I'm on my 3rd brew (Belgian Dubbel) and I just added it to the primary fermentor. I decided to use the hydrometer this time and I want to make sure I'm reading it correctly.
After I added the wort to the fermentor, I took a sample, place it into the tube that comes with the hydrometer and slipped the hydrometer in. I got three readings:
Balling = 10
Potential Alcohol % = 5.5
Specific Gravity = 1.40
I know that I need to use the hydrometer to decide when to go to secondary. So, the SG readings should be higher than 1.40? When they are constant, I move to secondary correct? Do I need to take readings from the secondary to know when to bottle?
Also, do you see any issue with using dental floss to dip the hydrometer into the primary? The one potential issue I see is the yeast cake getting in the way. I guess I thought I could create a little hole. Or, maybe the yeast cake will be gone when I take the reading. It just seems easier than taking a sample and less exposure to the air.
One more thing, how accurate is the potential alcohol reading.
As always, thanks for the help.
Ersin
After I added the wort to the fermentor, I took a sample, place it into the tube that comes with the hydrometer and slipped the hydrometer in. I got three readings:
Balling = 10
Potential Alcohol % = 5.5
Specific Gravity = 1.40
I know that I need to use the hydrometer to decide when to go to secondary. So, the SG readings should be higher than 1.40? When they are constant, I move to secondary correct? Do I need to take readings from the secondary to know when to bottle?
Also, do you see any issue with using dental floss to dip the hydrometer into the primary? The one potential issue I see is the yeast cake getting in the way. I guess I thought I could create a little hole. Or, maybe the yeast cake will be gone when I take the reading. It just seems easier than taking a sample and less exposure to the air.
One more thing, how accurate is the potential alcohol reading.
As always, thanks for the help.
Ersin