Hydrometer readings and temperature?

So i made a rookie mistake and after boiling i didnt cool my sample before making a hydrometer reading ( didnt know i had to until now).

When i took the reading the sample was about 200 deg F and read 1.072. According to the temperature conversion chart on Clanward.com if i took the reading at 200 F then id add .036 to my reading, giving me a grav of 1.108.

Can anyone else verify if this is correct? Clanward gives me the said adjustments to make but im also hearing taking a reading at 200F makes the reading useless altogether. Which is true and which isnt? .....i really only want to know so i can calculate my brews abv when its finished.

My BeerSmith calculator gives me 1.109 as the adjusted reading for 72f, so yes, it is more or less correct.

thank you

I'm surprised the hydrometer didn't break. They break at the drop of a hat. Try to cool the sample in the freezer for 15 minutes or so next time.

I think I read that the error factor goes up dramatically for temperatures over 140, even with conversion charts. Let the sample cool down some before taking the reading, and adjust for temperature even if the sample is 70 degrees.

me too after reading more into it which is good cuz that would have sucked. like i said at the end of it all im just tryin to figure out what my abv is at finish

If the sample was above 100 degrees, it's really worthless even with temperature correction. You can better guestimate the OG by adding up the ingredients and figuring the probable OG from them.

Next time, cool the sample to 90 degrees, and then take the measurement and apply the correction table. Once it's over that temperature, the reading will be completely inaccurate.