Do you normally put the (sanitized) hydrometer directly into the fermenter, or do you pull a sample from the fermenter, then put it in the hydrometer test jars to test? I've been thinking of putting the hydrometer into the fermenter once the krausen has completely subsided, then taking a look at the reading and leaving the hydrometer in there so I can take another reading in a couple of days to ensure proper attenuation. I guess this saves having to sanitize the hydrometer twice and it saves having to sanitize the cup twice (I sometimes put a sanitized cup into the fermenter to draw a sample).
Taking hydrometer readings
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Not a terrible idea when using a transparent fermenter. One drawback, you can't twirl the hydrometer to dislodge CO2 bubbles and such or degas the sample.
I used to suck-siphon a sample but now push-siphon (with CO2). Lid stays on the bucket. No O2 ingress allowed!
I used to suck-siphon a sample but now push-siphon (with CO2). Lid stays on the bucket. No O2 ingress allowed!
Brewmasher
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I like to taste the hydrometer sample as I go. There is no need to sanitize the hydrometer, or the flask if you don’t return it to the fermenter, just the wine thief or whatever you dip into the fermentor.
I guess it would depend on your fermenter. I use buckets for primary, and no way I could read it at eye level that way. It probably wouldn't break, but if it did, there would be glass in the beer. I think it's 100% easier and no risk to use a sanitized turkey baster and pull out a sample in the hydrometer jar. I think my test jar holds about 3 ounces, so it definitely doesn't "waste" beer. If I really didn't want to do that I'd probably just get a wine thief and use the hydrometer in that.
Just be careful with doing that. My first hydrometer torpedoed to the bottom (FG is low !) and left thin glass shards and 100-some tiny steel pellets, luckily, inside the wine thief.
Brewmasher
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And make sure your hydrometer is thin enough to fit in said wine thief to take an accurate reading. Mine is not, so I have to transfer into a wider flask.
#1 all the time, i ferment in 15 gallon plastic buckets with a big opening.....not sure how you'd get it out of a carboy...
One could tie a piece of floss around the top, and secure it with an o-ring or two, or tie it directly to the o-ring(s).
wouldn't that effect the reading?
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It may read a point lower, perhaps 2, due to the weight of the o-rings. The floss is immaterial, as long as it's slack when reading. It can be clamped between the neck and stopper or routed through the airlock hole, etc.
jrgtr42
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I do primary fermentation in buckets - When I used my regular hydrometer I would just sanitize and spin in the bucket. Being careful only to touch it above the scale, and I would place it in to approximately where I thought the gravity was, so it wouldn't bob up and down too much.
Now that I have a refractometer, it's a moot point. Take a couple drops when transferring from kettle to primary, then a couple more on test day and bottle day. (yes, I use a calculator, the Brewers Friend one. The first few batches I had it I double checked the final with hydrometer, but it always came out spot on, except one time that was user error - I don't bother anymore.)
Now that I have a refractometer, it's a moot point. Take a couple drops when transferring from kettle to primary, then a couple more on test day and bottle day. (yes, I use a calculator, the Brewers Friend one. The first few batches I had it I double checked the final with hydrometer, but it always came out spot on, except one time that was user error - I don't bother anymore.)
Brewmasher
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I should use my refractometer more often. I started out calibrating it with the calculator and all, but would always end up using a hydrometer just to be sure. I like to taste the samples as I go anyway.
To ease my OCDness, how accurate are they, and is it worth going through the calibration process?
pdickerson76
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True, but I think it would be really hard to see those tiny slashes between 1.010 and 1.020.
Why would that be?
You're not obscuring them by tying the floss and sliding o-rings around the scale area. There's bare no-man's land at the top of every hydrometer, just for that purpose.
Or do you mean seeing them at all, because it's inside a carboy? You can estimate as long as the 1.010 and 1.020 marks are visible, at eye level that is.
jrgtr42
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They're pretty accurate, as far as I can tell - or if not, they're as equally inaccurate as my hydrometer.
I'll recalibrate with filtered water every 2 or 3 brews. I don't see enough difference to go out of my way for RO water. (so far. After my kegging rig, I may6 start playing with water chemistry, but my results are good enough as they are for now.)
pdickerson76
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Yeah I was referring to seeing them at all. When I do a reading I have to look and stare for a few moments before I can focus on the hydrometer in the test tube.Why would that be?
You're not obscuring them by tying the floss and sliding o-rings around the scale area. There's bare no-man's land at the top of every hydrometer, just for that purpose.
Or do you mean seeing them at all, because it's inside a carboy? You can estimate as long as the 1.010 and 1.020 marks are visible, at eye level that is.
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