I'm thinking of fermenting micro batches directly in the pot. The problem is it has no spigot, so I won't be able to measure gravity without removing the lid (which would expose the wort to air). Is there any way around this other than installing a spigot?
Fermenting in a pot/kettle with no spigot - how to measure gravity?
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PCABrewing
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Well there is a device called a "Tilt" which is a hydrometer designed to be left in the vessel.
But might be easier and cheaper to just add a spigot. Or possibly add a port to the lid that you could open just enough to get a sample out, like the airlock stopper.
Get yourself a thief. They are made in glass or plastic. Work like putting your thumb over the end of a straw.
Oh nevermind I missed the part of not exposing to air.
Oh nevermind I missed the part of not exposing to air.
Next question is if you are concerned with air contact you will be getting contact when being bottles etc.
Because of bottling I don't expect to prevent exposure to air completely, but checking gravity frequently (to tell when fermentation has ended, in absence of an airlock) is just too often.
I guess my options are either to install a spigot or to use a wireless floating hydrometer. The Tilt seems a bit expensive for what it is, but the iSpindel looks like a more affordable alternative. If it can transmit readings through a stainless steel pot with the lid on, its looks like the right solution for my scenario.
I guess my options are either to install a spigot or to use a wireless floating hydrometer. The Tilt seems a bit expensive for what it is, but the iSpindel looks like a more affordable alternative. If it can transmit readings through a stainless steel pot with the lid on, its looks like the right solution for my scenario.
The other option is to just give it enough time to ferment and don't worry about checking gravity. The beer needs time to mature anyway to be at its best. I leave my beers sealed airtight in the fermenter for 10-14 days and quit checking the gravity during fermentation years ago.
You don't need to check frequently. You can get what you need by waiting until it is pretty sure to be done (say 2-1/2 or 3 weeks) and check it - then check again three days later. It will almost always be finished, and I haven't had problems with oxidation doing it that way.
I have one 5 gallon SS fermenter with no spigot and a few smaller ones with and without spigots, but I never check the gravity on any of them until I pop the lid on bottling day. What I do instead is wait: 2 or 3 weeks for lower gravity brews, and 4+ weeks for higher gravity ones.
I just hate the idea of needlessly introducing oxygen when there might not be active yeast present to get rid of it. Even taking a sample from a spigot pulls air in through the airlock. Oxygen exposure on bottling day doesn't bother me as much because the priming sugar gets the yeast going and churning through O2 again.
I just hate the idea of needlessly introducing oxygen when there might not be active yeast present to get rid of it. Even taking a sample from a spigot pulls air in through the airlock. Oxygen exposure on bottling day doesn't bother me as much because the priming sugar gets the yeast going and churning through O2 again.
i had an idea...one of these and a dip tube, and a bev QD with some cord and then one of these...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124545865007?hash=item1cff83152f:g:JIUAAOSw-RJfaXkE
https://www.morebeer.com/products/ball-lock-bulkhead-bev.html
be a $40 job?
don't know if the suck into container would be big enough for a hydro sample, plus it'd suck that much air under the lid, but a refrac for sure....
edit: of course you still would have to drill a hole in the lid for the bulkhead.....it'd be uniquie though!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124545865007?hash=item1cff83152f:g:JIUAAOSw-RJfaXkE
https://www.morebeer.com/products/ball-lock-bulkhead-bev.html
be a $40 job?
don't know if the suck into container would be big enough for a hydro sample, plus it'd suck that much air under the lid, but a refrac for sure....
edit: of course you still would have to drill a hole in the lid for the bulkhead.....it'd be uniquie though!
Another question what size is a micro batch. If smaller than a gallon then go buy a glass jar of apple cider and use that. Even a clear water jug. They also sell 2.5 gallon buckets. Or just drill a hole in your lid if it is not glass. If it is glass you will be able to tell if ales are by looking.
I'd rather bottle as soon as fermentation ends. I think leaving it for longer in an unsealed container can increase the chance of contamination.
I agree, and that's why my tendency is to go with a wireless refractometer.
That's very close in cost to a wireless refractometer like the iSpindel, which seems more convenient to use.
I plan to use the same pot for mashing, boiling and fermentation. I don't think glass would work for boiling.
monkeymath
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Wait, is this just a regular pot with a regular lid? Don't you get continuous exposure to air then anyways?
Yes, I'm planning to use a regular 2.5 gallon pot with a regular lid to brew 1 gallon batches. See this thread for more:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...an-unsealed-pot-risk-of-contamintaion.697856/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...an-unsealed-pot-risk-of-contamintaion.697856/
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How have you been brewing prior to this? You've been a member since 2013, one has to assume you are trying to take step backwards to cut corners for simplicity. Do you not have a simple fermenter around as to not open ferment in the kettle?
In the last several years I've been brewing with my brother. He has a 10 gallon electric system that combines a mash tun and a kettle. We then transfer the wort to a dedicated fermenter inside a temperature regulated fridge. It's a very good solution, but not one that's suitable for 1 gallon micro batches. My brother also has no interest in micro batches, so this is a "project" I'm doing on my own.
Every time i do a gravity reading with my hydrometer tube I waste 8 oz of beer (about 1 cup). There is only 128 oz in your 1 gallon batches. If you do 3 gravity readings trying to time your bottling perfect, you just wasted 20% of your batch. You can't check gravity with a hydrometer irregardless of the issue of opening the lid.
That's why I don't plan to use a hydrometer to check that fermentation has ended. I'll either get a floating wireless refractometer (such as the iSpindel), or install an airlock if I can get a good seal between the pot and the lid.
This sounds like a very unmotivated way to go about it. You will have no control of oxygen prevention with the way you want to go about it. You can get a 4L bottle of Carlo Rossi(drink it or dump it) with stopper and airlock for less than the price of buying a gallon carboy. Doing 1 gallon batches, you need a refractometer to take your readings. Oxygen pre-fermentation is a good thing. Another thing is that you'll be fermenting with all of the kettle trub that is otherwise left behind. Not all of that is something you want in a batch that small. But it sounds like you already have your mind made up regardless of our input. Good luck.
