LeftyMcGee

Recipes 

I brewed my first batch on Sunday. It is now Friday and the activity in the airlock has slowed to a bubble every 45 seconds.

When do most people take their hydrometer readings. What helps you determine when it is time to take a reading?

Thanks!

HighPlainsDrifter

Recipes 

Go ahead and take a reading. Its probably ready for secondary now. Continue taking readings every other day or so until you get three consecutive readings that are the same, then bottle.

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HTTR

ashbyp

Recipes 

out if interest, do you put the sample into a sanitzied container, then pour the beer back in the fermenter after taking the reading, or throw the beer away?

Yooper

Recipes 

You don't throw it away!!!! You drink it. It should taste like flat beer.

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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

livewir

Recipes 

you drink the beer! Waste not want not.

Once you remove the beer you shouldn't put it back into the fermenter, Those few ounces aren't worth infecting the entire batch.

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Marcus Hickory Brewhaus

Primary: ESB
Secondary:
Bottled: Bourbon Stout
Keg: Dubbel, Rye Ale
Up Next:

Beerthoven

Recipes 

I take a hydrometer sample after 7 days. Usually it is close enough (within 2-3 points) to my target FG that I don't see the need to take another sample. Then I leave the beer in primary for another 14 days or so before either bottling or racking to a secondary.

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Primary/Secondary:

Kegged: #77 Newcastle Brown, #79 California Common, #80 Old Bushy Tail Special Bitter

Planned: American IPA, Dusseldorf Alt, American Amber

I use secondaries!

Yooper

Recipes 

I very rarely take SG readings any more. I leave the beer in primary a couple of weeks, and then check the sg before I rack it to either the keg or to the clearing tank (secondary). I have had a beer in primary since last Wednesday, and every once in a while I hear a little "blurp" but otherwise I haven't paid much attention to it. I'll check the FG when I go to rack it, and if it where it should be, then I'll continue with the racking.

As you can see, there isn't any "right" answer, except to not rack it or bottle it until it's done. The best way to know if it's done is to take consequetive SG readings, and if it's not changing it's done. Since I wait so long before racking it, I don't really worry about taking it three days in a row.

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Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Beerthoven

Recipes 

Thanks, Yooper, good answer.

I need to do a better job of rounding out my responses with some of the why, rather than just the what.

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Primary/Secondary:

Kegged: #77 Newcastle Brown, #79 California Common, #80 Old Bushy Tail Special Bitter

Planned: American IPA, Dusseldorf Alt, American Amber

I use secondaries!

david_42

Recipes 

Drink it and take notes. This is a valuable part of the learning process.

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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

LeftyMcGee

Recipes 

Thanks for the responses! I am going to take a reading. Hopefully, the beer's FG will line up with the recipes and I can rack to the secondary.