Hydrometer Reading

I forgot to initially take a hydrometer reading. I want to do it now and the beer is in the third day of fermentation. Can I take off the stopper to do this or is this not a good time to do so? Also, can I take a reading right from the convoy or do I have to remove some? If so, what is the best way to do that?

I wouldn't mess with it now. What ever you get for a reading would mean nothing. Best way to get a reading from the carboy is with a Thief..

There's pretty much no point in taking a reading during the middle of fermentation.

+2, a hydo reading now would not provide any real data point. I'm pretty sure that more beer is degraded by dorking with it when the beer just wants to be left alone.
A sanitized turkey baster, or a sanitized wine thief are the most common way of grabbing a sample. Don't return the sample to the carboy, I drink part or all of the sample as I'm trying to learn the flavor components of different beers as they mature. Good Luck.

weirdboy said:

There's pretty much no point in taking a reading during the middle of fermentation.

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Nother noob here, doing cider not beer. But...

What about trying to tell if its done? I didn't discover HBT or buy a hydro until after the weebeasties started partying.

swarfrat said:

Nother noob here, doing cider not beer. But...

What about trying to tell if its done? I didn't discover HBT or buy a hydro until after the weebeasties started partying.

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After it's been fermenting for a couple weeks, probably longer for cider, check the gravity. Then check again a couple days later, if no change then it's ready. My batch of cider took around 5 weeks to fully ferment.