Milwaukee D.O. Meter...any good?

[kugeman]

I'm looking to purchase an inexpensive dissolved oxygen meter to use with the students who are part of our "Art & Science of Brewing" class here at the CIA. Has anyone ever used the Milwaukee DO meter? It's pretty affordable at only $200.

http://cynmar.com/ProductDetail/24075549_Dissolved-Oxygen-Meter-00-To-199ppm--Milwaukee-Mw600

We're not bottling, we're just looking to incorporate some simple QC tests as part of our coursework. Since for most of my career I've worked in small under-funded breweries, so I've never actually used a DO meter. I'm not looking to break the bank on this piece of equipment, I just want something cheap and durable that offers decent results.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

[TL Services]

As the details in the link suggest, this type of meter is designed primarily for measuring high level DO2, ie. in the ppm range, typically in ponds, rivers, etc.

This would be okay for wort measurements where the expected level is around 10ppm, but for fermented beers that are in the ppb range, the results wouldn't be as accurate as a brewing-specific meter.

To give your students an understanding of how electrochemical DO2 meters work it would be fine and, to put some general numbers on pre- and post-fermentation levels.

Hope that helps!

[kugeman]

That helps a lot. Thanks!