Finishing Gravity

Hey all. So I just brewed my first batch of brew this past month, and when transferring from the fermenter to the bottles, I forgot to take my FG reading. Can I still take this reading by popping open a bottle, and taking the reading once its been bottled & carbonated?

And a second question, more general to FG and the fermenting process: when my first batch was fermenting (primary only), I went by the recommended time only per the kit instructions (3 wks). Would it be more "scientific" to open the fermenter bucket, and take G readings as I approach the 3 wks to see what the FG is nearing, and adjust days by that?

Thanks for the help!!!

First question: I would recommend opening a beer and filling your hydro-tube/packaging with the necessary amount of beer and let it get flat and warm (60 F degrees). I don't know why that wouldn't give an accurate reading as long as the priming sugar is fully fermented.
Second question: Most brewers have a time table they stick to. For instance, most average to high gravity beers I give 3 weeks until I test the SG. I would think that it is safe to take a reading after 14 days to ensure that primary fermentation has completed and then another one just to confirm that the FG has leveled off. After that, just keep the beer in the fermentor for another week to ensure all of the by-products have been reabsorbed by the yeast.

Mailman1 said:

Hey all. So I just brewed my first batch of brew this past month, and when transferring from the fermenter to the bottles, I forgot to take my FG reading. Can I still take this reading by popping open a bottle, and taking the reading once its been bottled & carbonated?

And a second question, more general to FG and the fermenting process: when my first batch was fermenting (primary only), I went by the recommended time only per the kit instructions (3 wks). Would it be more "scientific" to open the fermenter bucket, and take G readings as I approach the 3 wks to see what the FG is nearing, and adjust days by that?

Thanks for the help!!!

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only if the beer is non carbonated as the co2 could mess up your gravity reading and second I believe you were asking about gravity readings at set times..... your beer is done when your gravity reading hasn't changed over 2-3 days this is barring any type of stuck fermentation where you could possibly restart with some help.

Does it taste good? If it does, drink it and don't worry bout the FG reading. If you MUST know, ensure it's flat to get an accurate reading.

ThePearsonFam said:

Does it taste good? If it does, drink it and don't worry bout the FG reading. If you MUST know, ensure it's flat to get an accurate reading.

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I had fermentation & carbonation on my 1st batch...and it tasted pretty good. So all in all, pretty pleased. The batch I brewed was NB Phat Tyre, and seeing as how this is my first batch, and I know what the original tastes like, I'm more or less curious what might be contributing to the different taste. A-content was one of them. Hundreds of variables I suppose...!