Forgot to check FG before bottling/priming

[mrshanno]

Would it be inaccurate if I checked FG with a hydrometer sacrificing one of my bottles after priming/bottle conditioning (is fully finished)?

It was fermented close to 4 weeks so I'm sure it was finished fermenting, I just wanted to get the ABV (NB dead ringer extract)

Thanks

 

[billl]

Just drink your beer. You know about how much alcohol is there based on the recipe. Knowing that it is 6.4% vs 6.5% really isn't worth wasting a perfectly good beer over.

 

[lumpher]

why waste it? if you want to hydro it, pour some in your hydrometer sleeve, put in the hydrometer, get your reading, then drink it

 

[virgil1]

At this point, just wait until it is done carb'ing. You can check a beer later when you are drinking one.

 

[Shred]

I've never done this, but I'd imagine you'd want to fully degas before taking your reading. The CO2 will probably offer some "lift" to the hydrometer. If you did extract, your numbers should be damn close to target anyway.

 

[ncbrewer]

IMO, checking FG would be a good idea - for peace of mind if nothing else. I figure the sugar would add about 2 points to the gravity. And I always pour back and forth between two glasses 20 times (10 full cycles) before checking gravity to de-gas (as shred mentioned).

 

[Calder]

You will only be sacrificing half a beer ... which you can drink anyway. Even add to the next bottle/glass to get some fizz back.

I understand the comments of "it's done, don't waste, just drink it", but I also understand that this hobby drives you to want to know exactly what you have got. Unless you have a really good calibrated sense of taste, you don't know if you have a 1.014 or a 1.006 beer in that bottle, that's a 1% swing, and any specialty malts will just screw up sweetness estimations.

Open a bottle, pour some into your hydrometer jar, and drink the rest. When it is flat (maybe pour it a couple of times, and swirl the hydrometer) take the reading.......... then drink the sample.