matyas
Member
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?
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?