I confess. Have never done a gravity reading.

I might have told a little white lie if I ever inferred that I knew something about gravity readings. I have bought 2 hydrometers, broke the first one before ever getting to use it and never took the second one out of the package. I don't even know how to use a hydrometer. There, I confessed my beer making sin.

I mostly just brew low ABV beers on purpose, 2.9 to 4%(max) but of course that's just a guess since I don't do gravity readings. I've been brewing up to 100 gallons a year for the past 4 years by just winging it.

By drinking 12 ounces, I pretty much know the final ABV of the beer. Another home brewer was impressed that I could guess his ABVs so accurately. Of course it has to be when I've had nothing else to drink that day and only the first one.

I like to have 2-4 nice tasting, low ABV beers each evening. Sometimes I'll skip a couple nights if someone recently called me an alcoholic.

Besides figuring out the final ABV, what's the point of gravity readings? Or since my style of drinking/brewing, I really don't have to pay attention to that?

Taking readings are great but only if you want that information and you are trying to replicate it later... I know people that brew kits and just follow instruction and.have never used a hydrometer either ...I'm a info hoe so it drives me nuts but to each its own... their brew isn't bad so if it works for them and they are.happy then be it

nice. all it does is make you worry about the OG being too low or the FG too high. screw it!

There's no problem with that. One other function of the reading is to see how much of your fermentables were consumed by the yeast.

Belgian beers are so great with food because they are generally fermented down to the low 1.002 it so - which gives it a thin body.

On the flip side you might want a chewy malt profile and more unfermentables which will lead to a higher finishing gravity of say 1.020

There's also calories to consider - the higher the Fg the higher the calories.

Way to go Bobbilynn, unconventional is good as far as Im concerned.

Cheers

You'd also need to know your gravity if you wanted to figure your mash & brew house efficiency.

BobbiLynn said:

Besides figuring out the final ABV, what's the point of gravity readings? Or since my style of drinking/brewing, I really don't have to pay attention to that?

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The only thing I can think of that would make a FG reading useful is to avoid bottle bombs.

Yooper said:

The only thing I can think of that would make a FG reading useful is to avoid bottle bombs.

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I always just figure when it's clear, it's done. And also taste, wait for any sweet maltiness to disappear to the point that I like it, then bottle. I like clean beers, nothing thick or malty. Well, except maybe the occasional honey dark ale, but even then I look for sweetness from the honey, not malt type of sweetness when sampling. Haven't had a bottle bomb yet! *knock on wood*

Gravity readings can be very useful for determining efficiency in your system, figuring ABV, preventing bottle bombs, finding out if you are consistent and adjusting as necessary, or maybe just to try a somewhat tricky high gravity beer and to know how the brewing went and how the yeast is performing.

But I have brewed a few times without taking a reading, even brewing AG without measuring. It's not a big deal if you are used to your method and aren't brewing anything unusual. Knowing what the yeast looks like when it's working, and being able to taste the sugar content in the end is good enough to evaluate your fermentation sometimes.

Sat. night I kegged a cream ale that was brewed 2 weeks ago. I did not take a reading. I am not worried about bottle bombs and the sample wasn't sweet so I'm fairly certain it's done. But this is not my usual process. I usually like to know what happens.

say 3 hail mary's and your sins will be forgiven

Yooper said:

The only thing I can think of that would make a FG reading useful is to avoid bottle bombs.

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Or troubleshooting efficiency problems.

It also tells those noobs who think if their airlock isn't bubbling fementation isn't happening, how wrong they are. It's saved a few over nervous folks from dumping their fermenters.

I usually take OG readings - simply for replicating recipes and to know where I am starting from. I almost never take FG readings . . . . .because they are almost always the same anyway - 1.011-1.015..... I leave my beers in primary for 3 weeks, and they are always "done." Maybe some exceptions for bigger beers, etc.

I rarely take the readings unless I am brewing something that I do not usually brew. All my beers though are low abv and I let them sit plenty long before I even think about bottling.

I am kind of in the set and forget camp though. Once I tuck them away I do not check on them or even look at them until it is time to rack or bottle

I take readings simply out of curiosity. Mostly, I just like to see what has happened during the brewing process. I don't keep enough ingredients in the house to raise the gravity should I be concerned about that so really this is just for my own knowledge. I guess it is good to know that fermentation has actually stopped too.

Denny said:

Or troubleshooting efficiency problems.

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True, but I was assuming extract brewing in this case. Of course, even with AG, if you don't care what the OG is, or the IBU/SG ratio, or what your efficiency is, or repeatablility, then I don't think taking an OG matters at all.

If you're kegging, I wouldn't even worry about a FG.

But bottle bombs are something that WOULD concern me!

Knock on wood, I've never had a stuck fermentation but it does help with AG figuring out your efficiency. IMO it is a good habit to get into whether you think you need to or not.

I like to know what my potential ABV may be but I let mine sit for at least 3 weeks...so I'm pretty sure it's ready to bottle or keg without a FG reading.

I take readings to know what my ABVs are, but it does hurt a little when I dump the 6 or 7 ounces out of the hydrometer flask. With all the beer I have you would think that would not bother me, but it does.

I do mine just to see how close I come to the recipes reading, I usually only miss by a point or 2, I also enjoy dropping it in the bucket and giving it a spin, it makes me feel smart to jot those readings down on my notes like a scientist, where in reality I'm more like the nutty professor (The Jerry Lewis version)....

When I did my first AG batch, just recently and now 4 batches in, I thought that I would finally do a reading. But then never got around to it. With AG I just started looking at the consistency/color of the wort to know how much water to add. Just stir and look at it. That looks about right, so time to chill the wort and pour into fermenter. It's only been the last 2 weeks I started with AG, and plenty of tasting/looking along the way. I'm going to soon have a massive supply of beer due to diving head first into all grain. Did 3 batches around 5 gallons each the first week I tried it. Seems like I can look at the wort and know, one batch used less water as just additional or sparge, another batch I was able to stretch it further, could add more water and have the same consistency/thickness of wort. I guess importance of measuring efficiency is a whole other question. I have been just looking at consistency and "know" whether to boil down or add more water.

Screw the OG or the FG, I just want an excuse to drink it! I'm always dieing to know what it tastes like. Pre-ferment and pre-bottle!

I also abstain from using my hydrometer. I will use my refactometer to calculate my efficiency but that's it. I make yeast starters and control fermentation temperatures with a temperature controlled freezer for all my beers. All my ales sit in primary for three week and my lagers for four. I've always observed fermentation ends around 10 days and the extra allows for clearing and cleanup any potential off-flavors. Then I keg. It's worked well for me so far and the BCJP judges seem to agree.