Hydrometer reading............

Is there anyway to take a hydrometer reading without wasting the beer? If you sanitize everything really well is it ok to just pour the beer back in the fermenter after you get the reading?

Yes, drink it so you get an idea of how it might taste. I use one of those $4 tubes for my hydro readings and only use about 4-5 oz I think.

I must agree. Taste it as often as you can, get familiar with the smells and looks of the fermentation as well. Just keep your equipment sanitized, I use a wine thief and I love to observe my beer. I don't sweat the small testing losses, the knowledge to be gained is worth the loss. Keep sanitized tho, I am not talking about double dipping a spoon into the wort or leaving a bucket lid off next to a litter box for ten minutes of observation. Enjoy the process and your tasty results.

For an extract/steeping grain brewer, there really is no need to take an initial gravity reading. You can calculate it pretty consistently.

Once fermented, it is beer - drink it.

Or you can just put the sanitized hydrometer in the fermentation bucket, as long as you're not doing a small batch where it will hit bottom. That's what I've always done. Doesn't waste anything!

If you're fermenting in a carboy, maybe not such a good idea...

I Keep the sample in a 12oz. bottle once I've taken my reading, then store it next to the fermenter so I can get readings without constantly opening the bucket exposing the batch.

madkap_78 said:

Is there anyway to take a hydrometer reading without wasting the beer? If you sanitize everything really well is it ok to just pour the beer back in the fermenter after you get the reading?

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I've never had an infection from sanitizing a hydrometer and thief.
take the reading and empty it through the bottom valve.

If its not clean enough to return it, it wasn't clean enough to dip into the batch in the first place.

sounds like I should invest in a wine thief. Ive never actually seen or used one. You dont have to syphon the beer into anything, you can just take the reading with it in the thief?

If you sanitize very well you can pour the sample back in. If you want to take the risk.

I take my OG reading with my refractometer. It only takes a few drops.

After fermentation I take one reading, sometimes with the hydrometer which needs compensation for alcohol content, sometimes with a hydrometer. If I get what I expect I don't take any more.

So, I only use about 4 ounces total for my gravity readings. I never put anything back. It is not worth the risk.

I just leave the hydrometer capped in its plastic tube filled with sanitizer solution. Take it out, pop it in the bucket, and then back in the sanitizer for the next reading.

CH-47_Guy said:

I Keep the sample in a 12oz. bottle once I've taken my reading, then store it next to the fermenter so I can get readings without constantly opening the bucket exposing the batch.

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Why would you do this? The sample you are keeping is worthless after the first reading because it no longer represents what is happening inside the primary after it's been removed..............

I seen a few videos doing this saying it was a small example of the fermentation.... hmm. Could be a load of crap. This is my first time using this method so I was curious.

I use a wine thief to take a sample, and place the hydrometer in the thief for a reading. Then bottoms up, being careful not to gag on the hydrometer.

Wine thief is the only way to go if you are sampling from a carboy, the valve on the bottom allows you to return the sample after taking the reading.
I found it didn't work well on my vino vessel bucket (bigger around and shorter than an ale pale) because the liquid was not beep enough to float a hydrometer.
That said I drink my samples, every last drop

The more important question is, why are you sampling so often that your worried about losing a few oz of beer to make the measurement?

With a thief im taking maybe 2oz of liquid if that, hardly worth the risk of putting it back in...

i usually take a sample every two days. I have a test jar and its about 6 oz to get a reading. (maybe thats to much) If I do that over a 14 day period that could add up to a couple of beers worth. Im probaly just worry to much. This is my first time brewing.

madkap_78 said:

i usually take a sample every two days.

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You should really leave it alone for at least a week before you do anything... I've only made ales so far and I usually just let it go for 2 weeks in primary, take a reading, and rack to a keg or secondary (only goes to secondary if I dry hop or add something else).

There's nothing to be gained by opening up your primary every two days... You might even find yourself with an infected batch. Just let it go for a week or two before you start taking samples.

I second that. Testing so often is useless.

madkap_78 said:

sounds like I should invest in a wine thief. Ive never actually seen or used one. You dont have to syphon the beer into anything, you can just take the reading with it in the thief?

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Yep. I have this and it works pretty well:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermtech-wine-thief.html

You just dip it down into the carboy and pull it up. If you need a bigger sample you can just jiggle it up and down in the beer to get more into the thief.

CH-47_Guy said:

I seen a few videos doing this saying it was a small example of the fermentation.... hmm. Could be a load of crap. This is my first time using this method so I was curious.

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The sample in the bottle will be subject to different conditions than the main batch. For example, it probably gets exposed to more oxygen. While this is bad for the beer, it could feed the yeast, helping them attenuate further than the main batch. Being in a different container, it may be subject to different temperatures. Being smaller, it will certainly have higher and more rapid temperature swings. I wouldn't trust it for a final gravity reading.

madkap_78 said:

i usually take a sample every two days. I have a test jar and its about 6 oz to get a reading. (maybe thats to much) If I do that over a 14 day period that could add up to a couple of beers worth. I'm probably just worry to much. This is my first time brewing.

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I'll check anything I mash to figure out my mash efficiency. That gets boiled, so it goes back. After that I just calculate the OG from the mash and any other additions.

Usually the only gravity reading I take is just before I bottle to ensure it reached the FG I was expecting.

My first 5 batches or so I thought you were supposed to return the sample and I never got an infection. Now that I know you're not supposed to I don't because the logic of saving an entire batch vs losing 1/4 of a beer is totally rational.

I usually only take one now when i first put it in the primary and when im about to transfer to secondary or bottle. Im having trouble with my hydrometer though, Im new to this so Ive only made 3 batches so far but it seems like every time the gravity is off from what the recipe says its suppose to be. I follow it to the letter and it still reads wrong. Even with me adding points for temperature difference.

madkap_78 said:

I usually only take one now when i first put it in the primary and when im about to transfer to secondary or bottle. Im having trouble with my hydrometer though, Im new to this so Ive only made 3 batches so far but it seems like every time the gravity is off from what the recipe says its suppose to be. I follow it to the letter and it still reads wrong. Even with me adding points for temperature difference.

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With extract, if the wort is not fully mixed you can get false readings for OG. Just go by what the kit says.