How often should you sample your beer?

[Dude422]

I've read many posts about the hydrometer and how valuable they can be. I was wondering how often someone should be sampling their beer and recording the gravity levels. I know I'm supposed to heavily document my process so it could be repeated but I also didn't want to over test/risk exposure on my beer.

Thanks.

 

[Revvy]

Usually you take a hydro reading before you pitch your yeast..Then if you are planning to secondary at approximately the 10 day or so you take another, then 2 days later take one again...if those 2 readings are the same you can rack or bottle..

So that would be 3...perhaps again at bottling time..

I (and many of us) leave our beers for up to a month in primary. So I take an initial reading before yeast pitching, then 1 month later, at bottling time I take another.

If I believe I have a stalled fermentation I may take one in the middle or so, but I think I only did that once....

If you are doing all grain, many of us take a preboil gravity sample as well...

 

[Yooper]

Yeah, I'm with Revvy. I take one right before pitching the yeast, then another right before bottling/kegging.

I think that there isn't a reason to take three in a row to double check it's not changing, IF you leave it in the fermenter long enough, AND if it's in the expected FG range.

For example, I brew a 1.070 IPA. Four weeks later, it's at 1.012. Based on the yeast, I used, I can expect a 80% attenuation. Well, that's exactly what I have there- and the beer is clear and finished. If I was in doubt (maybe if it was only at 1.020, or the beer was still having krausen), I'd wait and check it again in a few days. But if you are pretty certain it's finished, an SG check is the perfect confirmation.

 

[tom777]

Yeah, I'm with Revvy. I take one right before pitching the yeast, then another right before bottling/kegging.

I think that there isn't a reason to take three in a row to double check it's not changing, IF you leave it in the fermenter long enough, AND if it's in the expected FG range.

Same here -- I never bother pulling samples. I do a quick check before bottling just to be sure and that's it.

 

[uglygoat]

the more you stick your hand in the fermentor, the more chance you have of funking it up.

if it's a big beer, i'll check preboil. then i usually check post boil before pitching, and then three or four weeks later to see what the yeast did.

after a spell, you'll get to tell if your fermentation took off, and won't need to check three times in a row.

with the exception of a big beer, all mine go into kegs, so i'm just looking to see my attenuation %.

 

[Grinder12000]

I sample once before pitching the yeast then two weeks later when I secondary it (so I can free up a 6g carboy) and then 2 weeks later before bottling.

I then sample the beer (tasting it) at bottling and I can tell if it is a good one or not (knowing it will get better in 3 weeks).

 

[zoebisch01]

A little more complicated, but nice because you don't need to sanitize whatever you use to get the wort out, method for establishing post-boil gravity is to take a Hydro reading pre-boil and then use a calculator (can be found online) or the chart that comes with your Hydro to correct the measurement for temperature. Then you take your pre-boil volume and divide it by your post-boil volume and multiply it by the points (less than one).

So say I had a reading of 1.050, 6 gallons pre-boil and 5 gallons post-boil.

6/5*50 = 60. So my post-boil reading is 1.060. This assumes though that you have accurate volume measurements.

If that's all too much, don't worry about it. Just thought I'd mention for reference.