Foamy beer makes it hard to read FG

[jarrodaden]

I took my first FG reading on my first brew. I couldn't get a good reading because of the layer of foam on top of the beer in my graduated cylinder. Any tips for removing that?

 

[sheeshomatic]

You just need to let it sit. It's residual carbonation. You can spin or plunk the hydrometer in the beer to help reduce it, but I'll usually just go do something else for 10 minutes or so until the bubbles dissipate.

 

[commonsenseman]

What ^^^ said. The "downside" is you'll have to drink your sample afterwards.....

 

[Yooper]

Use a paper towel to "suck up" the foam- try it, it works! Then spin the hydrometer to knock off any bubbles and you should be good to go!

 

[JonM]

I have some drinking straws in the back o the pantry. I just suck the foam out.

 

[chumpsteak]

I usually just overfill the sample tube and let the beer and foam spill out until there's no more foam.

 

[BetterSense]

I was told to pour the sample back and forth between two cups to much of the carbonation of out of it before measuring with the hydrometer.

 

[Brewnoob1]

I usually just overfill the sample tube and let the beer and foam spill out until there's no more foam.

There's a flaw with this method, you're spilling precious nectar of the gods! HELLO!:cross:

 

[Quadrupled]

There's a flaw with this method, you're spilling precious nectar of the gods! HELLO!:cross:

I use the overfill method as well and simply sip the overflow to prevent any loss.

 

[wailingguitar]

I was told to pour the sample back and forth between two cups to much of the carbonation of out of it before measuring with the hydrometer.

This ^ Standard practice in commercial breweries

 

[JonM]

This ^ Standard practice in commercial breweries

Seriously. I put a sample of Apfelwein in a sample tube, checked the sg and it was 1.014 or so. Stirred the sh*t out of the sample and checked again. It was 1.009.

 

[squirrelly]

I deal with this by simply using a refractometer. For hydrometer users the overfill method works well, or you can simply just gently blow the foam off the top of the beaker.

 

[duckmanco]

I have some drinking straws in the back o the pantry. I just suck the foam out.

That's slick, I'm trying that next.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

That's slick, I'm trying that next.

Indeed!

 

[Vernacular]

You know you have a good brewwhen the hydrometer sinks all the way to the bottom... just drink it and don't worry what it says. LOL