Yet another hydrometer question...

I'm guessing my first batch of beer is about done fermenting, but I need to take a few hydrometer readings to confirm this. I picked up a Wine Thief which advertises that you can use a hydrometer inside of it, but when testing it out the hydrometer leans against the side of the Wine Thief since they're so close in diameter. Won't this affect the reading? It seems like it'd be very tough to perfectly balance the Thief to keep the hydrometer from touching the sides. Any advice?

Assuming that method isn't reliable, what's the next best option? Simply floating the hydrometer inside the primary, or drawing some out and measuring in another container such as a glass? What narrow objects do most people use to take hydrometer readings?

Thanks for the advice, and sorry for another hydrometer thread!

I got a tall, plastic graduated cylinder to measure with (bought it LHBS). Its deep enough so the hydrometer doesn't hit the bottom, but narrow enough that you don't waste the beer. You could just drop the hydrometer into the fermenter, but you risk contamination and reading/retrieval can get tricky.

Also another option, if your hydrometer came in a plastic carrying tube. I've used that before, just make sure it is closed all the way and the cushioning is out.

The cylinder that the hydrometers come in does the same thing for me. It always sticks to the side, so I picked up a larger cylinder with a base from AHS.

ohiobrewtus said:

The cylinder that the hydrometers come in does the same thing for me. It always sticks to the side, so I picked up a larger cylinder with a base from AHS.

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Yep. What he said. Also, make sure to give the hydrometer a good "spin" to dislodge any bubbles that may be clinging to the sides.

I picked up a tall and narrow glass cylinder from my local hardware store. It holds about 32 oz. I always sanitize it when I take readings and then dump it the contents back into the bucket. This might be bad, but it was fine on my first batch So I went with it for the 2nd and 3rd batches. I'm crossing my fingers.

HarvardSquareHomey said:

I picked up a tall and narrow glass cylinder from my local hardware store. It holds about 32 oz. I always sanitize it when I take readings and then dump it the contents back into the bucket. This might be bad, but it was fine on my first batch So I went with it for the 2nd and 3rd batches. I'm crossing my fingers.

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Don't dump it, Drink it...I know you haven't have any issues, but it's probably not a good idea to put it back in the wort...

HarvardSquareHomey said:

I picked up a tall and narrow glass cylinder from my local hardware store. It holds about 32 oz. I always sanitize it when I take readings and then dump it the contents back into the bucket. This might be bad, but it was fine on my first batch So I went with it for the 2nd and 3rd batches. I'm crossing my fingers.

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BAD IDEA. taste it. and if you don't want to taste it it's better to dump it than to risk contamination.