Hydro readings?

[dummkauf]

Just curious how important hydro readings really are for developing recipes.

I know with the staggered nutrient additions, and other more advanced techniques it comes in handy to know. But I am looking at playing around with some 1 gallon batches, and it just seems like a huge waste of the batch to be pulling hydro samples. For those of you who make 1 gallon batches, do you take hydro readings?

Or do they make tiny little hydrometers with tiny test tubes for this that I am just unfamiliar with?

 

[Germelli1]

For small experimental batches, I just make sure everything that touches the beer/wine/cider is sanatized, then I return the sample to the fermenter. It helps to know when it is done fermenting and safe to bottle more than anything else

 

[MeadWitch]

+1 Same here. I even go a step further, I completely clear off the counter top where I am working. No dish drainer, no counter clutter or toaster. Everything goes away and I sanitize the counter top just in case something falls over or I need to lay my thief down. After investing so much money on honey or/and time, it would be a shame to lose it to bad sanitizaion.

I don't think I could use a tiny little hydrometer, I can barely read the one I have! LOL

 

[BBBF]

I think the best thing to do is be very careful, sanitize everything and return you sample or use a refractometer. However, I tend to avoid using my hydrometer as much as possible. I use it in the beginning and the end. In between, I just try to rely on my sense of taste and if possible being familiar with the yeast (not possible if you're doing a yeast experiment). I'll stager the nutrients by days, not gravity and if it smells off (sulfer), I'll add more nutrient. And I'll take a small sample to taste. If I know the yeast can easily take the batch dry and it tastes sweet, I'll wait longer before doing my next hydro test.

 

[dummkauf]

Thanks for the tips. Just made a couple 1 gallon batches tonight, took my OG and poured it back in....sanitizing everything first though

 

[fatbloke]

Mine are mostly 1 gallon batches......

If I want to be accurate, then I use a full sized hydrometer and a 100ml test tube - all sanitised, then return the sample to the batch.

If the batch is in a bucket and it's just a monitoring measurement, then I also have some 4 inch hydrometers, that get sanitised and put them straight into the bucket.

My secondary ferments are either 1 or 5 gallon glass carboys/demi-john jars.

regards

fatbloke

p.s. and the small hydrometers, are just ones that I found searching the net - I'm not fussed if they're not that accurate - just that they're ok for checking a ferment is doing what it's supposed to be doing..... though they're small enough that they could be left in a bucket for continuous measurement....

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Sorry, all my meads and ciders that I need to take samples of are started with 5+ gallons in a plastic bucket. I just sanitize the hydrometer and take off the lid.
I have yet been able to keep any testing tube clean enough to put back into a fermentation, especially in the very beginning when the yeast may not over power anything else.
Maybe a wide enough mouth on the gallon jug to be able to reach in and pull out the hydrometer? But those are hard to find, I have two that I use for yeast starters.

 

[biochemedic]

This is less of an issue for me too, since I do 6 gallon batches, but I used to worry about the volume loss when I did my first few test batches. I had thought perhaps a really long pair of needle-nose plyers would be able to reach into the carboy neck and grab out a hydrometer...you might need to put rubber tips in them so you could grip the glass though.

 

[Revvy]

Get a refractometer (about 20 bucks on ebay or an austin homebrew sale) You use the little pipette to place 2-3 drops on the glass viewplate.

But look for one that goes into the 40 brix range. Mine goes to 31 brix. I made a barleywine yeasterday that was 30.5 brix..which was an og of 1.071. I don't know how max your gravity for wines and ciders may be. But that is something to consider.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Show me where you can get a refractometer for $20. I might be interested.

Forrest

 

[Revvy]

Show me where you can get a refractometer for $20. I might be interested.

Forrest

What did we pay for them from you before thanksgiving last year when you did the sale???...IIRc it wasn't much more than that...maybe it was 25.

 

[WheresOurFish]

As Revvy mentioned, I got my refractometer on eBay for right around $20.

 

[Revvy]

Alright, so sue me, it was 29.99 from you last year. BUT we were talking about this yesterday at my brew, there are 20 dollar ones on ebay currently.

Like here,

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=brix+refractometer+&_fscr=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m19

Sorry forrest...But lots of them are under 20 at this moment.

 

[dummkauf]

Actually $30 with shipping. But still cheaper than the $50 my LHBS is selling them for. Thanks revvy! Sure I'll be bugging you all with some questions on how to use it once it gets here

 

[MarsColonist]

I made a barleywine yeasterday that was 30.5 brix..which was an og of 1.071.

I was thinking 30.5 Brix was more like 1.132 ... am I doing it wrong? :cross:

 

[Revvy]

I was thinking 30.5 Brix was more like 1.132 ... am I doing it wrong? :cross:

You could be right, my little hand held chart that I keep with my refractometer didn't go that high, so Mustanj used his i-phone to either look it up online or input it in a calculator, he was the one who told me that it was 1.170..So I'll have to double check.

That would make more sense, I mean I know I nearly maxed out my refractometer on the barleywine but I didn't really think I overshot my efficiency by that much.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Show me where you can get a refractometer for $20. I might be interested.
Forrest

Forrest beat me to it. Heck, I would buy 3 if it's anything like my hydrometer.
To bad someone already took the handle of Killer_of_Hydrometers.

 

[MedsenFey]

Just remember if you use a refractometer during fermentation, the reading will be inaccurate due to the alcohol content. Ethanol has a higher refractive index than a sugar water solution, so it will cause the Brix reading on a refractometer to be higher than what you will get if you measure with a hydrometer. A bone dry mead with a gravity of 0.990 will typically have refractometer reading of 9-12 Brix. Folks sometimes think they have a stuck fermentation when it is actually done.

There are calculators that take this fact into consideration and will convert refractometer readings during fermentation into a close-to-accurate Corrected Final Gravity numbers.

Medsen

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Revvy, no need to be sorry. $20 is way below my cost. I will have to check the quality.

Forrest

 

[Revvy]

Revvy, no need to be sorry. $20 is way below my cost. I will have to check the quality.

Forrest

Yeah I just remembered I bought mine from you last year and at that time it was the best deal out there. Actually since it comes from you guys, even your current price is a good deal, just for the service you guys give, and the piece of mind knowing it's a reputable dealer. I'm still not one of those order everything on ebay type guys...and I'm even only slightly comfortable ordering online anyway. I would rather order from a business, rather than an aggregation of vendors. And would rather order from one where I know, even just virtually the owner or representative of the company.

(Yes gang that is a plug for Austin Homebrew, if you order it from him, even if it is greater than 20 bucks, you know you will be getting it, for the price advertised + reasonable shipping cost, in a timely manner, and if something goes wrong, you CAN pm him, and based on things on here, on the rare times there is an issue, he quickly rectifies it, and makes things right.)

:rockin: