hydrometer intervals?

[bobbrewster]

My book says to "check specific gravity periodically untill the readings stop going down." When should I first check my wort's SG and then how often thereafter? So this means it's okay to take the lid off my bucket to check it right? Thanks, Robert

 

[SporkD2]

As long as everything is sanitized your fine. Once the bubbling has started to stop you should check every few days until you get the same reading 2-3 times in a row. That means your fermentation has stopped. That is usually when everyone will rack it into a carboy for secondary fermentation to get a clearer result.

 

[Beerthoven]

I normally take 2 readings, one after 7 or 8 days and the second after about 3 weeks.

The first reading is done after the krausen falls and assures me that the fermentation went as planned and is not stuck. It is normally within 2 or 3 points of my target FG.

The reading after 3 weeks or so is done before I bottle or before I rack to secondary (I leave my beers in the primary for 3 weeks). By this time the gravity has usually fallen another point or two.

I don't take any more readings than this because I don't think they are necessary in normal circumstances.

 

[malkore]

my approach is this: the beers I brew are typically no more than 5% ABV, so they *should* ferment fully in 7 days if everything goes well.

knowing that you need consistent hydrometer readings, 3 days apart...I take my first hydro reading the 5th day after I pitch the yeast. 2 days later I take another reading. That's enough time apart that if it hasn't moved and its close to my expected final gravity, its safe to call 'done'.

i may leave it in primary another week or 2, i may rack to secondary for a couple weeks. depends on the beer.

 

[A4J]

I leave my beers in the primary for a month. I take a hydro reading after a week if I'm paranoid about whether the yeast is doing its job, but otherwise it's at week 2 or even just a couple of days before I rack.