Sneak Peek?

Hello all, I'm brand new to the home brew...with a question. Is it ok to take a peek at my brown ale and make a test with the hydrometer, and then close it back up for a few more days? If so, any special considerations? Thanks!

Peek and taste as much as you want. It's your first beer and it's exciting. Just realize, every time you open to peek, you present another chance of contamination. Make sure your sample drawing device is sanitized. You'll get to the point where you stop checking on them from pitching to bottling/kegging so enjoy it while it's new.

Don't bother testing it unless the beer has been fermenting for at least 2 weeks already. Don't open the bucket in a drafty/dusty place if you can avoid it. Whatever you dip into the beer to draw the sample (a ladle, turkey baster, etc) needs to be sanitized before it touches the beer -- everything that touches the beer after the boil has to be sanitized. After you take your gravity reading with your hydrometer, wait another 5-7 days and test the beer again. If the number is the same your beer is done making alcohol. If you let the beer age a little longer (say, 4-6 total weeks in the bucket) your beer will taste even better. Homebrewers call this "bulk aging" the beer -- allowing the full volume of beer beer to remain in contact with the full volume of yeast -- it allows the yeast to metabolically "clean up" the beer, resulting in cleaner, smoother flavors.

However, once the yeast are no longer producing alcohol and the hydrometer readings level out you can bottle at any time without the rick of exploding bottles.

Good luck and happy brewing -- welcome to this great (and addictive) hobby!

There is nothing wrong with that, in fact its the best way to see if your beer is done fermenting. To get an accurate result, you want to take a sample a few days in a row to determine if the gravity is dropping, or staying the same.

I wouldn't just drop the hydrometer right into your bucket though. You can get something called a wine thief at a brew shop that will let you take a sample and then you can check it from there. Worst case, in a pinch I've used a turkey baster...its essentially the same thing. Just remember, before you stick anything into your beer, sanitize!! Your beer is somewhat vulnerable at this point, you don't want to introduce oxygen or strange bacteria to it, and you want to be very careful not to stir or shake the bucket/carboy. I am not trying to scare you, just telling you want I have learned when others have asked the same question.

Sanitize a measuring cup and scoop out 1 cup of beer - if you're quick about it, the lid will only be off for 10 seconds.

Then take the measuring cup to your hydrometer. Take a reading, and drink that sucker down!

Try not to drool in the beer when you open it to take a sample. I know it smells good but drooling in it is not cool.

my primary bucket has a spigot... sometimes i get antsy and check a little too often too. any big risk in this case since i'm not exposing it to air or dipping anything in it?

Unibrow said:

Sanitize a measuring cup and scoop out 1 cup of beer - if you're quick about it, the lid will only be off for 10 seconds.

Then take the measuring cup to your hydrometer. Take a reading, and drink that sucker down!

Click to expand...

Your Homer signature is misquoted. It should end "all of life's problems."

http://www.insidesocal.com/tv/the-simpsons-homer-to-alcohol.jpg

Been a while since I seen the beer baron episode - had to do it from memory, but thanks for the note

Unibrow said:

Been a while since I seen the beer baron episode - had to do it from memory, but thanks for the note

Click to expand...

Any time. I know my Homerisms forward and backward.

Now fix the signature!

Done - glad we were able to hijack this thread for my sig