Next stupid newbie question: Taking a gravity reading

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matyas

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Hello again,
Thanks again for all the help with the stupid newbie questions I've been asking.

My very first brew (a red ale) is fermenting away - or at least, it was. I started the process last Saturday, and the airlock was bubbling by Sunday afternoon. It seems to have slowed down a bit. I think that's normal, since I have read that the fermentation process lasts from 4-7 days, and from Saturday until today would be six days. Based on what I've been reading. I'm thinking I should take a gravity reading. I have a hydrometer, and I took a OG reading before I pitched the yeast, so I understand how it works. I also know what the FG is supposed to be, since I'm brewing from a kit.
The question I have is how best to obtain a sample. I'm using a plastic ale pail with a lid and a hole for the airlock, and it is not transparent. Should I siphon some beer through the airlock hole into a pint glass, and take the gravity reading from that? (I don't know if a pint glass is deep enough for the hydrometer, either.) I'm guessing I don't want to drop the hydrometer into the fermenting bucket, since even if I were to sterilize the hydrometer, I'd still need to remove the lid, and I'd expose the beer to the air. So what is the best practice for taking a gravity reading while the beer is still in the primary?
 
A wine thief. And personally I just like to drink the sample after he reading so I don't worry about sanitizing (sterilizing doesn't happen) but if you sanitize well you could simply pour it back in and it should be fine.

If you don't have a thief, you could carefully syphon a little into a cup to draw the sample.

Although honestly you might want to just wait another week before you touch it. Take the reading then and you can be sure after all that time the ferment has finished.

If you look around this forum you will see it is almost universally advised to let it sit in primary for at least two weeks.
 
If you don't have a wine thief, you can get by with a racking cane. It is the same size as the grommet in the bucket. Just stick it in and put your finger on it, then transfer it to a glass. Just like when playing with a straw. It takes a while to get enough for a reading, but it does work. Also, I would suggest buying a graduated cylinder. It makes it so you don't waste so much beer taking a reading, because you don't want to dump that back in! You'll risk infection then. Two unchanging hydrometer readings at least 1 day apart should tell you that your fermentation is complete.

That being said, for a standard gravity beer, the common saying here is 3 weeks in primary, 3 weeks (@~70 degrees F) in bottles. Even if it has finished fermenting, it will probably still be a young beer at only 1 week. RDWHAHB (Relax, don't worry, have a home brew). Oh wait, this is your first brew. RDWHACB (Relax, don't worry, have a craft beer).
 
Definitely look at getting the thief. You dip the entire thing down into the bucket/carboy, then drop your hydrometer into the cample it draws. Uses way less beer than you need for a sample in a cup.
 
Or if your hydrometer came in a tube,use that for your test sample. It uses less beer. test,wait till the 3rd day,test again. If the numbers match,it's done. You can even sanitize a baster to draw the sample.
 
Or if your hydrometer came in a tube,use that for your test sample. It uses less beer. test,wait till the 3rd day,test again. If the numbers match,it's done. You can even sanitize a baster to draw the sample.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did end up using the hydrometer tube. I siphoned some beer out of the airlock with the racking cane, since I don't have the thief (although it sounds like a good investment for some day.)
My gravity reading came in at 1.040, which means it's still got a ways to go. OG was 1.050, and FG is supposed to be around 1.015 - 1.011 or so.
I was going to rack to a secondary fermentor (a glass carboy) this weekend. I know that's a contentious issue, with some people saying that secondaries are not necessary, and some even claiming that they do more harm than good. But others have highly recommended the practice, and I was going to go for it. Now I'm thinking that the beer should remain in the primary for another week to get the gravity down.
 
Yup. I've said it a zillion times,do not rack to secondary untill the beer is at FG!!! Just don't do it,trust me. More truoble than it's worth if the beer isn't done yet.
 
Yup. I've said it a zillion times,do not rack to secondary untill the beer is at FG!!! Just don't do it,trust me. More truoble than it's worth if the beer isn't done yet.

Thanks for the advice! I'll let it go another week or so, then take another reading.
 
Thanks for the advice! I'll let it go another week or so, then take another reading.

There is no problem opening the bucket lid to take a reading. It literally takes 30 sec to obtain a reading. Just make sure to sanitize your hydrometer before dropping it into the bucket.
 
Yeah, open the lid and use a thief or turkey baster (thats what I use). Fill the tube the hydrometer came in and close the lid on the bucket. Put the bucket back in its happy place and test the beer. Write down number then drink hydro sample!!
 
I have a thief but dont use it now. Got some tubing that fits through the airlock hole, dont have to open the bucket lid now. I siphon it directly into a cheap graduated cylinder i got at the beer emporium and take a reading from there. I just make sure to get the hose about half way down into the bucket. Obviously sanitizing the tubing is key. Works well for me.
 
Took my first reading today, 8 days in, numbers dropped from 1.045 to 1.022. I slurped it down, not bad, tasted like a good beer. FG is supposed to be 1.010-1.012. I'll take another reading in 6 days.

I used a wine thief, worked well. I sanitized it, and anything else that may cause an issue. Reading the numbers caused me some issue, had to find the glasses, bubbles in the hydrometer, ugh.

First brew is coming along.
 
Should I be worried that my gravity is nowhere near where it needs to be after a week, and that the airlock is no longer bubbling? I wasn't worried before, but after reading a few threads about stuck fermentation I started to wonder. The temperature on the sticky thermometer was a little low the last few days (around 61 degrees, although the temperature in the house is around 68-70 - but I do live an old city rowhouse with poor insulation, and I stuck the fermentor in a corner near a wall, so it might be a bit chilly). It's now reading 64 degrees since we're having a warm spell here. Could the temperature have dropped too much and slowed fermentation? There did seem to be a nice, healthy yeast cake on the bottom of the barrel.
 
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