best way to check gravity ?

ok so up untill now I havn't bothered checking the gravity of any of my brews. and they have come out ok.

But I would like to start doing so, in order to learn more about my beer, and further my brewing knowledge and experience....

BUT I am worried about contamination. How do you guys pull a beer sample without getting your dirty fingers in the beer or whatnot?

so I just simply dip the hydrometer container in the beer, and then drop the hydrometer into the container once its filled with beer ??

Invest in a wine/beer thief:



I spray mine with starsan prior to taking my sample. I also spritz my hands so I don't intoduce any nasties when i remove the bucket lid or carboy bung

Also - skip step 3. Never return the sample, drink it to get a feel for the beer's progression.

Invest in a thief. It's basically a tube used to pull a sample from the fermenter. You sanitize the thief, pull the sample, put sample in the tube the hydrometer comes in, add hydrometer, and get your reading. You can get a cheap thief from the same company that make the auto-siphon.

Instead of The Theif, why not use an Auto-Siphon? Seems to me that the only advantage would be the tip you press to open to return your sample, but I'd much rather taste it. You know, to avoid contamination, and in the name of Science and all that...

GrizlyGarou said:

Instead of The Theif, why not use an Auto-Siphon? Seems to me that the only advantage would be the tip you press to open to return your sample, but I'd much rather taste it. You know, to avoid contamination, and in the name of Science and all that...

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That would work if you pulled the sample, then poured it into your hydrometer container, which will make a bit of a mess. Hydrometers don't fit in the auto-siphon, but they do fit in the thief so you can take a reading in there....then you can realease it into your glass in the name of science

I'm kind of a germ freak so I use a well sanitized thief and pour that into a sanitized container. I take the bung out and put it in a cup of sanitizer while I'm working. And make sure you taste that sample, you can learn a lot from just tasting the wort!

awesome I will definatly get one... should my LHBS have one ??

i just ferment in a bucket with a tap at the bottom, and just take a bit out to test, i never have to put anything that could possible contaminate in my beer.

illnastyimpreza said:

awesome I will definatly get one... should my LHBS have one ??

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Yeah the LHBS should have it. The other option is a turkey baster, same principle...

A huge majority of the brewers on here and in general use their hydrometer 2-3 times and have never contaminated their beer because of it...On here and in books we recommend a TON of things NOT TO DO...But all books, and many of us on here advocate using a hydrometer...Seriously, do you think it would be recommended if it was a bad idea???

Your beer is MUCH stronger than that....

Get a wine thief or a turkey baster...sanitize it (a spray bottle of starsan or iodophor is great for this,) spray stopper or fermenter lid, draw off a sample, close lid or stopper on fermenter. Insert Hydrometer in theif, or if using a turkey baster, fill a test jar, then insert hydrometer....Tap it a few times to get it to float...read...

Your beer is blanketed by a cushion of CO2...It is protected, heck many of us have submerged body parts (sometimes unsanitized) into their fermenters and the beer has turned out fine....

Read this...http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Think_evaluation_before_action/

Welcome to the hydrometer club!

MOD EDIT: NSFW pic

Jamo99 said:

That would work if you pulled the sample, then poured it into your hydrometer container, which will make a bit of a mess. Hydrometers don't fit in the auto-siphon, but they do fit in the thief so you can take a reading in there....then you can realease it into your glass in the name of science

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if you buy a 1/2 inch auto siphon its the exact same diam. as the thief. I broke my auto siphon's outer tube and use the thief works just as well.The only difference that I can see is the thief has that little tip sticking out so you can return the sample. other than that they are identical

One technique I use, is to put a little yeast in the OG sample and just let it sit in the fermentation area. It will probably hit the FG early, but it is interesting to watch as fermentation is non-linear. Once it has been stable for three days, you can check the batch.

Revvy said:

Your beer is blanketed by a cushion of CO2...It is protected, heck many of us have submerged body parts (sometimes unsanitized) into their fermenters

Click to expand...

What you do to your beer in the privacy of your home is nobody's business.
Thanks for the new sig.

^ O geez