achieved since the last memory reset
9.8-foot probe cable and outdoor temperature display
Our thoughts: Great for monitoring humidity and temperature inside a humidor or while aging homemade cheeses.
