possible emergency help please

I am boiling my wort, and broke my hydrometer. And there is no-way of getting a new one for a few days. How important is a starting reading.

Thanks
Mike.

ehhh not the end of the world. especially if it is an extract kit

Save enough to take a measurement, cover it and stick it in the fridge to measure when you get a new one...

You will be fine, the most important thing is a few days of stable fg before bottling. Knowing the exact ABV is not all that important.

If you can float an egg in it, it's a big beer. Probably better than 1.080. Cheers!

RDWHAHB :-D

Just make sure the bubbles are completely stopped in your airlock before you bottle.

I've gone 34 straight batches without measuring...and I've only done 35 batches.

Ramitt said:

You will be fine, the most important thing is a few days of stable fg before bottling. Knowing the exact ABV is not all that important.

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This. If its an extract, you can go by the estimated OG of the ingredients. Either way, abv isn't as important as having a finished fermentation process.

I'm with the "saving it in the fridge method".

Oh.. and getting a refractometer; they don't break when you look at them funny. There a bit more but well worth it.

eatmorefrogs said:

RDWHAHB :-D

Just make sure the bubbles are completely stopped in your airlock before you bottle.

I've gone 34 straight batches without measuring...and I've only done 35 batches.

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Better to actually get a stable FG number than trust your airlock. Worst case scenario: you have a bad seal on your fermenter and bottle way too early, causing bottle bombs. Slightly better case: you have a weather change, or a cat bumps your bucket, causing bubbles, and your beer sits longer than need be.

I subscribe to the school of thought that regards airlock activity, early in fermerntation, as a good indicator that something is happening. However, the longer you go, the less reliable that is as an indicator. Better to take a sample and know for sure, than risk subpar beer or an injury from splodey glass.

MSamu said:

Thanks for the advice.
"Beer is proof GOD loves us and wants us to be happy."
Ben Franklin.

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BTW, Ben Franklin didn't actually say that.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2008/09/15/misquote-ben-franklin-on-beer.htm

ScottSingleton said:

I'm with the "saving it in the fridge method".

Oh.. and getting a refractometer; they don't break when you look at them funny. There a bit more but well worth it.

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on my list of gear to acquire.