petep1980

Recipes 

Like post paranoid newbs I would take one all the friggin time. Now I don't really care. Whatever happens happens. I think it stemmed from me routinely coming up .002 to .006 short of the target FG; yet still getting drunk.

missing link

Recipes 

I find I am now very focused on my pre-boil gravities since I do full boils. There are a lot of things you can fix before you start boiling. The final gravity I take a reading of and add it to my notes.

Really it depends on what you want out of your brewing. If your goal is to make beer, then hydro readings aren't needed. If your goal is to keep improving your beer each time, the hydro readings are very important.

Linc

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THey change to often to keep up with the Sig.

GilaMinumBeer

Recipes 

I do take readings from the sparge but that is about all I do anymore. I have temp controlled fermentation and a reasonable familiarity with the yeast strains I use. Sure there will be some surprises now and then but, like you, I figure I'll still make beer and, if I choose to, will still get a buzz.

BierMuncher

Recipes 

I take readings because I want to know what ABV I'm serving/drinking.

Plus, the finished gravity is a big contributor to the flavor profile. If you're just brewing buzz juice to get druck, no need to pay much attention.

If you're interested in brewing a consistent recipe with predictable outcomes, readings are essential.

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mawa

Recipes 

I mostly do PM's and take SG/FG readings but when I do a quick extract batch, i feel there is no need to meassure them.

When I go all grain (soon I hope) I will definetley use my hydro every time beacuse I feel that eill let me know if my process is OK

missing link

Recipes 

When doing extract though, you should be able to hit your OG exactly every time because your adding water to dilute the wort until you hit your number. To me that is the easiest of all senarios to hit your numbers and increase your chances of success.

Linc

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Tap#1 = Beer
Tap#2 = Beer

THey change to often to keep up with the Sig.

jds

Recipes 

I take gravity readings regularly while mashing/sparging/boiling. Once everything's in the fermenter, I don't bother. About half the time, I forget to take a gravity reading when kegging.

However, I re-did a favorite recipe the last time I brewed, and didn't take a single gravity reading at any time. The beer came out just fine.

petep1980

Recipes 

Ahh, I still do extract, so I can see why mashing you need them.

Homercidal

Recipes 

I did one time, and was keeping good notes. Most of the time I am not that organized. But, I'm also brewing extract, so I figure what the heck. As long as the fermenter is at the right temp, for a proper amount of time, I'm good. The ABV is figured into the recipe.

If I went AG, then I'd have to be even more organized, and take more readings.

Moonshae

Recipes 

I take OG and FG readings now that I've gone all grain, but I never did when using extract.

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