Properly taking gravity readings

It's been 6 days since I pitched my yeast, so I took a gravity reading for the first time since right before I pitched. I attached my siphon tubing to my sanitized racking cane, and I pulled out my airlock and stopper. I then stuck the racking cane about 8" below the surface of the wort and siphoned enough out to take my reading, and I replaced the airlock.

Is this proper procedure? Is this how I should go about doing it over the next few days to see if my yeast are done doing their thing?

Personally, I'd suggest getting a wine thief. Less of a hassle.

there are so many ways to get the beer from the fermenter to the vessel your going to use. What wver method you use just remember to sanitize EVERYTHING and dont forget to TRY not to intraduce O2 into your fermenting wort
Good luck
JJ

Also, twist your sample vessle back and forth to get all the bubbles off of the hydrometer and take your reading only when the hydrometer is free-floating and not stuck to the side of the vessel. This will ensure an accurate reading.

I use a sanitized turkey baster for getting my samples- that way I'm not introducing any oxygen.

No need to actually siphon, if you are just doing a reading.

Place the racking tube into the container. Then place your thumb over the exposed end of the tube, and lift.

The liquid will stay in the tube, then put tube into hydrometer tube, and release. Repeat enough times as needed.

nick

Ah, good point. I think that will be my best bet since I do not have a thief nor a baster.

this guy works wonders:

3 piece sample taker

How is it possible to keep O2 from getting in? I would assume I would have to pull of the stopper, stick the turkey baster in there and suck some liquid out, then put the stopper back on.

DeathBrewer said:

this guy works wonders:

3 piece sample taker

Click to expand...

Actually, I have it, and I gotta say that it could be improved if it were longer (that's what she said). As it stands, if I'm fermenting in a 6.5gal carboy and I stick the thief in as far as it will go and pull a sample, it always takes two dips to get enough for a hydro sample (and I use that thin hydrometer tube for my sample vessel). If the thief were 8" or so longer, it'd be so much better.

Brett3rThanU said:

How is it possible to keep O2 from getting in? I would assume I would have to pull of the stopper, stick the turkey baster in there and suck some liquid out, then put the stopper back on.

Click to expand...

CO2 likes to sit in containers. You would have to actually pour it out after fermentation has started. Anyways, to avoid oxygenating your beer, the trick is to never ever let it splash. So If you're using a turkey baster, be sure to avoid dropping beer back into the fermenter while you remove it. A good way to do this with a bucket fermenter is to take the sample at the side of the bucket and slide the tip of the baster up the side so if a couple drops come out, they just run down the side and back into the beer with no splashes. With carboys, just get a wine thief as they are perfectly made for just this operation.