But if you're gonna glance at the thermometer, why not just glance at the kettle to see how it's doing? The lack of a thermometer on my kettle has never interfered with my ability to judge when it's gonna boil.
I can, and frequently do look inside the BK. But it's nice to be able to keep an eye on it from across the garage. It's not like I added a thermometer just so I can watch the temperature. My BK is a Blichmann so I'm just using what's there.
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Don't feel bad. I have Brewmometers on all three of my kettles. On cold brew days I don't have to blow steam out of the way to see if it's boiling yet. Plus it's handy for watching chill temps.
Having said that, I believe it is entirely possible to brew beer without any thermometer. All you need is a pencil for math and a way to accurately measure water. It's helpful to know what your well water temp is too.
So for me, 10 lbs room temp grain in 4 gallons (1.25 well temp + 2.75 boiling) equals about 150°. Prep sparge water the same way. Bla bla bla. But until Jonathan's thermometer eating zombies attack, I like my three brewmometers.