Hydrometer question?

[BrandonBlack]

Ok. so in "The Joy of Home Brewing," Charlie Papazian says that we should always siphon or ladle out a sample to do our hydrometer testing with. I understand that sanitation is the goal here, but why not simply sanitize the hydrometer? It seems like it doesn't really offer an extra protection. What method do you guys use?

 

[BargainFittings]

I've done it both ways. Taking a sample allows you to taste it.

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

use a stainless steel turkey baister and fill the hydrometer tube up to the top. the reason not to float the hydrometer in the beer is that means having the lid/airlock off the top of the fermenter. this exposes your beer to oxygen which is bad. and you get to taste the beer the other way which i like to do at every chance i get during th process.

 

[GroovePuppy]

Also, to do a reading in the bucket you have to take the lid off exposing more area to risk. In a carboy you'll never get the thing back out. Lastly if the hydrometer breaks while taking the measurement would you rather it be in a small sample or your primary?

Sanitize a Walmart turkey baster and take your sample through the airlock hole. Remember, don't dump the sample back in when you're done.

Edit: Darn, I types too slow!

 

[ajf]

There are two reasons that I can think of for not taking hydrometer readings in the fermenter.
1. It is very difficult to accurately read a hydrometer accurately if you can't align your eye with the top of the liquid.
2. It is traditional to drink the hydrometer sample. If you take the gravity in the fermenter, you would have to drink the whole batch.

-a.

 

[david_42]

It is also much more difficult to accurately read a hydrometer floating in the fermenter.

 

[Makeyermark]

I wish they would make a plastic hydrometer. I keep breaking them.

 

[boydak]

I also use a turkey baster but I still have to take the lid off to get a sample.

 

[Captain_Bigelow]

Does anyone use a Wine Thief to take a sample?

 

[dec]

Does anyone use a Wine Thief to take a sample?

I'm a new brewer and currently have my first two brews in my fermenters and purchased a wine thief to do samples. I took a sample of both last night and curious for some feedback.

My primary has a franziskaner hefe clone extract I found the recipe here and just took a reading that was 1.26 and according to the recipe I should have had a OG of 1.052 and I plugged my recipe into beer calculus and got a FG of 1.014.

In the secondary I have an extract from midwest of a Kolsch clone. It spent 2 weeks in primary and is at 1 week in the secondary. My reading was 1.08 and according to their sheet I should have a FG of 1.010-1.012.

So my Hefe seems odd, maybe I read it wrong or it's just too early or something else.

My Kolsch seems to be doing fine and almost ready.

Taking the readings in the wine thief was kind of a pain. My work flow was star san the hydrometer and wine thief and take a sample then drop the hydrometer into the wine thief spinning it while dropping it.

The problems I've found is it sticks to the side and their is bubbles covering the reading. I was able to try and get somewhat accurate readings by twisting it a little but the bubbles/foam made it a pain.

 

[BrandonBlack]

thanks for the imput folks. It seems that even if I use a turkey baster i will have to open the lid on the fermenter to get the sample. but at least i cant drink it after

 

[Yooper]

I'm a new brewer and currently have my first two brews in my fermenters and purchased a wine thief to do samples. I took a sample of both last night and curious for some feedback.

My primary has a franziskaner hefe clone extract I found the recipe here and just took a reading that was 1.26 and according to the recipe I should have had a OG of 1.052 and I plugged my recipe into beer calculus and got a FG of 1.014.

In the secondary I have an extract from midwest of a Kolsch clone. It spent 2 weeks in primary and is at 1 week in the secondary. My reading was 1.08 and according to their sheet I should have a FG of 1.010-1.012.

So my Hefe seems odd, maybe I read it wrong or it's just too early or something else.

My Kolsch seems to be doing fine and almost ready.

Taking the readings in the wine thief was kind of a pain. My work flow was star san the hydrometer and wine thief and take a sample then drop the hydrometer into the wine thief spinning it while dropping it.

The problems I've found is it sticks to the side and their is bubbles covering the reading. I was able to try and get somewhat accurate readings by twisting it a little but the bubbles/foam made it a pain.

I think you're missing a digit in your readings. The hefe sounds like 1.026 and the kolsch sounds like 1.008. 1.080 would be the starting OG of a high alcohol beer. It sounds nitpicky, but those readings are very different so keep an eye on the actual reading.

I don't use a wine thief, I just sanitize a turkey baster and fill my sample jar that way. the readings will be inaccurate if the hydrometer touches the side and there are bubbles holding it.

 

[BrandonBlack]

so everything is great with my first batch which is bubbling away in the closet but today i tried to make a second batch and the hydrometer keeps telling me that my OG is 1.02. How could this be? i actually used more malt extract today that i did last week. how did i muck it up i wonder?

 

[BrandonBlack]

the readings will be inaccurate if the hydrometer touches the side and there are bubbles holding it.

i hope this is what happened

 

[Arkador]

when your hydrometer is in the sample tube, give it a slight spin, this will help dislodge it from any bubbles that are clinging to it.

 

[PavlovsCat]

I use a Fermtec Wine Thief and take the hydrometer readings in it, then hit the release on the bottom in a cup and taste the sample. I don't have a proper sample jar for the hydro - so the thief works out great.

 

[dec]

I use a Fermtec Wine Thief and take the hydrometer readings in it, then hit the release on the bottom in a cup and taste the sample. I don't have a proper sample jar for the hydro - so the thief works out great.

How do you prevent the hydrometer from hugging the sides? I tried this method last night after soaking my thief in star san solution and it didn't turn out very well at all. The sample was further down so I couldn't reach the top of the hydrometer very easily and when I dropped it into the thief I gave it a spin but it still ended up wanting to stick to the side. It seems like it would be much easier to use to the thief to take the sample and then drop it into the container the hydrometer comes in that has a base and isn't as tall.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

I used to stick a racking cane through my bucket lid and place my finger over it to get my samples, but this took too long, and made a mess, it always dripped evrey where before I could get it into my hydro cylinder. I now just take the lid off, dip my sanitized pyrex measuring cup in and aquire my sample that way. Lid is off for a very short period and I have had no infections yet. By the time I take my samples it is usually finished fermenting anyhow, it is just a double check.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Keep in mind you need to compensate for temperature when taking readings.

As well, on a batch where you add water, it needs to be thoroughly mixed before taking a reading or your reading could be way off.

 

[dec]

I think you're missing a digit in your readings. The hefe sounds like 1.026 and the kolsch sounds like 1.008. 1.080 would be the starting OG of a high alcohol beer. It sounds nitpicky, but those readings are very different so keep an eye on the actual reading.

I don't use a wine thief, I just sanitize a turkey baster and fill my sample jar that way. the readings will be inaccurate if the hydrometer touches the side and there are bubbles holding it.

You are right, the scale on the hydrometer was marked weirdly and I failed at reading it correctly. Next batch I promise to remember to get a OG reading on my beer.

So my Kolsch is at 1.008 which sounds a little off than what the expected FG of 1.010 but it's the same reading two days in a row so I think I'm going to bottle this tomorrow.

My Hefe came in at 1.018 which sounds like it is close to the FG of 1.014 I should be getting. It's only been in the primary for 8 days but it's really close it sounds like to the FG. But it still has a good head of krausen so I guess I should let it sit for a bit more till it drops.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Keep in mind you need to compensate for temperature when taking readings.

As well, on a batch where you add water, it needs to be thoroughly mixed before taking a reading or your reading could be way off.

BrewCalcs: Free Homebrewing Calculations is a free calculator that has a hydrometer adjustment tool. Just enter your temp and OG and it will adjust your OG accordingly.