Has anyone kind of quit on gravity readings?

Like post paranoid newbs I would take one all the friggin time. Now I don't really care. Whatever happens happens. I think it stemmed from me routinely coming up .002 to .006 short of the target FG; yet still getting drunk.

I find I am now very focused on my pre-boil gravities since I do full boils. There are a lot of things you can fix before you start boiling. The final gravity I take a reading of and add it to my notes.

Really it depends on what you want out of your brewing. If your goal is to make beer, then hydro readings aren't needed. If your goal is to keep improving your beer each time, the hydro readings are very important.

Linc

I do take readings from the sparge but that is about all I do anymore. I have temp controlled fermentation and a reasonable familiarity with the yeast strains I use. Sure there will be some surprises now and then but, like you, I figure I'll still make beer and, if I choose to, will still get a buzz.

I take readings because I want to know what ABV I'm serving/drinking.

Plus, the finished gravity is a big contributor to the flavor profile. If you're just brewing buzz juice to get druck, no need to pay much attention.

If you're interested in brewing a consistent recipe with predictable outcomes, readings are essential.

I mostly do PM's and take SG/FG readings but when I do a quick extract batch, i feel there is no need to meassure them.

When I go all grain (soon I hope) I will definetley use my hydro every time beacuse I feel that eill let me know if my process is OK

mawa said:

I mostly do PM's and take SG/FG readings but when I do a quick extract batch, i feel there is no need to meassure them.

When I go all grain (soon I hope) I will definetley use my hydro every time beacuse I feel that eill let me know if my process is OK

Click to expand...

When doing extract though, you should be able to hit your OG exactly every time because your adding water to dilute the wort until you hit your number. To me that is the easiest of all senarios to hit your numbers and increase your chances of success.

Linc

I take gravity readings regularly while mashing/sparging/boiling. Once everything's in the fermenter, I don't bother. About half the time, I forget to take a gravity reading when kegging.

However, I re-did a favorite recipe the last time I brewed, and didn't take a single gravity reading at any time. The beer came out just fine.

Ahh, I still do extract, so I can see why mashing you need them.

I did one time, and was keeping good notes. Most of the time I am not that organized. But, I'm also brewing extract, so I figure what the heck. As long as the fermenter is at the right temp, for a proper amount of time, I'm good. The ABV is figured into the recipe.

If I went AG, then I'd have to be even more organized, and take more readings.

I take OG and FG readings now that I've gone all grain, but I never did when using extract.

I didn't on my last batch. I broke my hydrometer . I'll have a new one today. I'll just have to assume all went well with my APA and it was 1.050.

I away take them because it points out flaws in the kits I buy when ingredients are missing - I would not catch the mistakes otherwise.

Plus as BierMuncher says - I want to know my ABV and try to repeat the grand batches.

I'm an extract brewer.

I used one when I first started brewing but I quickly realized that for one reason or another, I did not trust my own readings. I stopped using it after one or two batches. I get good quality beers and consistent results. I've yet to have a bad batch, one that did not come in as expected, and I've never had a bottle bomb. I don't much care what my precise ABV is.

My recipes are based on what I like - I'm (generally) not trying to hit a particular style or flavor. I've done enough brewing to know pretty much how my brews will come out based on the amount, type and smell of the hops, the darkness and quantity of the steeping grains, and from the color and amount of fermentables used.

My opinion: for extract brewing, it's not critical.

I take exactly two...one when the wort goes in the fermenter, and one when it comes out. I leave my beer in primary for 3-5 weeks, and the latter measurement is virtually always dead-on to what was predicted by Beersmith.

I also use a refractometer, so I only need a few drops each time. Again, Beersmith does the FG calculations.

If you don't use a hydrometer you are only guessing your brew's done.

By guessing you do not know if it's done fermenting and could produce botle bombs (grenandes). That would be a shame to waste something you spent time and money on just because you were too lazy to take a reading.

I've settled into a 3 week primary time, and 1 week secondary time. In general, if a brew hasn't fermented out in that time, it never will. Provided you do everything you can to ensure a good culture (sanitation, oxygenation, nutrients, a good recipe, etc etc etc), there's really no reason short of an act of God that would prevent it from tuning into good brew.

I take a reading pre-boil to determine mash efficiency (and whether or not I need to add extract to get to my target OG), but other than that, it just complicates things unnecessarily -- in my opinion.

That said, if I'm working with a new yeast strain, I'll do FGs the first few times to get a feel for its attenuation.

BlindLemonLars said:

I take exactly two...one when the wort goes in the fermenter, and one when it comes out. I leave my beer in primary for 3-5 weeks, and the latter measurement is virtually always dead-on to what was predicted by Beersmith.

I also use a refractometer, so I only need a few drops each time. Again, Beersmith does the FG calculations.

Click to expand...

+1. Thanks for typing all that BLL.