How important is it to take gravity readings?

[MaxPower49]

My first batch is in the secondary right now and I was planning to bottle this weekend. Stayed in primary for about 8 days and has been in the secondary for close to 2 weeks. I haven't been checking gravity like I should have... I forgot to take an OG reading.

The lid on my plastic primary bucket is a pain in the ass to get off. The hole for the airlock starts breathing in and out like crazy as I push the lid down trying to remove it, and I thought I might be doing more harm than good (sucking a bunc of air into the fermenter) opening it to get a sample to test.

Now, in the secondary my turkey baster is not long enough to get down to the beer and get a sample. I guess I could get the racking can out and take a sample.

Do you think I would be ok, with the old 1 (primary), 2 (secondary), 3 (bottle), rule... or should I take readings? I have heard of bottles exploding if you bottle to early. :cross:

 

[secinarot]

What stlye of beer is it? If it's a standard gravity style like a pale ale the schedule that you've followed will be fine and you should not have any bottle bombs.

 

[MaxPower49]

It is a brown ale... Newcastle clone. Although much cloudier than Newcastle at the moment.

 

[homebrewer_99]

When you follow the 123 "rule" you are only guessing your brew is done.

By taking an OG and estimating the attenuation of the yeast (most average about 75%) you can better know when your brew is done fermenting.

Without knowing these numbers you could be bottling too soon which can result in bottles grenades.

Let's say your yeast stops at 1.030 when it should be 1.010. When you rack to a bottling bucket you could rouse the yeast and get it fermenting again. Once you add more sugar (for priming) you've just kick started your fermentation again and grenades will ensue.

Without proper hydrometer readings all kinds of bad things can happen. Why chance it?

Anyone who doesn't use the hydrometer is, like I said before, only guessing...or hoping their brews are done...

IMO, anyone who takes shortcuts and doesn't use the tools of the trade are not good brewers. With that said, that doesn't mean they can't brew good beers. They're just not good brewers..."bad technique" is probably more like what I really mean. They practice bad techniques. Bad techniques should not be repeated. Yeah, that's better.

Plus these numbers tell you what your OG anfd FG are and what your alcohol content is.

 

[michael.berta]

You should be taking readings because otherwise you are flying blind. Plastic airlocks and buckets are not tools to gage fermentation activity.

If you are too lazy to take hydrometer readings then I'd suggest keeping your beer in primary and secondary much longer.

 

[ifishsum]

Personally I only take two readings (unless something is not right). First my OG right before I pitch yeast, and then another after 10-14 days when I want to be sure it's finished out and ready to go to secondary. I don't see the need for any further readings because I already know it's finished if it's in the secondary - if it wasn't it wouldn't be in there.

The old 1-2-3 'rule' is not a rule, it's a general guideline. Only the hydrometer can tell you if it works for the beer you currently have in the fermenter - 2-2-3 would safer because lots of folks rack their beer into secondary too early, often causing fermentation to slow way down or stop before reaching FG. IMO the reading between primary and secondary is the most important one (post fermentation) and should not be skipped.

 

[jds]

Max:

I've forgotten to (or sometimes consciously decided not to) take OG/FG readings on beer before. Given enough time, you can be reasonably sure the yeast will ferment everything it's going to.

Even though you don't have OG numbers, the hydrometer is still useful. If you take readings three days apart without changes, then the yeast has finished fermenting. It's probably not done maturing yet, but at least you can be sure you won't make bottle bombs.

Remember, man has been brewing beer for much longer than he has been making hydrometers. Are they useful tools? Yep. Will you destroy your beer by not using one? Nope, but I'd let it condition for at least three weeks before doing anything else.

Remember, brewing is a craft, and there is more than one path to the end result. Ask three brewers a question, and you'll get five answers.

 

[jxm387]

Taking consistent gravity measurements can really help you improve your beer. You'll begin to understand more about how your yeast works - and brewing is really just about keeping your yeast happy. In general, if you've got a happy yeast, your beer is going to be good.

Personally I take measurements of gravity, temperature, and occasionally pH throughout fermentation and conditioning. The measurements themselves are great, but you really begin to understand more when you plot them on a graph (ruler, pencil, and paper is just fine). You can then visualize when your yeast begins to slow down. That allows you to know when to rouse your yeast, krausen, change temperature (if able), etc. It's made a significant improvement to my beer.

Note: although I typically still use gravity as my indicator, most large commercial breweries will monitor pH. The pH should drop from 5.8 or so down to 4.1-4.2. It's a pretty accurate way to determine the end of fermentation and consumes only a fraction of the beer volume vs gravity readings. Higher yield = more beer to drink.

 

[MaxPower49]

Man, you guys are brutal. I ask a n00b question and get called lazy and a bad brewer. :

I guess will get out the racking cane and get a sample to test tonight. I can keep that same sample out of the fermenter and test it again in a couple of days, right?

Also, I noticed this on the BrewWiki...
Hydrometer - BrewWiki

Do not use the plastic tube the hydrometer came in for measuring a sample as it is too small for a proper measurement.

If I can't use that tube to test it in, what can I use?

I'm a little worried that I moved from primary to secondary too early now... Primary was bubbling about once every 45 seconds when I moved it.

 

[jmiracle]

In the past I've usually only taken one hydro reading, at either bottling/racking to secondary time. Since I was using all extract I figured it was OK to just plug the numbers into ProMash since I always got weird readings from the wort not being mixed properly.

Now that I'm doing PMs I'm understanding the importance of gravity readings a lot more. Before I basically figured it was just to calculate your ABV and make sure the yeast was done

 

[mattmcl]

I'm going out on a limb here. I take readings to see what my efficiency is, and sometimes ABV. I have never, in 20 years of brewing, taken a reading for bottling time, and I've never had bottles explode or gush. I ferment for three weeks at least, and that has always worked out.

Now, if I do a mead or barley wine, I would definitely check. But for the stuff I brew I've never bothered.

 

[Revvy]

Read this...it will give you an idea of why it's a good idea...

http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Think_evaluation_before_action/

 

[breadbohn]

On a realted note, should we expect the gravity to change further during secondary fermentation? Or do you wait in the primary until reaching the FG, then it stays put?

 

[Revvy]

On a realted note, should we expect the gravity to change further during secondary fermentation? Or do you wait in the primary until reaching the FG, then it stays put?

You wait till the gravity is stable before racking to secondary...

"Secondary fermentation" is a misnomer and a mistake many brewers don't grasp....the secondary VESSEL has nothing to do with he process of "secondary fermentation" which is part of the normal yeast life cycles, one of the stages of fermentation.

The secondary we are referring to is also called a "brite tank" it is the carboy where people move their beer to clear, or to add fruit, or hops for dry hopping... and to let the yeast and other things fall down...It's to clear the beer....but if you leave your beer in primary for several weeks you don't need to worry...

Here's John Palmer's explanation of the Secondary fermentation Phase

The reactions that take place during the conditioning phase are primarily a function of the yeast. The vigorous primary stage is over, the majority of the wort sugars have been converted to alcohol, and a lot of the yeast cells are going dormant - but some are still active.

The Secondary Phase allows for the slow reduction of the remaining fermentables. The yeast have eaten most all of the easily fermentable sugars and now start to turn their attention elsewhere. The yeast start to work on the heavier sugars like maltotriose. Also, the yeast clean up some of the byproducts they produced during the fast-paced primary phase. But this stage has its dark side too.

Under some conditions, the yeast will also consume some of the compounds in the trub. The "fermentation" of these compounds can produce several off-flavors. In addition, the dormant yeast on the bottom of the fermentor begin excreting more amino and fatty acids. Leaving the post-primary beer on the trub and yeast cake for too long (more than about three weeks) will tend to result in soapy flavors becoming evident. Further, after very long times the yeast begin to die and break down - autolysis, which produces yeasty or rubbery/fatty/meaty flavors and aromas. For these reasons, it can be important to get the beer off of the trub and dormant yeast during the conditioning phase.

There has been a lot of controversy within the homebrewing community on the value of racking beers, particularly ales, to secondary fermentors. Many seasoned homebrewers have declared that there is no real taste benefit and that the dangers of contamination and the cost in additional time are not worth what little benefit there may be. While I will agree that for a new brewer's first, low gravity, pale beer that the risks probably outweigh the benefits; I have always argued that through careful transfer, secondary fermentation is beneficial to nearly all beer styles. But for now, I will advise new brewers to only use a single fermentor until they have gained some experience with racking and sanitation.

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most canned kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.

It's easy to see how confusing the terms are...that's why we try to get outta the habit of saying secondary fermentation...and say secondary...or bright tank (mostly just secondary, dropping fermenter or fermentation, since fermentation should be finished before you rack it to the secondary.

If you do choose to use a "bright tank" it's best to wait til fermentation is complete, you know that by taking 2 gravity readings over a 3 day period. If the grav hasn't changed, then you can rack it without having a krausen develop...though sometimes it does anyway.

Many of us nowadays forgo a bright tank and just leave our beers in primary for 3-4 weeks, then bottle...We only use a secondary if we are adding something to the beer, such as fruit, dryhopping or oaking the beer, otherwise we just leave the beer alone and let the yeasts clean up the beer at their own pace. Or if we added fruit, like pumpkin in the boil and want to get the beer off the goop.

Hope this helps!

 

[MaxPower49]

Good info.. thanks Revvy.

Maybe I should have skipped the secondary all together, but too late now. Took a gravity reading last night in the little plastic tube (even though the link I posted above says not to use the tube... i don't know what else to use). It was 1.011.

 

[Revvy]

Good info.. thanks Revvy.

Maybe I should have skipped the secondary all together, but too late now. Took a gravity reading last night in the little plastic tube (even though the link I posted above says not to use the tube... i don't know what else to use). It was 1.011.

We all learn over time...I secondaried for a few beers until I accidently couldn't get to my beer for a month due to travelling and realized how better that batch tasted and how clear it was than previous batches (even of the SAME recipe), then I discovered what Palmer and other people even on here were saying, and then I got some great judging comments on clarity and crispness by BJCP judges at contests...So I became a convert and evangelist on the long primary.

I have used the little plastic tube before...it's not great because (at least in the case of my hydrometer) it's really flimsy...but it can work in a pinch.

I picked up one of these cheap at my lhbs.

With that and a sanitized turkey baster taking readings is a piece of cake.

 

[BluesGuy]

A wine thief works great for taking samples and you can simply spin your hydrometer in it to get your reading.

Fermtech Wine Thief. :: Midwest Supplies Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies

 

[homebrewer_99]

On a realted note, should we expect the gravity to change further during secondary fermentation? Or do you wait in the primary until reaching the FG, then it stays put?

I don't rack until it's hit the projected FG.

Of course, stirring up some of the sediment during racking will/may allow further fermentation by a point or two, but racking to a secondary is for mainly for clearing.

 

[breadbohn]

Yes, thanks Revvy. I learned more from your post than in many other places I've read about this subject. I can see the confusion, since "secondary" is an adjective that should require a noun - secondary what? I like using "bright tank."

Anyway, wish me luck as I bottle from my primary, the one from which I forgot to strain the hops, so they're still in there. All of which, I learn from this site, is okay! RDWHAHB!