How 2 check FG without adding Oxygen?

[Anishinaabe Brewer]

DarrellQ

When I pulled the airlock I sprayed the hole directly with my Star San mix. CO2 is heavier than air so I figured the 1/4 inch hole open for less than 8 seconds total wouldn't let much CO2 out or O2 in. I am a rookie, so I may have screwed my beer, but it seems logical that less O2 would get in that little hole than If I lifted the lid.

The star san is pretty diluted. When mixed, a spray bottle worth has maybe 4 drops of SS in it.. A single sprits would have WAY less, I do not think start san will effect your beer in any way unless you get like an ounce or so of mixed (diluted) directly in your fermenter.. Someone with more experience will chime in if I am wrong.

 

[GoodTruble]

Looks good!

Also, many people use vodka in their airlocks in case a drop or two does get sucked in for whatever reason.

When using a spigot, if you open it only slightly, the influx of air is usually slow enough to not cause the airlock to suck any liquid in.

 

[IslandLizard]

Also, many people use vodka in their airlocks in case a drop or two does get sucked in for whatever reason.

Not sure how many actually do that... A few drops or even the whole ounce of Starsan in an airlock won't kill your beer either. You won't even notice it.
Reportedly, some brewers had as much as a quart of Starsan sucked back into a 5 gallon batch, and couldn't really tell it was there.

Save the Vodka for drinking/mixing or use it for making extractions, with say, Vanilla, cocoa beans, etc. Or pre-soak wood chips/cubes in it.

 

[odie]

if you put the spigot at the bottom, wouldn't you get a lot of yeast?

nope, the spigot will not fit on the bottom, it's always gonna be at least an inch off the bottom just so you can thread the nut on. and you don't want the nozzle sitting on the ground.

 

[bracconiere]

and you don't want the nozzle sitting on the ground.

good point!

 

[Upstate12866]

You have a very reasonable idea. So many people emphasize oxygen exposure, which you are paying attention to. And you are asking a very good question about what that looks like with your setup.

I don't have all the answers, but I've got an idea to share. First, I highly recommend trying a very careful batch and a less careful one to see for yourself. Next, on the careful batch, without a Tilt Hydrometer, you can use tubing through the airlock hole, but simplify it with a little tool that costs only 15 bucks (ebay, aliexpress) called a refractometer. It requires just one drop to take a reading. It usually reads in a brix scale which can be easily translated to gravity points with one of many free apps (I like brewking).

So no baster required: just a thumb over the other end of the tube, or even nothing at all (a drop will stay on any object you dip).

 

[IslandLizard]

[...] a refractometer. It requires just one drop to take a reading.

Good idea, yes!
Just beware, using a refractometer when alcohol is present, the reading will be skewed.
One needs to use a correction formula to determine the actual gravity:

Refractometer Calculator - Sean Terrill

 

[Spivey24]

There is one other simple option. Just give it enough time to ferment and don't even bother with multiple gravity readings. On most of my beers, I just give them 2 weeks or so in the fermenter before I transfer to the keg. I then maybe take a gravity reading just to calculate ABV but often don't even bother with that. The beer usually tastes better with more time irregardless of when fermentation officially ended.

100% agree. I rarely do a final gravity reading at all. Maybe when I keg it. Give it enough time and don’t rush it. Taste it when you do the final transfer to keg or bottle. As long as I see a good start to ferment I don’t worry.