Customer Reviews

True Brew Floating Thermometer

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I've been searching for a good thermometer for home brewing for some time. When we found the True Brew floating thermometer it seemed like the solution to the shortcomings of other thermometers. The temperature range is within what I need for beer brewing (unlike many candy thermometers which are designed for much hotter cooking) and it floats in the wort taking a constant temperature. Sadly, this was not the solution we had hoped.

Although the floating feature is nice, I found that the reading is often inaccurate as the weighted end sinks the tip of the thermometer down to the bottom of our stock pot where the range top sent the reading higher than the actual temperature in the heart of the pot. This was easily remedied by balancing the thermometer on the grain bag while it steeps.

Unfortunately -- and more importantly -- the thermometer is also apparently prone to *breaking*. During my most recent brewing session, the temperature in the pot reached 170° and the tip of the thermometer broke, spilling glass and steel shot (the weight that pulls the end down) into my wort. Looking up the problem online, it seems to have happened to a number of different people under similar circumstances. Fortunately, the alcohol (not mercury) *thermometer* portion remained intact, and it was only the shell casing (that enables the device to float) that broke. Sadly, that's enough to pollute whatever you're cooking with glass and shot.

We called a friend who runs a brew supply store and he assured us that his distributor tells him that the contents of the thermometer are completely non-toxic, but it's still unacceptable that a cooking thermometer (or its casing) would be so fragile as to break at a temperature in the *middle* of its reading range.

Broke in my wort with minor contact to side of brew kettle. It's glass to I understood it needed to be handled carefully, but this is ridiculous. I did a lot of online research following the incident to make sure there was nothing toxic possibly existing in my beer, and discovered that this has happened to A LOT of people. The floating feature is not really a benefit over a normal thermometer as it has to be hand held in order to keep it from touching anything and shattering in your wort. Not a good buy.

this is a waste of money. this thermometer is too fragile. barely taped the bottom of my car boy and broke spilling steel pellets and glass in to my beer. do not buy!

I bought this from my local home brew store, not Amazon. If I had read these reviews, I would of not made the purchase. I have a 20 gallon pot, so the thermometer sits right where it should (although lower than what one would expect). It broke the first time I used it.. without contacting any steel structure. Complete waste of money and time.

As others before me have said, this thermometer is a piece of junk! I have had one to break in my mash tun and one to break in my brew kettle! I will never buy this piece of junk again!! i will be searching for a reliable digital thermometer.

I received this item as a gift for Christmas (instead of the digital thermometer I had asked for). So I gave it a shot tonight and the bottom of this thermometer broke and spilled all of the weights into my wort. It didn't break while boiling, it actually broke while I was chilling the wort in the brew pot outside in the snow! :( Fortunately after doing some research it sounds like there is nothing toxic that would have spilled, so I'll see how this batch turns out. It's just very frustrating that this happened, possibly contaminating my beer. I would NOT recommend this product.