Hydrometer issue

[jimjam1973]

Hi started brewing with a coopers kit and I took the reading as described at 40 on scale, a week later it's at 20 , is this right , also the cheap plastic one is rattling , not sure if it's broke, do I need to sterilise it every time I use it ??
Beer looks ok and tastes ok , not sure what to do , I know I need to buy a new hydrometer...what reading should I be getting

Thanks from a newbie

 

[hunter_le five]

Hi started brewing with a coopers kit and I took the reading as described at 40 on scale, a week later it's at 20 , is this right

It's "right" insofar as the number dropped, meaning you have alcohol.

Without knowing what the recipe's target original gravity (OG) and final gravity (FG) specs, it's not really possible to say if it's "right".

And by "40" and "20", do you mean 1.040 and 1.020 on the specific gravity (SG) scale, or are you referring to something else?

do I need to sterilise it every time I use it ??

yes

what reading should I be getting

That depends on the recipe. The recipe should give you target OG and FG readings.

 

[Rockn_M]

Depends on your recipe\kit. Different recipes and kits will have different starting and ending gravity. The reason your gravity is decreasing is because the yeast is eating the sugar causing the gravity to decrease. Anything that goes into your beer should be sterilized.

 

[metanoia]

Like hunter said, we need more specifics about your batch.

Also, what kind of hydrometer do you have? Can you link? I've never heard of a plastic one. And how are you getting your wort samples for your readings? If your simply putting them into the long, standing jar most people use for readings, you don't need to sanitize the jar or the hydrometer since that beer won't be returning to the fermenter.

 

[jimjam1973]

Cheers for replies , this is the hydrometer , it was on 40 and now 20 , not sure if this is how I am reading it correct

 

[jimjam1973]

I have the coopers diy beer kit rotary it out , it has a tap on the bucket so I drew some brew from there to the pot that come with it and them put hydrometer in, I didn't sterilise it

 

[hunter_le five]

What was the name of the Coopers Kit?

 

[podz]

Yep, it's 1.040 and 1.020. Proceeding fine.

 

[jimjam1973]

Thanks , it says that if I keep checking it from now on (day6) and it stays the same I can bottle it, then prime , I have ready just to leave it 10 days then bottle , or do I wait and keep checking , not sure lol

 

[metanoia]

You'll see at the top it says 1.000 with an arrow pointed to a line. That's the specific gravity of water without any sugar in it. Each 10-20-30-etc. after that means 1.010-1.020-1.030-etc. for specific gravity. Your reading will start higher like it did, then drop closer to 1.000 as your yeast eat the sugar in the wort. Depending on the yeast strain, you'll typically end up with an FG around 65-80% lower than your OG. Regardless of what the drop in gravity was (that's only good for calculating alcohol volume), what's most important is monitoring when the gravity stops dropping. After you get consistent readings for a few days, fermentation is finished and you could technically bottle, though most people these days will suggest letting it condition for another week or two or three to help clean up the beer before bottling.

 

[metanoia]

And as long as your hydrometer doesn't touch the wort in the fermenter, you don't need to worry about sanitizing it.

 

[cernst151]

Funny, I've never even heard of a plastic hydrometer. Can't hurt to calibrate it. Put it in distilled water and it should read exactly 1.000. If it's off, just make note of how much and in which direction and you'll know your variation on future brews.

Don't worry about the rattling. I've had a few hydrometers that rattled. It's just that a piece of the metal (usually a mercury alloy so don't break it) is loose. It won't impact your readings.

 

[jimjam1973]

Thanks again lol, so I was planning on bottling sat all being well, but think I may leave till the following weekend giving it 2 and half weeks in total , impatient and want to get an ale on the go (used this one cause it came with the kit) , which all brings me to another question , best way to sanitise everything , can I just fill the fermenting bucket up with steriliser and put all the other bits in, or again I have seen people filling a bath to submerse it all in , I take it sterilising is very important

 

[flars]

Here is some great information on the hydrometer and its use. Also has a temperature correction chart. Your hydrometer may be designed to read 1.000 in distilled water at 60°F, or 15°C. Some are calibrated to 68°F, or 20°C.

http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixA.html

The rattle you hear may be loose weights in the base of the hydrometer. Loose is okay, but not a bad idea to have an extra hydrometer. I recently purchased a new hydrometer. Reads from 0.0980 to 1.020. I use this just for checking final gravity. Large scale divisions make it easy to read.

It is often better not to remove the beer from the yeast cake to quickly. After FG is reached, the yeast may need a few days to clean up natural off flavors produced. During this time suspended yeast and other sediments will begin dropping out. Three weeks in the primary and your beer will most likely be clear. If you don't have time to bottle, a couple more weeks is not a problem.