Beer specific gravity reading

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

captaingoat

Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Location
Canada
I bought some Canadian Red Beer malt extract and did my thing. I primary fermented it for a week or so, then moves it to secondary where its been sitting for a week(I'm going off the instructions in the kit). I stuck a much-needed hydrometer in there and the reading I'm getting is 1.2 which, according to many sites, is not right. Whats going on here, is it still good or what?

Maybe Im reading my hydrometer wrong, its like this, here is a visual.
______
|1.000|
| 1 |
| 2 | (my reading)
| 3 |
|__4__|
 
What was your original gravity and what is your final gravity supposed to be according to the kit ?
 
You may be reading it wrong. Most beer hydrometers that I have seen were more like this:

1.000
-- = .002
-- = .004
-- = .006
-- = .008
1.010
-- =.012
-- =.014
-- =.016
-- =.018
1.020
-- =.022
-- =.024
-- =.026
-- =.028
1.030

Etc.
 
The numbers are in groups of 10 and start at 1.000. So what you're reading is 1.020 (you missed a decimal place in your post). That's not terrible, and sometimes extract beers just don't get much lower. It depends on the yeast you used, and the fermentability of the brand of extract you used. Check it again in three days. If it hasn't budged a bit, and is still at 1.020, you're safe to bottle. If it's a bit lower, even to 1.019, don't bottle until it stops moving.
 
original is supposed to be between 1.030 and 1.040 and its supposed to end up being beween 1.004 and 1.012
 
Thanka everyone. I had a feeling I was reading my thing wrong. I guess I'll find out when it finishes fermentation huh?
 
Back
Top