hydrometer question

[oldwinemaker]

I just bottled my very first batch of beer. Still waiting on the results. Now to the questio. I was wonder, to check the final gravity, instead of taking a sample out of the carboy (I'm using a 6 gal. carboy by the way) to test why couldn't you tie a thread to the hydrometer and leave it in the carboy for the final 3 or so days?

 

[causeimthesquid]

That sounds like a recipe for infection, or at least an invitation.

If you are bottling, you can just take a sample at that time prior to adding priming sugars. That way you get to taste a sample too. If you want to check hydrometer readings to see if you are ready to bottle you could use a wine theif to take a sample from your carboy.

You can usually tell by looking at it whether your beer is done or not. The krausen will drop and the beer will darken. If you look at the trub on the bottom of your carboy, you will see stratification of sediment with a thin white layer of yeast. Its one of those things you will be able to spot easily after a few more batches.

Slainte!

 

[duboman]

As long as you properly sanitize the hydrometer there really is no reason you couldn't do this but part of the process IMO is also getting a taste sample to see how the beer is doing. In reality you are not even removing a bottle of beer for the test and if you wait the proper amount of time to take a sample then you are really only taking one sample. I usually leave all beer in primary for 14 days total and by then I basically know it's done.

That sounds like a recipe for infection, or at least an invitation.

If you are bottling, you can just take a sample at that time prior to adding priming sugars. That way you get to taste a sample too. If you want to check hydrometer readings to see if you are ready to bottle you could use a wine thief to take a sample from your carboy.

In reality, using a thief introduces the same risk if you are not using proper sanitizing practices You are still sticking something into your beer post fermentation.................

 

[oldwinemaker]

Thanks for the comeback. I gave infection a thought and came up with the idea of sterilizing the hydrometer and thread before placing it in the carboy. Your thoughts?

 

[jerrodm]

OK I'm going to play cheezydemon for a minute here:

Throw away your hydrometer. You don't need it. Just wait plenty of time (like, three weeks to a month) and your beer will finish on its own. Hydrometers are more trouble than they're worth.

OK, now as myself:

Actually, I think cheezy's mostly right. Don't fret too much over the hydrometer. If you leave your beer in primary for long enough (I think at least two weeks for almost any beer, longer for bigger beers), you shouldn't have to worry about racking or bottling before fermentation is complete. I still take a hydrometer reading at the end because I'm curious as to what my attenuation was, but that's the only reason. The best thing you can do is to give the yeast plenty of time to do their thing, then bottle without stressing too much. This may not apply to all beer/yeast types (like those Belgians that notoriously stick at 1.02 or so), but for most of the beers that new brewers brew it's good advice. One less thing to worry about.

 

[oldwinemaker]

OK. It was just a thought. That's the kind of stuff that pops in my head when I wake up at 3 in the morning. LOL

 

[jerrodm]

Indeed. I had an idea once for a rack (like a shoe rack) to hold up to six carboys in my bedroom, so I could be there if anything happened in the night. SWMBO didn't think it was as great an idea as I did. Our genius goes unrecognized.

 

[grathan]

wouldn't the string place weight on the hydrometer? Just fish it out after it's done.

 

[mammothkraken]

Hydrometers are very thin and then slightest contact in the wrong way with the neck of the carboy in placing or removing or in it just floating loosely in your fermentor could cause it to break. If you shatter a hydrometer in your beer you will have to dump the batch.

Don't run the risk...just get a thief and a hydrometer flask, both are cheap. The sample you pull out with a thief is irrelevant in a 5 gallon batch.

 

[causeimthesquid]

I figured the string would be the source of infection. I can't see being able to properly sanitize something that is braided and has so much surface area. Lots of places for bugs to hide.

wouldn't the string place weight on the hydrometer? Just fish it out after it's done.

Granthan, I didn't even consider that. Even if you could do it, you probably wouldn't get an accurate reading.