Ok i did hydro test

I didnt do a test before yeast so I got bored today and did a test and it reads 1010 Am im doing something right or wrong? Actually it smells like cantlope(sp) and no i didnt add any fruits I wanted to drink it but i didnt Its only been like 6 days The longer it fermits the higher its going to go up right? I dont know what im doing at this point im just trying to figure things out Its a guessing game for me Thanks again

Mike

 

At 6 days, you just pretty much took a Final Gravity (FG) reading. At 10 points, I would say your beer is pretty much finished fermenting. And as the beer ferments, the gravity will do down, not up. This is because you started with "sugar" in the water which is dense, and the yeast turns it to alcohol which is less dense. Leave the beer there for another couple weeks to allow the yeast to clean up after themselves and help condition the flavor a bit. What you forgot to take is called an Original Gravity (OG) reading. You take an OG reading when you have cooled the wort down and are getting ready to pitch the yeast. If you used extract and hit your volumes, there isn't a huge need to take this since it will be pretty close to what it's supposed to be. Oh, and you can drink your sample to get an idea of how it's aging, it's not going to hurt you. Don't pour the sample back into the fermenter.

 

At 1.010,it sounds like it's close to FG. What did the instructions give for an OG?

 

Ok now im just confused

Edit no i didnt throw back in and directions didnt say Im so lost

And sorry about periods and commas keyboard is screwed up

 

About?

 

just wait a couple more weeks, take a reading then. check the next day to see if you get the same reading, then bottle.

 

First, I'd like to see your recipe. That might help explain any fruit aromas.

But, also, your beer is still very young. Depending on the style it might be close to ready to drink or may need a week or two of sitting.

A hydrometer measures the amount of sugar in the beer. A bigger number indicates more sugar. As the yeast eat the sugar, the number will go down as the hydrometer floats less.

1.010 is pretty close to terminal for most beers. Close enough for me say it's probably done with the initial fermentation. Since you don't know what the initial gravity was (Original Gravity, or OG) you won't know what your alcohol amount is.

However, if you did a kit, and you used the proper amount of ingredients and water, then it should tell you what your OG was and we can infer the ABV.

If I were in your shoes, I'd let it sit for a week, maybe two, and then bottle, provided the gravity doesn't keep going lower. You just want to make sure the yeast eat all the sugar or they may create more CO2 in the bottle than the bottle can handle, creating bottle bombs.

 

Damn wind gusts! tried to post a reply & was booted off instead. Anyway,when an OG is taken,the sugars present will make the hydrometer ride up higher,giving a higher number. When you go to take an FG,some or all of the sugars have been converted to alcohol,making the hydrometer ride lower,giving a lower number on the scale.

 

Ok im confused about everything! and yes its still fermenting its bubbling in airlock ever 17-20 seconds It kinda smells like fruit but not That was closest smell i could think of

So wait few weeks and try again and see I still dont understand the whole hydro thing i guess im a moron

 

What exactly don't you understand? We're here to help!...

 

Fg og whats that mean/ whats it supposed to be? rhahb means? that one blows my mind! All these lil codes What its suppoesed to read this or that I know i have time to go but im trying to take everything in at same time and well Its boggling

 

Ah,ok. OG means Original Gravity,the first test you do before pitching the yeast. FG is Final Gravity,the test you do to see if it's done fermenting. When FG numbers are the same 2 days apart,it's at a stable Final Gravity.

 

So i take FG at about 6-8 weeks? and if no change in few days Im ready to bottle? I didnt do a OG I was too excited Why is OG so important?
Thanks in advance yall been so much help you have no idea! But what does rdwhahb mean? and i dont have rubic on speed dial so im still clueless lol Or terminal or hit the volumes or bottle bombs or conditioning See i dunno what that means

 

I take my 1st FG reading at 2 weeks. It's usually done or close to it by then. If it isn't quite done at that point,I give it another week,& check it again. If it looks to be finished within range of the recipe,I wait till the 2nd day after the last FG reading to take another one. If the numbers this time match the numbers from last time (keep notes!),then I give it 3-7 days to clean up by products of fermentation,& settle out more.
It should be clear or slightly misty at this point. Then rack to bottling bucket,bulk prime & bottle away.
OG reading gives you the starting gravity of the wort before pitching yeast. When you get a stable FG,you can use a formula to determine Alcohol By Folume percentage. Listed even on commercial beers as ABV%. Mostly the FG readfing lets you know when it's finished fermenting. The ABV formula I use is from Cooper's; (OG-FG)/7.46 + .5 = ABV%.
RDWHAHB means Relax,Don't Worry,Have A Home Brew. Now you know! Terminal means having reached Terminal Gravity,or FG.
Hit The Volumes means having done a full boil,you got it boiled down to the right fermenting volume of the recipe.
Conditioning is letting the bottled beer have time for all the flavors to meld into their final form. It takes longer to get beers conditioned than to carbonate. Most noobs have to learn the difference betweencarbonation & conditioning.
Bottle bombs happen when you bottle the beer too soon,ie,hasn't reached FG yet for one. Or too much priming sugar,or an infection that got bottled. Or some form of dirty stuff in the beer/ bottles that provide nucleation points for the co2 to cause foamy beercanos. Hope this clears up some more things.

 

Don't forget about Pre-boil gravity! I think the name says it all. This is the gravity taken just prior to boiling the wort. It's usually lower than OG because the boil takes the water out while concentrating the sugars.

Then you have OG, or pre-fermentation gravity.

Then the yeast eat the sugars and lower the gravity again, and when they are all done you get FG, or Final Gravity (finished gravity).

The reasons to take a preboil gravity is to estimate whether or not you'll hit your target OG after the boil If not, then you can add water or extract to compensate ahead of time. Also it's good for determining your efficiency in All Grain brewing.

 

I related the OG & FG definitions in post #12,just for clariy's sake.