So you think Fermentation is complete....

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Hwk-I-St8

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But you want to take a couple successive hydrometer readings to be sure the FG is stable. How do you go about taking samples?

I've read about issues with oxidizing beer just through the process of dry hopping, how do you open your fermentor and pull a sample without risking oxidation?
 
There is a blanket of CO2 created above the beer and CO2 dissolved in the fermented beer naturally, so even if you stir it up a bit it's going to protect itself at least for a few days after completion of fermentation. It will eventually reach equilibrium with the air environment without positive fermenter pressure relative to the outside environment, but I wouldn't worry too much. Pull our samples and cover when not pulling.
 
What do you ferment in? I have a spigot on all my fermenters, it makes taking samples and kegging so much easier. I'm not sure why everybody doesn't have them.
 
What do you ferment in? I have a spigot on all my fermenters, it makes taking samples and kegging so much easier. I'm not sure why everybody doesn't have them.

Hate the spigots on fermentors. What's living in there? Besides, if your fermentor is in the bottom of a chest freezer, sampling from the spigot can't happen.
 
I disassemble and clean my spigots after each fermentation. I don't know if that's common practice or not but it only takes me a couple minutes to screw and unscrew them to clean and sanitize. Your right about the chest freezer I do have to pull the fermenter out to take a sample but my blow off hose is long enough for me to do that without it ever being pulled out of the sanitizer.
 
What do you ferment in? I have a spigot on all my fermenters, it makes taking samples and kegging so much easier. I'm not sure why everybody doesn't have them.

So you're fermenting in what most would call a bottling bucket? I ferment in either a plastic bucket (primary) or carboy (secondary when needed).

My original kit came with two buckets: a fermentation bucket with no spigot and a bottling bucket with one.
 
I don't ever take samples to check for completed fermentation. I trust the yeastie beasties to do their job and clean up after themselves as long as I have done my job and given them all the right materials to work with (oxygen, nutrients, fermentables, healthy yeast, etc.) Even after visible, active fermentation is complete the yeast continue to work and clean up byproducts created in active fermentation. Brew, chill, oxygenate, pitch leave it the hell alone for 2-3 weeks and take a sample when you're packaging. My 2 cents 🍻
 
A sanitized Wine thief or turkey baster will work, just remember when using the baster, to squeeze the bulb before you put it in the fermentor. I have a refractometer so I use the airlock grommet opening and a sanitized straw. A drop for the instrument and a tiny taste for me.
 
Buy a tilt hydrometer and never worry about having to take a sample again.....
 
Hate the spigots on fermentors. What's living in there? Besides, if your fermentor is in the bottom of a chest freezer, sampling from the spigot can't happen.

Plus, if you draw liquid in from the bottom, it will create a vacuum in the headspace that will pull air (with oxygen) in. It's no worse in that regard than any other method, but one should not hold the illusion that drawing from the spigot prevents air intrusion into the the headspace.
 
So you're fermenting in what most would call a bottling bucket? I ferment in either a plastic bucket (primary) or carboy (secondary when needed).

My original kit came with two buckets: a fermentation bucket with no spigot and a bottling bucket with one.

I have spigots on all of my fermenters as well. I don't use them to pull samples, for that I just open the top of the fermenter. I do use them for transferring to a secondary or to the keg. I do spray sanitizer in there and then water to rinse before I start the transfer, but I hate hate hate to siphon.

And I guess you would call my 14 gallon SS conical a bottling bucket as well? It has a spigot...
 
So you're fermenting in what most would call a bottling bucket? I ferment in either a plastic bucket (primary) or carboy (secondary when needed).

My original kit came with two buckets: a fermentation bucket with no spigot and a bottling bucket with one.

I have fermonsters from morebeer with spigots. There are two types of people: those who siphon and those who spigot LOL. I just hate to siphon and prefer the spigot. Like others have mentioned they both have they pros and cons.
 
Hate the spigots on fermentors. What's living in there? Besides, if your fermentor is in the bottom of a chest freezer, sampling from the spigot can't happen.

I changed my spigots to a 2 piece ball valve and I placed a second spigot further up the fermenter for sampling. works well.
 
Plus, if you draw liquid in from the bottom, it will create a vacuum in the headspace that will pull air (with oxygen) in. It's no worse in that regard than any other method, but one should not hold the illusion that drawing from the spigot prevents air intrusion into the the headspace.

It does when you fit a corney gas post bulk head to the lid and connect up your Co2 via a secondary low pressure regulator. The beer is pushed out the open spigot at 37 mbar back pressure.
 
Queequeg,

Chili chocolate imperial stout? I just brewed a chili chocolate stout (not imperial) which is getting entered into the NHC this year... I used cocoa nibs and NM roasted red chili pods from Hatch, NM. How'd yours comes out? (sorry, off topic, I know)
 
Queequeg,

Chili chocolate imperial stout? I just brewed a chili chocolate stout (not imperial) which is getting entered into the NHC this year... I used cocoa nibs and NM roasted red chili pods from Hatch, NM. How'd yours comes out? (sorry, off topic, I know)

Yeah It was a while back but pretty good, quite similar to tools liquid confidence. The grain bill is based of Evil twins little B after I emailed him he provided the grain bill but asked me not to share.

Used lots of caraaroma and melanoidin malt though, I added solid cocoa in the boil and Guajillo dried chillies in primary.

Chillie fades initially and then a year later came back stronger. Would definitely recommend the Guajillo chillie for brewing though, green tea flavour is pretty tasty in a stout.

Best of luck with the NHC
 
sounds terrific! I used my standard Oatmeal stout recipe (a modified Samuel Smith's) minus 3/4 of the oats. Added cocoa nibs and whole chili pods to the secondary. The heat was there from the beginning, but hasn't faded at all after 3 months in the bottle.
 
I don't ever take samples to check for completed fermentation. I trust the yeastie beasties to do their job and clean up after themselves as long as I have done my job and given them all the right materials to work with (oxygen, nutrients, fermentables, healthy yeast, etc.) Even after visible, active fermentation is complete the yeast continue to work and clean up byproducts created in active fermentation. Brew, chill, oxygenate, pitch leave it the hell alone for 2-3 weeks and take a sample when you're packaging. My 2 cents 🍻

Same here, I take one FG sample, as I'm bottling.
 
Me too. I leave it three weeks, test at bottling. If it seems high, I cover it and put it next to the heater for three days. I test again and bottle. I rarely have to test twice.
 
I have fermonsters from morebeer with spigots. There are two types of people: those who siphon and those who spigot LOL. I just hate to siphon and prefer the spigot. Like others have mentioned they both have they pros and cons.

Well, actually, there ;-) there are 3 kinds... those with vacuum pumps that thumb their noses at every one else. Jk. But I do love my pump. And no , other than buying one, I am not affiliated with him at all. allinonewinepump.com
 
But you want to take a couple successive hydrometer readings to be sure the FG is stable. How do you go about taking samples?

I've read about issues with oxidizing beer just through the process of dry hopping, how do you open your fermentor and pull a sample without risking oxidation?

Open the fermenter and take a sample and immediately put the top back on. While you have the lid off oxygen is mixing with the CO2 but it doesn't happen immediately. Most of us probably open our fermenter and just drop the hops in for dry hopping. There are a few who claim that that will cause oxidation of the beer but I've never noticed oxidation and I will sometimes leave beer in bottles at room temp for up to 2 years, plenty of time for oxidation to show up. Some people worry too much about things that are very hard or expensive to control. I'd rather just brew beer.:mug:
 
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