Procedure to check SG in Primary

To know when to transfer to secondary, or bottle, most say, "check the SG 3 days in a row...if it doesn't move, fermentation is done, and you can move to secondary (if thats your thing) or to bottle".

My secondary is a glass carbory, but I'm still using a plastic bucket for my primary and have a mental block. Do you just brazenly pop the lid off your primary, exposing its delicate innards to oxygen, the universe, and everything. All the carbon built up in its pristeen biome escapes. Then you plunk your (sterilized) theif into the wort to steal out a generous hunk of sacrificial elixir to drop your hydrometer into. Then pour it down the dran? Pour it back into the wort & know that you are as sterile as you wanna be? Drink it?
Then seal it all back up and its all good? And you do this every day?! Oh the humanity (yeast-anity?)

Do I just need to get over my newbie reverence for The Great Seal of the Primary?What are some simple equipment upgrades to keep everything sealed up and still take readings?

Yes, open it up, use a thief, check the gravity and temp of the sample, drink it, sanitize the lid/cover/airlock/whatever, and seal it back up.

Good question, one that I myself have...

Don't worry about opening it up if you are in a relatively clean situation.
If all the krausen has fallen then there's no reason you can't sanitise your hydro and put it straight in the primary.

If it looks done and it is at or very close to the target FG then I wouldn't bother taking further daily reading.

If taking a hydrometer sample were so risky to our beer, why do you think every book, website, and forum would stress over and over and over to do so?

First you beer is much hardier than you think it is. Secondly your beer is protected by a layer of co2 which is much heavier than air and when you open your fermenter the co2 protects the beer from oxygen exposure.

Third, the effects of air contact on beer are vastly exagerated like so many fear provoking things are to new brewers. It would take the pumping of an entire red O2 bottle into your fermenter to oxydize the beer, and the effects of oxydation on beer are a long term issue anyway..Most of us drink our beer long before it would take affect. And means it takes a lot of O2 then even most of our brewing mistakes.

As long as you sanitize your winer theif or turkey baster, then taking a hydrometer reading is perfectly safe.

Here's what I do....

1) With a spray bottle filled with starsan I spray the lid of my bucket, or the mouth of the carboy, including the bung. Then I spray my turkey baster inside and out with sanitizer.

2) remove lid

3) Draw Sample

4) fill sample jar (usualy 2-3 turky baster draws

5)Spray bung or lid with sanitizer again

6) Close lid or bung

6) take reading

It is less than 30 seconds from the time the lid is removed until it is closed again.

Probably less if you have help.

If you read this you will see how hardy our beer really is...and taking a hydrometer reading or two will not do any harm.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

Thanks all for quick replies. This site (and its members) are tres cool.
Revvy, this and your other posts have been hugely beneficial.
I am over it...that was easy. SG = 1.013.
Before I popped the lid, I had bubbles every 40 seconds.
This Nut Brown has been in Primary for 7 days, and the recipe FG target is...1.013 (@68 deg - close enough).
It tastes "young" of course, but promising....it should be decent. Since target has been met, I'll probably rack this to secondary after I complete the finishign touches on my "Son of Fermenter" project. I'll need it and my primary for next batch -an alt recipe I (& my LHBS) came up with after reading "Designing Great Beers".

It'll take some time for the CO2 pressure to build back up so it starts bubbling again.

theacolyte said:

It'll take some time for the CO2 pressure to build back up so it starts bubbling again.

Click to expand...

Or not, it may not bubble again now that it's been opened, and either way, it means absolutely nothing. All that really matters is the little numbers that he got. Whether it bubbles or not is irrelevant.

Good job getting over your fear zakleeright!!!!!

True! (10 char limit)

You could also go the lazy route and just wait two weeks without checking it and after two weeks I've always hit my expected FG. I'm all about lazy brewing.

Kungpaodog said:

You could also go the lazy route and just wait two weeks without checking it and after two weeks I've always hit my expected FG. I'm all about lazy brewing.

Click to expand...

I like to call it, Kiss, minimalist or retro brewing.

On my first batch, I didn't have a tube to put the sample in, so I rummaged around and found a 1 liter empty vodka bottle. So, I drew out beer over and over with my turkey baster until I finally had enough of a sample to take a test. It bubbled and fizzed a bunch and I figured if there was ever a sample drawn out that got oxygenated, this was it. However, I hate waste and it was my first batch so, heck, I went ahead and bottled it up (it made 2 bottles, I primed with 3/4 tsp of regular sugar), long story short, it tasted fine. I think the worries about oxygenation should be minimal compared to sanitation.