Testing Necessary? and other noob Qs

Sorry for such a novice question, but I am about 2 days into fermentation of my first batch...and really excited to have pulled the trigger on this hobby!

Is it even necessary to test my first batch- using a hydrometer, and/or do any tast testing? As a beginner am I better off minimizing the risk of contamination? I am just making a simple amber from a hopped malt extract...as basic as it gets.

The owner of the local brew store where I bought my kit said to just let it ferment two weeks, bottle it and let that sit for two weeks, and drink. He indicated at this level there's no need to test etc.

Thoughts on this?


Also, are these hopped malt extracts even worth using? (mind you I am a total beginner). It was very easy to boil the two cans of malt extract and not have to add any seperate hops or grains etc, but I'm sure I am missing out on something...?

thanks for any advice!

If you decide to take on brewing in a knowledgeable fashion, take readings...do taste tests.

The rumors of instantaneous infections from looking at your beer are greatly exaggerated.

Learn your beer. Let it talk to you through the hydrometer. Be the beer.

If you have airlock activity after two days then your brew is in kreusen and I recommend NOT opening the fermenter. Give it another 3-4 days then take the test.

Pre-hopped LME kits are great for beginners that want to just brew a beer.

If you really want more control go DME and get your hops separately. Of course ABSOLUTE control would be to go all-grain.

Testing your beer with a hydrometer is absolutely not necesscary even if you go all grain. This ain't rocket science, people have been brewing beer for 1000's of years without the use of hydrometers.

Taste testing your beer however is a good idea. I think 2 weeks of bottle conditioning is not near enough and the beer will still be green. I'd wait a month if I were you. That way you'll get the best tasting beer for your effort. But go ahead and taste one after 2 weeks then taste another after 3 weeks by the 4th week you should have a very good beer.

It's certainly possible to brew good beer using extract. It's really a matter of the level of control, how much you like the hobby and how deeply you want to involve yourself.

As an example take hops: You may like hops and want to add more or you may not like the bitterness and want to add less. Also not just the amount of hops but when the hops are added makes a difference in taste and aroma.

Best wishes and welcome to the hobby.

abracadabra said:

Testing your beer with a hydrometer is absolutely not necesscary even if you go all grain. This ain't rocket science, people have been brewing beer for 1000's of years without the use of hydrometers....

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People crapped in the woods for 1,000’s of years too, doesn’t mean I’m selling my porcelain throne…

I agree it’s not an absolute necessity, especially for experienced brewers who are doing the same recipe time and again. But for the new brewer interested in understating the brewing process, striving to make improvements in their finished product and knowing the “rocket science” behind the transformation from wort-to-beer…a hydrometer reading is a pretty valuable tool. Plus, I want to know the ABV%. With 7 taps going, I think it’s important to let people know whether their drawing a 3.5% session or a 7.4% porter.

I’ll be doing my 41st batch this Sunday (c’mon Fed Ex guy) and guarantee I’ll take a reading. Just a habit.

I'm still a noob but I get a lot of good information from my hydrometer. If I see airlock activity for a day or so and it stops, did it fully ferment or is it stalled? If it's stalled and I wait a few weeks and then bottle, stirring up all that yeast with too much fermentable sugar could cause bottle bombs. Or, I could go through all the trouble of fermenting, bottling and waiting just to find out I've got an extremely sweet beer with no alcohol. Testing with a hydrometer will allow me to figure out if I've got a stalled batch or it just fermented quick.

Practice good sanitization and like other people have said, try it out.

BierMuncher said:

People crapped in the woods for 1,000’s of years too, doesn’t mean I’m selling my porcelain throne…

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Best quote EVER :rockin:

The OP asked if it was necessary to test.

Keep your temperture within the range stated of your yeast and you won't have to worry about your fermention stalling.

Quick definitions (necessary)


noun: anything indispensable
adjective: absolutely essential
adjective: unavoidably determined by prior circumstances

thanks for all the good advice. all the reading I have done has sure proven one thing- this is more of an art than a science. there are many different views and opinions that may all have their validity.



thanks guys

abracadabra said:

The OP asked if it was necessary to test.

Keep your temperture within the range stated of your yeast and you won't have to worry about your fermention stalling.

Quick definitions (necessary)

noun: anything indispensable
adjective: absolutely essential
adjective: unavoidably determined by prior circumstances

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There’s a fine line between necessary and highly recommended.

By the way, the first two of the definitions above are highly subjective. Who determines what is indispensable (star san as a sanitizer) or absolutely essential (glass instead of plastic carboys). They’re both a matter of opinion and often highly debated.

And the third ” unavoidably determined by prior circumstances… Anyone who has had bottle bombs or gushers would probably agree that those “prior circumstances” dictate getting a hydrometer and using it.

But what the hey…everyone’s process is different.

As a new brewer (first batch brewed last night!), I would say two things:

1) Testing is easy...a turkey baster, test jar, and a hydrometer, and an extra minute of your time is all that is required.

2) If something does go wrong (let's cross our fingers that it doesn't happen), you render the beer gurus around here almost useless if you aren't in a position to give them something to go on. I think of detailed notes about what I did not as something that is absolutely "necessary" here and now, but as something that might save the batch in the event something goes wrong. Its like insurance...its totally unnecessary until its necessary and then its critical.

Boston Brewer said:

As a new brewer (first batch brewed last night!), I would say two things:

1) Testing is easy...a turkey baster, test jar, and a hydrometer, and an extra minute of your time is all that is required.

2) If something does go wrong (let's cross our fingers that it doesn't happen), you render the beer gurus around here almost useless if you aren't in a position to give them something to go on. I think of detailed notes about what I did not as something that is absolutely "necessary" here and now, but as something that might save the batch in the event something goes wrong. Its like insurance...its totally unnecessary until its necessary and then its critical.

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I agree with #1 that testing is easy

But # 2 is complete nonsense.

I got plenty of good advise and help from the good people on this forum without a hydrometer reading when I first started out. None of which was useless or almost useless.

abracadabra said:

But # 2 is complete nonsense.

I got plenty of good advise and help from the good people on this forum without a hydrometer reading when I first started out. None of which was useless or almost useless.

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Then we read different threads. Most of the threads I read from beginners seeking help invariably solicit responses such as "what was your recipe" and "what was your starting gravity."

When I ask for advice and/or help, I like to pay someone the courtesy of giving them as much information as possible. It helps them and it helps me. If that is not the way you roll and if you want to advise people differently, feel free.

Boston Brewer said:

As a new brewer (first batch brewed last night!), I would say two things:

1) Testing is easy...a turkey baster, test jar, and a hydrometer, and an extra minute of your time is all that is required.

2) If something does go wrong (let's cross our fingers that it doesn't happen), you render the beer gurus around here almost useless if you aren't in a position to give them something to go on. I think of detailed notes about what I did not as something that is absolutely "necessary" here and now, but as something that might save the batch in the event something goes wrong. Its like insurance...its totally unnecessary until its necessary and then its critical.

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The critical part of brewing good beer is sound sanitary practices and doing your homework so you have a clue as to what you're doing.

Plenty of people brew great beer without ever touching a hydrometer.

Not everyone is interested in becoming a beer nerd. And not everyone is interested in knowing that their beer is exactly 5.45% alcohol or what their effciency is.

That's great if that's what you're in to. But I think that advising newbe's of the critical aspect of something that's clearly not critical is doing them a disservice. And I intend to offer a differing opinion when I see people jumping on a bandwagon or all the advise going in one erroneous direction.

I'm not telling people not to use a hydrometer just that it's not a crtitcal part of the process.

Just remember there's more than one way to skin a cat. And try not to get caught up in the "my way is the only way" form of thinking.