Aw, who gives a $#!% anyway...?

[KDM]

First batch ever is now in the fermentor ... Gosh, wonder if this is really gonna work?

It's supposed to be a Fat Tire clone or whatever, recipe's called "Flat Tyre". God only knows what it's really gonna end up being...

But this whole specific gravity/hydrometer thing has me a little down. I pretended I knew what I was doing but the darn thing takes the most by-gosh-and-by-golly readings. I mean, it gave anything from 1.070 to 1.075 as near as I could tell. I'm not even positive I know how to read the scale, which scale to read, etc., etc., etc. I was going to take a digital picture of the stinkin' thing so someone who actually has brains could have a look, but the readings were so un-awe-inspiring that I said to hell with it.

I've researched the nuts off this thing before ever starting, and what keeps coming back to mind is...

RDWHAMB (Did I spell that right?)

Besides, I hear some homebrewers never use a hydrometer. I wanna be like that! The only reason I'm using it at all is to keep my LHBS staff happy. But between you and me, can I not worry about it?

 

[Evan!]

yeah, don't worry about a hydrometer, as long as you don't mind bottle bombs, and don't care about dialing in your process and achieving consistency in your beer in order to perfect recipes. Also, don't expect a whole lot of help from forum folks when something goes wrong with your fermentation, because the very first question they'll ask is "what were your gravity readings". I mean, it takes all of a few seconds to take a reading. Not that big of a deal! Just take the reading!! If you're REALLY lazy, just get a refractometer.

Oh, and unless you're relaxing, not worrying and having a MEAD brew (aka Braggot), then it should be rdwhaHb. H="Home".

 

[Eskimo Spy]

Wherever your meniscus was, I usually take the line below as the reading. So, if the meniscus looked like it was at 1.070, I usually take that as 1.068.

And as far as not using a hydrometer, How would you know what your SG and FG were, and therefore how would you know if the beer was done fermenting, and what your alcohol content was?

 

[kahunaman]

Looks to be the EXACT same color as my fat tire currently in a better bottle.

Good so far.

First batch ever is now in the fermentor ... Gosh, wonder if this is really gonna work?

It's supposed to be a Fat Tire clone or whatever, recipe's called "Flat Tyre". God only knows what it's really gonna end up being...

But this whole specific gravity/hydrometer thing has me a little down. I pretended I knew what I was doing but the darn thing takes the most by-gosh-and-by-golly readings. I mean, it gave anything from 1.070 to 1.075 as near as I could tell. I'm not even positive I know how to read the scale, which scale to read, etc., etc., etc. I was going to take a digital picture of the stinkin' thing so someone who actually has brains could have a look, but the readings were so un-awe-inspiring that I said to hell with it.

I've researched the nuts off this thing before ever starting, and what keeps coming back to mind is...

RDWHAMB (Did I spell that right?)

Besides, I hear some homebrewers never use a hydrometer. I wanna be like that! The only reason I'm using it at all is to keep my LHBS staff happy. But between you and me, can I not worry about it?

 

[FSR402]

The Hydrometer is like the fuel gauge in your car. Sure you can drive around without one but sooner or later it's going to bite you in the azz.

 

[KDM]

Well, the whole point is that I took a reading, or tried to, and couldn't get the least bit comfortable that it was worth a crap the way I was doing it. What was I supposed to do at that point, abort? I keep hearing RDWHAHB (better this time?), so that's what I'm trying to do. If I can learn HOW to do it then maybe I'll be a good little boy from now on...

 

[FSR402]

Well, the whole point is that I took a reading, or tried to, and couldn't get the least bit comfortable that it was worth a crap. What was a I supposed to do at that point, abort? I keep hearing RDWHAHB (better this time?), so that's what I'm trying to do. If I can learn HOW to do it then maybe I'll be a good little boy...

How are you useing it?

 

[Talloak]

Nice dolly that your carboy is on in the pic. Play MASH with that? nevermind...

 

[Hugh_Jass]

Well, the whole point is that I took a reading, or tried to, and couldn't get the least bit comfortable that it was worth a crap the way I was doing it. What was I supposed to do at that point, abort? I keep hearing RDWHAHB (better this time?), so that's what I'm trying to do. If I can learn HOW to do it then maybe I'll be a good little boy from now on...

Here's a link to an image of how to read the hydrometer.

http://www.stillcooker.com/images/hydrometer-closeup.gif

There's no way, except through hydrometer readings, to know whether your beer is finished fermenting.

 

[JoeMama]

Dude, relax first off. I will admit that I was intimidated by my hydometer at first as well. In fact, I had to come here to actually verify what I was reading when I took my FG readings before bottling. Just take note as to what your SG readings were, LEAVE YOUR BREW FOR AT LEAST 3 WEEKS (Dont even LOOK at it during this time)

When you come back to it, take a reading - it will be MUCH different than your SG and Im willing to bet that when you verify that your FG has been reached, those little tick marks on the hydrometer will make sense.
-Me

 

[mmb]

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Appendix A - Using Hydrometers

Or if you are a visual learner... Staring BobbyM

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtQt7HiObuU]YouTube - Hydrometer - Brewing Beginner Series[/ame]

 

[nowise]

You could always fork out the dough for one of these:

Refractometer | MoreBeer

I'm comfortable with the hydrometer so I have never used one personally.
(BTW, I understand your frustration. I dropped my first hydro before I even got to use it. That sanitizer is slippery!)

 

[KDM]

Thanks. I'm pretty relaxed, but starting to get the drift I may be a little TOO relaxed for some folks. Anyway, never fear ... y'all have unequivocally and emphatically answered my originial question by saying "NO, you may NOT not use it!" Gotcha, ten-four, and all that. I'll learn to use it!

Anyway, someone asked what kind or how I'm using it or whatever, here it is...

I meant to add that all my equipment came new directly from my LHBS. I filled the larger tube about halfway, using the autosiphon, from the fermentor, after the fermnetor had the wort and water brought up to ~5 gallons.

Man, I belong to a lot of forums covering a lot of topics, but I've never seen one move along quite like this one. Whoa nelly!

 

[BarleyWater]

I meant to add that all my equipment came new directly from my LHBS. I filled the larger tube about halfway, using the autosiphon, from the fermentor, after the fermnetor had the wort and water brought up to ~5 gallons.

Man, I belong to a lot of forums covering a lot of topics, but I've never seen one move along quite like this one. Whoa nelly!

Was the hydrometer floating? You may not have had enough liquid in there to get a proper reading. I usually fill mine near the top, it makes it a lot easier to read and you don't have to worry about it bottoming out.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Nice tip mmb, that is a nice video by Bobby. :rockin:

 

[KDM]

Was the hydrometer floating?

I made certain to float the hydrometer, yes, absolutely. I had two basic problems: first was that the "float was sticky", or in other words, no amount of variation in my approach could get it to loosen up and bob up and down freely and then settle out freely. It was like it drifted over, contacted the wall of the tube, and stuck to it like a surface tension sorta thing. Second problem was the surface of the sample was a little foamy, made it tough to see the scale ... but not impossible. Just a few bubbles to peek around. Dangit, now I wish I hadda taken that picture...

I'm sure it's not a big deal. I have a friend who homebrews plus the LHBS to get it straightened out. As I said, y'all answered my original DQ of whether I could skip it altogether or not.

 

[Moonpile]

Here's some tips that come to mind:

1) the wider your sample jar the easier it will be to read. Obviously, there's a point where the jar is just so wide it's wasting beer, but go with a wide cylinder.

2) Take the sample and then let it sit for a while. This allows any gas to come out of solution of already fermented liquids, and allows the temperature to moderate on hot samples from the boil kettle or mash tun.

2a) Use a hydrometer with a thermometer built in, but remember to wait a while so the temperature equalizes between the sample and the hydrometer.

3) Spin the hydrometer to remove bubbles and to keep it off the walls of the cylinder.

4) Read from the meniscus.

 

[Zul'jin]

Meniscus is the bottom of the bowl shape or top of the arc shape that you see your wort or beer form around your hydrometer. Read at the meniscus. In all of my beers, the meniscus has been concave; bowl shaped around the hydrometer.

 

[Fingers]

Ten posts in and you're a Premium Supporter. Good for you, Hops. You're going to be just fine.

 

[KDM]

Well, the folks who own and operate forums like this are doing us a huge favor for little, if any, profit especially considering the work they must put into it. Least we can do is try to make some meager effort to return it.

Back to the subject at hand, I just re-watched my Basic Brewing DVD, and they don't even mention a hydrometer ... so I guess that must be part of where I got the notion that it's possible to get along without one. No, I'm not trying to justify any shortcuts; I'll learn to love my hydrometer. But c'mon, we poor hapless n00bs sure can hear a lot of conflicting information, so give us a break!

In the meantime, a big part of the reason I wanted to get into home brewing is to get some sort of feel for how my German immigrant grandfathers did it back on their farms around Coletoville, Texas 'round the turn of the century and surrounding decades. The further I get in this, however, the less I feel I'm learning on that particular track. I mean, they sure didn't have a LHBS. Wonder what they did for yeast? How did they sanitize? Measure specific gravity? For that matter, I wonder how the quality of their beer might compare to anything we know today?

Ah well, such are my musings. I wonder if my yeast is gonna kick?

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Hey guys, ever get the feeling when you just KNOW that a new member is gonna fit in here just fine?

 

[KDM]

Thanks ... But not if he keeps asking DQ's like this:

How do you draw a sample to test with hyrometer, say to see if you're ready for bottling. The autosiphon is the only way I can figure...

Also, what are the pros and cons of secondary fermentation? I'm tempted to go buy another carboy and go two stage just for the heck of it.

 

[Deacon240]

Thanks ... But not if he keeps asking DQ's like this:

How do you draw a sample to test with hyrometer, say to see if you're ready for bottling. The autosiphon is the only way I can figure...

Also, what are the pros and cons of secondary fermentation? I'm tempted to go buy another carboy and go two stage just for the heck of it.

A sanitized turkey baster or a wine thief for pulling samples. (wait at LEAST a week).

As far as a secondary goes it helps clear up the beer and you'll have less trub on the bottom when going to your bottling bucket. It also gives it time to age. Another great thing about a secondary is you can start another batch for your primary . (Some people pitch similar/same beers onto a yeast cake that's in the primary)

 

[Saccharomyces]

How do you draw a sample to test with hyrometer, say to see if you're ready for bottling. The autosiphon is the only way I can figure...

I use a hydrometer thief.

Also, what are the pros and cons of secondary fermentation? I'm tempted to go buy another carboy and go two stage just for the heck of it.

I don't usually secondary because I keg. I cut 1/2" off the dip tubes so the sediment doesn't clog up the dip tube.

When I bottle, I sometimes secondary; if I'm bottling a hefeweizen, a Witbier, or using a highly flocculant strain like WLP002 English Ale or Safale S-04 Whitbread, I skip the secondary even when bottling because it simply isn't needed. With less flocculant yeast strains (slower to clear) I find the secondary really helps reduce the amount of sediment in the bottles. In fact, because I'm lazy, if I know I'm going to bottle I'll usually choose a highly flocculant strain to ferment so I can skip the secondary. The White Labs, Safale, and Wyeast websites list the flocculation of each strain along with attenuation, etc. Anything listed as "high" or "med-high" doesn't need a secondary to clear, just give it three weeks in the primary.

 

[KDM]

Another great thing about a secondary is you can start another batch for your primary .

Uh huhhhh, now we're getting somewhere...

Wine thief and turkey basters... I knew that... said Professor Alzheimers.

 

[mr jones]

heres the homebrew wiki hyrdometer article Hydrometer - Home Brewing Wiki its got how to read it and the temperature corrections if your hydrometer doesn't make the corrections for you.

-nick

 

[Saccharomyces]

Uh huhhhh, now we're getting somewhere...

I have seven primary fermenters here: 3 pails, 3 Better Bottles, and a 3 gallon glass carboy for 1/2 batches. No need to secondary to free up another.

 

[HoppyDaze]

do they make skinnier hydrometers? Mine barely fits inot the thief that I have and its impossible for it to not touch the sides of the thief. seems like its not a good fit

 

[Saccharomyces]

My hydrometer is skinny. It's the $7 cheapo from Austin Homebrew. I'm on my second as the first broke when I dropped it.

If the hydro doesn't fit you can always use the thief to collect the sample for your sample jar.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Thanks ... But not if he keeps asking DQ's like this:

How do you draw a sample to test with hyrometer, say to see if you're ready for bottling. The autosiphon is the only way I can figure...

Also, what are the pros and cons of secondary fermentation? I'm tempted to go buy another carboy and go two stage just for the heck of it.

Why not just take the reading right in the fermentor with a sterilized Hydrometer?