WildHawk
New Member
How important is it to measure your gravity? If I don't care about my ABV% and so on, is it really important to get my numbers and calculate?
The only one I worry about is the OG. Like Gila said, it tells me what I can expect but it really tells me how well I did as the brewer. Creating a recipe and getting within the target OG range is all that I am concerned about. I brew ales and just trust the yeast after that.
Thanks. Sometimes I just get a little anxious and don't bother to measure. Does that make me a reckless brewer?
I'd say estimating Alpha is pretty important too. lest you decide to pair 6 ounce of hops to 5 pounds Vienna.
It's important no matter whether you brew ag, pm or extract.
If you don't trust your yeasts, and go by faulty indicators like airlock bubbling, then it's important to your peace of mind.
If you believe in something like the arbitrary movement of beers based on something stupid and faulty like the 1-2-3 rule. Then it's an important tool to knowing where your beer is at. That way you can no really WHEN to rack your beers to secondary.
If you opt to do what a huge amount of folks do and leave your beer in primary for a month, then it's not important at all unless you are tracking your abv.
But the numbers really are the best way to get a handle on what is happenning in your fermenter.
The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....
Thinking about "doing anything" without taking a hydrometer reading is tantamount to the doctor deciding to cut you open without running any diagnostic tests....Taking one look at you and saying, "Yeah I'm going in." You would really want the doctor to use all means to properly diagnose what's going on?
I've been brewing for years, and I still think the "numbers" are important.
lol - beer is not quite a life and death situation. - I have made many good extract batches without ever taking a reading. But now that I all grain I do take readings a lot more. It helps you understand the process of fermentation, and can tell you when the beer is done - but is by no means necessary for extract.
Go ahead and do what you want, brew how you want. But a new brewer shouldn't be afraid to reach for the hydro, before they reach for the new yeast OR start another "my beer's ruined" thread.
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