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[PaulyD]

Got valuable guitars? Basses? Pianos? Cellos? Violins? A wine cellar?

I just ordered a fair looking hygrometer/thermometer/barometer from this place:

http://www.weatherinstruments.com/

I want to know the relative humidity and temperature in the immediate area around my instruments.

The low-end analog ones may not be as accurate as the digital ones, however, they look better. But please...no analog vs digital debates....

Paul

[Tomas Danko]

PaulyD wrote on Sat, 15 March 2008 16:55

Got valuable guitars? Basses? Pianos? Cellos? Violins? A wine cellar? I just ordered a fair looking hygrometer/thermometer/barometer from this place: http://www.weatherinstruments.com/ I want to know the relative humidity and temperature in the immediate area around my instruments. The low-end analog ones may not be as accurate as the digital ones, however, they look better. But please...no analog vs digital debates.... Paul

I think the digital is too dry and cold, whereas the analog somehow feels warmer and more moist.

So the analog is a better solution for acoustic instruments.



I use both analog and digital in my beer cellar, and to be honest the analog is accurate enough for me to know what's going on.

So I'm using that one on display to measure the ambient temperature and humidity because it's a whole lot nicer to look at, while the digital one is measuring the temperature of the ground.

[compasspnt]

You have a cellar for beer...?

[Tomas Danko]

compasspnt wrote on Sun, 16 March 2008 13:17

You have a cellar for beer...?

Indeed. You will find approximately 300 bottles from various breweries in my cellar. Mainly 0,75l bottles from Belgium, but also some from Sweden and the US.


Note that the picture only shows a fraction of the collection, and does also not reflect the current stock which has increased greatly since.

The real ale kind of beer, that has not been pasteurized, is unfiltered and bottle conditioned, will sometimes age very much like a good bottle of wine or port. The yeast left in the bottle will keep feeding off the residing sugars, while the air at the top of the bottle will also help the yeast as well as oxidize the beer itself.

I have tried bottles that were 35-40 years old and they were great. The oldest bottle in my cellar at the moment is probably from 1976.

Some vintage beers that are dark and strong will lean more towards a dry sherry or port, with a more still experience due to the lack of carbonation. Others will give notes of chocolate and/or coffee, sultan raisins, figs or plums.

A particular style called Lambic, that has been spontaneously fermented, can sometimes develop in the same way as Champagne and still be highly drinkable after fifty years. Notably the Gueuze type, among Lambics.

Please do not confuse this with mass produced lager that has gone through all sorts of filtering, pasteurizing and machines that do the carbonation. Those bottles should probably be consumed within six to twelve months after bottling.

My interest in Belgian ales do rival my borderline authistic interest in audio engineering and equipment. So there, it has ben said.

Cheers!