I use 6.5G or 7.8G fermentation pails for the majority of my beers. When I am preparing to rack after my final gravity check, I want to leave the yeast cake as undisturbed as possible. Pulling off the lid has a tendency to stir the cake up a bit, plus O2 exposure is inevitable as readings are taken several times before racking. Does anyone have a method with tubing or similar, to remove the airlock and draw a sample thru the grommet w/o removing the lid? My FV's are sitting down in a temp controlled chest freezer so a typical gravity siphon wont work for me. I figured somebody may use something I'd never thought to try.
Taking gravity readings
- Thread starter bruhaha
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Thanks. Are you able to get a wine thief through the small grommet hole in the lid w/o removing the lid?
PlexVector
Mellow Goose Brewing
I did the following per this you tube video.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4V8LJkC0jE[/ame]
Wait until you are sure fermentation has finished. I go 14 days (21 days earlier, and longer if I get lazy.) and if I pitched fresh yeast it is 95% certain to be done. I check the gravity, it has been off only once in 88 batches, then I go ahead and package. The other one I left alone for a while, checked again and it was done.
drksky
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Remember, though, that refractometer readings are skewed on fermenting beer.
PlexVector
Mellow Goose Brewing
@bruhaha,
Several points: 1) Although the 100cc syringe is cheap ($6) and easy to find on amazon, I have to take two samples to get enough to float the hydrometer. 2) I don't use the little fancy co2 regulator seen in the video. I just turn my standard regulator down to around 4 psi to purge. 3) I use an extra wide wall papering tray (covered with Aluminum foil to keep the bugs out) to sanitize the long SS tubes.
dstockwell
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I found a 150cc syringe with a long plastic tube on Amazon. I think the plastic tube will coil and make it hard to get into the beer to take a sample. Where can I find a hollow metal tube to draw? I figured I'd have to draw at least twice to get enough volume for my sampling container to float the hydrometer. I appreciate your help.
I also have spigots on my primaries. Just pop the cap on the airlock & remove the center piece to fill the hydrometer tube. I spray the spout on the spigot before & after with Starsan as well. This has the added bonus of clearing any gunk out of the spigot.
SGTSparty
Well-Known Member
Same. I use bottling buckets as my primaries so I have a spigot on them. Sometimes you get some gunk at first if the spigot is low or you have a lot of extra trub/dry hop matter but for the most part it works fine. Started doing this because I started kegging and the bottling bucket was the only vessel I had available, found it worked great for readings AND makes transferring to a keg a dream. I ferment on a stainless steel table w/ the spigot hanging off, hit it w/ sanitizer, take a reading, if its good hit it w/ some more sanitizer and attache a tube long enough to reach the bottom of the keg (like 3-3.5 ft), open the valve and your basically done.
I use some small diameter aluminum tube. I think they are 1/8" diameter. I got them at my local hardware store. A three pack was around $5 and they are about 12 inches long. I sanitize them and then draw a sample for my refractometer and then run the numbers through a calculator to account for the alcohol.
Putting the numbers through a calculator is optional since all you are looking for is the number to stop dropping. The un-adjusted refractometer numbers will tell you when fermentation is done.
I have a syringe and tubing like you saw on amazon. The tubing does curl, but it is fairly stiff. It should be able to reach down to your beer if you straighten it out first.
PlexVector
Mellow Goose Brewing
Look for tubing like this on amazon. This is what I bought about a year ago, but looks like now it is a much longer lead time. It came in 36" lengths and used a copper pipe cutter to cut it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XN9NI0/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XN9FXS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 12incher that I used to use with carboys...... now I just stir **** like PBW with it.
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You can also get small diameter steel or aluminum tubing at hobby shops. I used to get it at slot racing shops back in the 90's.
