Return beer to primary after hydro check?

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Malty_Dog

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I see a lot of folks taking readings periodically throughout fermentation process. Wondering if folks are returning the beer to the primary or are just leaving it out to avoid any risk of contamination.

My last 2 batches I pretty much let sit in primary for a month and both hit my FG just fine, although of course I don't know at which point they were actually "done".
 
Typically, I only take gravity readings twice - OG and FG. I toss the OG sample and drink the FG sample. If you are careful about sanitation you may return the sample to the fermenter.

Most of my beers except for really big beers have reached fg within 7-12 days, for what its worth.
 
Typically, I only take gravity readings twice - OG and FG. I toss the OG sample and drink the FG sample.

this is how I do it basically. i usually wait 3-4 weeks in primary so I know it's probably done. then I take my FG reading. I might try the OG sample just to see if there are any glaring problems.
 
I always use my theif to check my readings. Stratification can cause incorrect readings, so I always check gravity after I shake my carboy. The carboy is sanitized, the thief and hydrometer are sanitized, so why not put it back?

The only downside is not having another excuse to drink beer!
 
I always use my theif to check my readings. Stratification can cause incorrect readings, so I always check gravity after I shake my carboy. The carboy is sanitized, the thief and hydrometer are sanitized, so why not put it back?

The only downside is not having another excuse to drink beer!

I hope your talking about OG and shaking.... But I only sanitze my turkey baster. The hydrometer and tube I don't bother. Drink it! Sampling is a good thing. :tank:
 
Toss it, it can lead to contamination. If you are concerned about the volume of beer it takes to get a reading, then I suggest a refractometer. It uses only a few drops. Upside, less beer waste. Downside, you can't drink a few drops and get a feel for what is going on in your fermenter. All that said, I prefer the refractometer. If I want to taste some I usually do so at kegging time.
 
Hammy71 said:
I hope your talking about OG and shaking.... But I only sanitze my turkey baster. The hydrometer and tube I don't bother. Drink it! Sampling is a good thing. :tank:

Of course! I'm not too worried about stratification once fermentation is complete or during fermentation. The activity of the yeast promotes decent mixing, and when fermentation has stopped, I just pull a sample from the middle and hope the low amount of sugars will mean stratification isn't an issue.

However, with rapidly cooled wort where everything is settling, it's definitely a problem! That's where the shaking to take the reading comes in. I probably should have been more clear about NEVER INTRODUCING OXYGEN AFTER FERMENTATION STARTS. I'm usually clear about that, but I guess it slipped!
 
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