How do you take samples from your fermenter?

Just curious how all of you prefer to take samples from your fermenter, say for measure gravity or tasting.

I have become very frustrated with auto-siphons as of late; way to easy have flow back that I would like to avoid. So I have taken to just sucking on a tube and pinching it off before it reaches my mouth. Probably not the most sanitary....

Pretty new around here but thus far I've been using a sanitized turkey baster and pouring it in to the (sanitized) plastic tube my hydrometer shipped in. Real easy.

I use a sanitized thief. I also primarily use carboys.
Star san in a spray bottle. I also rarely sample. Its easier just to wait an extra week and it will be done normally.

PastorofMuppets said:

I use a sanitized thief. I also primarily use carboys.
Star san in a spray bottle. I also rarely sample. Its easier just to wait an extra week and it will be done normally.

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That's the one! I was trying to think of what they are called. I kept googleing sample grabber with no success. Thanks!

I like the turkey baster idea too.

+1 for baster, picked one up today after the suggestion of this very forum

Don't take samples here. Just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks and it's done. KISS!

C-Rider said:

Don't take samples here. Just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks and it's done. KISS!

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I do this but I also use a star san sanatized wine thief to draw out a sample and test gravity.... could always sanatize the hydrometer and forgo the jar but might be sketchy in a carboy

C-Rider said:

Don't take samples here. Just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks and it's done. KISS!

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Not saying I take samples every day! I usually take a sample after week 1 to make sure I don't need to pitch more yeast, then another sample before I keg to make sure it's not "green"

C-Rider said:

Don't take samples here. Just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks and it's done. KISS!

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+1 My first year of brewing I sampled a lot, but after you learn what it should look like and how long it takes taking samples is just tedious. Time and temperature are far more important.

Sanitized wine thief. I really don't need to check FG so much to see if it is done any more, rather to determine the ABV and attenuation.

Once you get the pitching and fermentation down it's like clock work, but checking FG helps me make adjustments to the recipe.

I have a mini brew 6.5 gallon conical fermenter with racking port and bottom drain. It's nice to be able to take a tasting when it's getting close to transfer to keg.

Genuine said:

I have a mini brew 6.5 gallon conical fermenter with racking port and bottom drain. It's nice to be able to take a tasting when it's getting close to transfer to keg.

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That is nice, is the port above the bottom, so it's above the trub?

erockdoc said:

I have become very frustrated with auto-siphons as of late; way to easy have flow back that I would like to avoid.

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Flow back? I take the inner tube out of my auto-siphon and only use the outer tube. Sanitize it, stick in the carboy and shake the tube up and down slowly to capture wort in the tube. I then quickly position the bottom of the auto-siphon over my hydrometer tube and let it slowly trickle in. Seems to work for me.

Sanitized ladle or measuring cup

I bought a nice stainless baster from Keystone homebrew that I sanitize after racking into the keg and pull a sample for gravity and tasting. It fits through the carboy neck also. I'm a little (read; a lot) ADD, so sampling will never go away.

michaeltrego said:

Flow back? I take the inner tube out of my auto-siphon and only use the outer tube. Sanitize it, stick in the carboy and shake the tube up and down slowly to capture wort in the tube. I then quickly position the bottom of the auto-siphon over my hydrometer tube and let it slowly trickle in. Seems to work for me.

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I think I understand what you are saying. Not sure about the shaking part though, sounds like you could be potentially introducing oxygen into the beer... Probably not very much, but still, with so many people opting to not take sample at all because of contamination issues, why increase the risk in your sampling methodology?

The542 said:

I bought a nice stainless baster from Keystone homebrew that I sanitize after racking into the keg and pull a sample for gravity and tasting. It fits through the carboy neck also. I'm a little (read; a lot) ADD, so sampling will never go away.

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Haha, nice to meet a fellow sampler

C-Rider said:

Don't take samples here. Just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks and it's done. KISS!

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This.
Unless I'm going to secondary for some reason, then I sneak a sample.

Honestly...if it is not a high gravity beer, I just take a sample when kegging/bottling. . I have learned that with medium to low gravity beers I am done in 2 weeks give or take (ales...only done two lagers).

I brew lots of low gravity beers and some are done in three days (1.040 Mild with S04). I pitch such massive starters that I am confident in my completed fermentation.

On a high gravity beer..wine thief.

I just sanitize the hydrometer and drop it in the fermenting bucket. I don't sample though, just check gravity.

TastefulNudity said:

Pretty new around here but thus far I've been using a sanitized turkey baster and pouring it in to the (sanitized) plastic tube my hydrometer shipped in. Real easy.

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That's what I do too! I bought a new turkey baster at the dollar store, and it's super easy to pull samples when I want to. I just sanitize the turkey baster by putting it in the top of my star-san jug (I make up a gallon at a time and reuse it and save it), shake it up a bit and pull some up in the turkey baster, and then use it. It works great.

erockdoc said:

Just curious how all of you prefer to take samples from your fermenter, say for measure gravity or tasting.

I have become very frustrated with auto-siphons as of late; way to easy have flow back that I would like to avoid. So I have taken to just sucking on a tube and pinching it off before it reaches my mouth. Probably not the most sanitary....

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My lids have a 1 1/4 hole in the top.. so I remove the air loc and stopper, dump in a jar of starsan, spray the lid and hole with starsan, take the beer thief from the bucket of starsan and slide it in the bucket hole, wait a few seconds while it fills, remove, stick the stopper and air back in..

Then taste or test the beer in the thief. ,,, usually Both

Stainless baster with a "flavor injecting" screw on needle tip.

I don't ever sample for any reason in the fermentor. It's going to turn out as it is going to whether you do all the numbers or not. It's done when it clears. Why take a chance on infection?

I get a sample after siphoning and at bottling.

erockdoc said:

Just curious how all of you prefer to take samples from your fermenter, say for measure gravity or tasting.

I have become very frustrated with auto-siphons as of late; way to easy have flow back that I would like to avoid. So I have taken to just sucking on a tube and pinching it off before it reaches my mouth. Probably not the most sanitary....

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I use an auto-siphon to sample as well... although I have to admit I may switch to the turkey baster method as that sounds pretty clever.

Why are you worried about flow back? If the entire auto-siphon is sanitized then contamination shouldn't be a problem, right? It's not like the beer is going to exit the auto-siphon, pick up bugs from outside, then go back into the auto-siphon and into the fermenter. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that whatever beer that is going back down the auto-siphon into the fermenter never left the sanitized auto-siphon. Am I wrong in my thinking?

I use my pipette that fits right down the airlock grommet, very handy. If I am sampling a big batch, I just use the sample port on my conical.

I remove airlock and place a sanitized plastic cap over the hole. I then use the spigot to pour a sample into the test tube, and replace airlock.

apalke said:

I use an auto-siphon to sample as well... although I have to admit I may switch to the turkey baster method as that sounds pretty clever.

Why are you worried about flow back? If the entire auto-siphon is sanitized then contamination shouldn't be a problem, right? It's not like the beer is going to exit the auto-siphon, pick up bugs from outside, then go back into the auto-siphon and into the fermenter. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that whatever beer that is going back down the auto-siphon into the fermenter never left the sanitized auto-siphon. Am I wrong in my thinking?

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Haha, I guess it's just the ADD side of me that doesn't like the idea of flow back. I'm not really worried about contamination, I just felt like there should be a more precise way to sample. I think I am going to pick up a turkey baster.

TastefulNudity said:

Pretty new around here but thus far I've been using a sanitized turkey baster and pouring it in to the (sanitized) plastic tube my hydrometer shipped in. Real easy.

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Why do you sanitize the plastic tube?

While I used to rarely sample and just wait 3-4 weeks, I recently had a saison (with 3711) that dropped 2 more points between the third and fourth week so now I do it just to be sure. I also figure that getting an idea of what SG to expect at a certain point for a specific yeast may help in the future to make sure it's on the right track.

I get really paranoid about touching anything to the beer, I use a sanitized pyrex measuring cup and dip it in. Let's me measure the exact amount I need for the hydrometer test and with glass I can be confident that it is clean with nothing lurking in any scratches as with plastic. Probably over the top but after spending the time on brew day and then waiting a month, why take the chance of screwing it up at this step.

biggmatt said:

I don't ever sample for any reason in the fermentor. It's going to turn out as it is going to whether you do all the numbers or not. It's done when it clears. Why take a chance on infection?

I get a sample after siphoning and at bottling.

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Well perhaps because unless you take SG readings you really have no idea when it's done fermenting.. short of just waiting till long past the expected finish time.

C-Rider said:

Don't take samples here. Just leave it in the primary for 3-4 weeks and it's done. KISS!

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D-I-T-T-O! I go 2 weeks in a temp controlled frig. It's easily done by then.

andy6026 said:

Why do you sanitize the plastic tube?

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Because it can be infected. Do you want to stick an infected turkey baster into clean wort and risk an infection?

MuchoGusto said:

Because it can be infected. Do you want to stick an infected turkey baster into clean wort and risk an infection?

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I think the post he referred to was where the user was sanitizing the plastic tube he was using as a test vial (the plastic the tester shipped in) Not the sampler going into the beer.

TastefulNudity said:

Pretty new around here but thus far I've been using a sanitized turkey baster and pouring it in to the (sanitized) plastic tube my hydrometer shipped in. Real easy.

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I use a sanitized wine thief. I like to sample at various points during fermentation to observe how the flavors change over time (never within a week of brew day and if the airlock has had any activity within a couple days, though). Since I take samples to test for SG/FG anyway, and wouldn't want to pour the sample back in, taking tastes is a nice side benefit.