ADV Measurements

[Shotgunwilly]

Good time of day everyone

Is it possible to do your ADV reading right in the carboy? I have picked up all my equipment second hand and there was no cylinder for the hydrometer but there was a hydrometer go figure.

 

[Rish]

You can. Just put your sanitized hydrometer in your carboy after it is filled and yeast pitched and take your SG readings through the glass. This also allows you to see when it's finished without having to pull samples for readings in a cylinder and calculate your ABV.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

If your hydrometer is glass, don't do it. Hydrometers are fragile and you risk breaking it, so it's not worth the risk. Those glass shards would make your beer undrinkable. Invest in a hydrometer jar you'll need it.
In the old days, before tilt/pill wifi tech, after you pitch your yeast, and thoughly mixed it in the wort, pull a large sample 8-10oz and keep that in a beer bottle with foil or lose cap. That bottle stays with the fermenter, so it matches the temp. You can then measure your SG anytime, by pouring it into a hydrometer jar without worrying about sanitizing everything, o2 egress, etc. That sample will be a close approximation of what is happening in the fermenter. You'll never put that sample back into the fermenter as it is potentially contaminated.