A little help reading my hydromoter?

[healimonster]

This hydrometer came with my brew kit and it has a few different number sets on it. None of them seem to jive with what the original gravity should be of approximately be (1.056)? Or more likely I just don't know how to read it.

Any guesses on what this original gravity is?

 

[plankbr]

The gravity is reading ~1.025. What's your temperature?

 

[stpug]

Yeah, I see in the range of 1.026-27 but might up or down a couple points due to the foam blocking the view.

Not even close to your OG at the wort temperature. I'm guessing you're taking the gravity on ~200°F wort which A) is unreliable, and B) puts your actual OG much higher.

 

[healimonster]

Thanks for the help.
I poured the wort into my bucket when it hit 80 degrees F. I then added a gallon or so of cold water to make it a 5 gallon batch.
I don't remember the exact temperature but I would guess it was around 74F.

 

[unionrdr]

If you don't have a stick-on temp strip,get one. couple bucks at Petsmart or lhbs. Tried to post hydrometer correction program,but can't find the server?...

 

[stpug]

Ahhhh. You have some stratification going on in your fermenter where all of the sugars have sunk. You'll need to shake the living sh*t out of your fermenter and then pull a sample for testing (or move the foam aside).

 

[davekippen]

Yeah its very common when you use top off water that you are not mixed well enough and it totally screws with the reading. Mix the crap out of it, the yeast need the O2 anyway.

 

[healimonster]

Ugh. That was from last night. Fearing that it wasn't mixed well enough I cracked open the bucket today and gave it a good stir but I might not have needed to because there was already a noticeable amount of fermentation activity on top of the wort.

It's probably not a good idea to open the bucket a second time is it? Especially if fermentation has begun because it will no longer be an original gravity; correct?

 

[stpug]

You're correct. It's better to leave it alone and covered now. If you used extract then you can feel confident about your OG being what it was supposed to be.

 

[healimonster]

You're correct. It's better to leave it alone and covered now. If you used extract then you can feel confident about your OG being what it was supposed to be.

It was a mini mash and unfortunately I lost about 10% of the malt extract due to spillage. I added some molasses to compensate for the loss so I was a little more curious about the OG with this batch then I normally am.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[healimonster]

I guess I don't need to worry about it being not aerated enough.




I woke up to a blow up. This was taken minute after I cleaned up and cleared out the first airlock.

This is the second time it has happened. Any suggestions for a blowoff something that works with this lid?

 

[Virigoth]

You can stick a piece of tubing on that 3-piece airlock(the middle of the airlock that your cap usually covers) and drop it into a bucket of starsan/alcohol/even water if you have to. I have a dedicated 3-piece airlock like that that I use as my blowoff tube. If you only have one, attach the tube until it calms down, then remove the tube and re-cap the airlock.

 

[jlennon]

Yeah, I see in the range of 1.026-27 but might up or down a couple points due to the foam blocking the view. Not even close to your OG at the wort temperature. I'm guessing you're taking the gravity on ~200°F wort which A) is unreliable, and B) puts your actual OG much higher.

Thanks for that. I actually use I refractometer and I was getting a 1.060 reading. I also did it while I was cooling my wort so it actually makes sense why it was so high.

 

[unionrdr]

I cut the stem off an old "S" type airlock & stuck it one end of a 3/8" ID piece of tubing long enough to go into a 1/2G plastic vodka jug 1/3 full of water with a splash of Starsan.

 

[healimonster]

Thanks all. I guess I need an extra tube and a refractor!