Beginner Video - How to read a Hydrometer

Great video as always. It's very good of you to go to so much work to get correct information on the interweb, particularly utube, which is fraught with SO much bad information.

(off hydrometer topic) I don't think I ever thanked you for your concise information on AG from your website. It helped push me over to going AG. The brewing books are great but too full of technical information when what I really needed was the meat and potatoes. You gave that to me in a step by step instruction. I'm not saying the technical info isn't necessary but sometimes you just want to know the steps! You're a good man and one of my brewing heroes. Cheers to you!

Agreed. Hopefully folks looking for brewing information on youtube will come across your videos before they find craigtube or the powdered sugar beer guy.

Awsome job...this vid needs to be sticky-ized in the beginner forums!

Thanks for all the props. I look at this hobby as a gateway to an overall better quality microbrew universe so anything established brewers can do to promote and enhance the hobby is a net gain. The exposure we have on sites like youtube is pretty awesome in that endevour. Down with craigtube!

Nurmey said:

I don't think I ever thanked you for your concise information on AG from your website. It helped push me over to going AG. The brewing books are great but too full of technical information when what I really needed was the meat and potatoes. You gave that to me in a step by step instruction. I'm not saying the technical info isn't necessary but sometimes you just want to know the steps! You're a good man and one of my brewing heroes. Cheers to you!

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+1 on this

Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to teach others!

-Neal

Thanks Booby M! Your vids have been a great help!

Nice video. I understand that craigtube is a dork, but why is everyone against his videos? I cant watch them because i find him annoying.

BeerPressure said:

Nice video. I understand that craigtube is a dork, but why is everyone against his videos?

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Because he sweeps his yeast up off of the floor, and then uses it...

Great video Bobby

Dude, I gotta say I LOVE you're intro.....that pic is classic :rockin:

You're outlook on spreading beer knowledge is awesome....you're so right in that regard

Cheers

Well done Bobby.... That is the first video I have seen of yours, Looks good !!!
Cheers
JJ

Good video, I like the idea of accomodating noobs. Maybe the next video can be about the benefits of blowoffs and the detriments of airlocks...

I think I already covered that in spirit in my "adding oxygen to homebrew" video where I explain the mess on the floor. The problem with doing it again is that I'd have to let an airlock blow out and make a mess to really exhibit the problem with it. Frankly, this is one of those things I think new brewers have to experience as a right of passage. So grasshoppa, have you cleaned your ceiling yet?

Excellent video! Youtube and videos in general are great media for explaining the brewing process. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, but a video's gotta be worth a million words.

One suggestion for this particular video though. If you could maybe just back up a tiny bit and explain how to take a sample from the carboy. Seems like there's a lot of questions here about that.

Good point... see how hard it is to think like a beginner?

Excellent video but I have one question. Is 60F the standard for calibration or is this something unique to the hydrometer you purchase?

The most common calibration is 58F I think, mine said 60F, and I've even had one meant for salt water aquariums that was set to 70F.

BeerPressure said:

I cant watch them because i find him annoying.

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Better watch out, because if he finds out we were talking about him he just may have to make a video about it...

Great job as always

Thanks

Bobby_M said:

I think I already covered that in spirit in my "adding oxygen to homebrew" video where I explain the mess on the floor. The problem with doing it again is that I'd have to let an airlock blow out and make a mess to really exhibit the problem with it. Frankly, this is one of those things I think new brewers have to experience as a right of passage. So grasshoppa, have you cleaned your ceiling yet?

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I agree that airlocks are only for secondary long term storage, but I still have stains on my ceiling from when my wide blowoff tube got clogged. "heavy hops" in my bitter bachelor brew.

Needless to say, if it has never happened to you, you don't want to see it ever.

Someday I get a good tagline.

Late to the show as always.

1.) Great video! And a good series.

2.) Why 4? I have never heard this before. Of course, I can Rube Goldberg boiling water! But, I have always just taken the attenuation range for the yeast and mathed that out. How accurate is 4?

3.) I think you can still fit another bottle or two of chemicals on top of that fridge buddy. You'd better get after that, it's looking kinda sparse up there.

1. Thanks. I just can't think of too many other beginner topics.

2. In aiming at noobs, I didn't want to get too involved. 75% is an average attenuation for most yeasts in most worts. Yes, grossly over simplified.

3. One can never have enough mad science liquids.

Perfect timing for finding this video, it's a great resource. Wanted to say thanks. I tried last night to take a reading in a wine thief and it was difficult at best to say the least. I think from now on I'll use wine thief to get the sample and pour it into the container the hydrometer came in to get a more accurate reading.

It is great as someone starting out at brewing to see someone taking the time to create a video to try to help others; however I must comment on the method of reading the hydrometer. The hydrometer should be read edge on for a precise reading. Looking from above or below will lead to incorrect reading due to parallax(Wikipedia) . Reading from the same perspective every time will lead to accurate readings but the best way is edge on.

Trying to film through the well aged plastic would have been annoying to the viewers and really, we're talking about a potential error of 1.001 +/-.

That is all true; however for example even +/- 0.001 in OG and FG can lead to about 5% error in a 1.053 to 1.013 brew. Does that really matter? I depends who you ask. How about for temperature adjustment - 70F to 59F on the hydrometer ends up about 1 gravity point. What about calibrating your hydrometer to pure H2O? That isn't necessary either but doing so will get you a more accurate measurement. My point is that if you are going to use any measuring instrument you should try to be as accurate and precise as possible - none of these things are very difficult to do. In the end how far someone want to go is up to them; probably more beers have been made without a hydrometer than with one.

Thanks for the video! Any suggestions on where to buy a cheap sample holder? Home depot have anything that would work? The tube the hydrometer came in is plastic and not easily seen through.

Just wait until you order some more supplies from an online HBS and pick up a hydrometer sample jar for $3.

Thanks, didn't realize they were so cheap (i.e. should have done my homework).