Hydrometer Reading

[Ishraider]

Ok so i just took a hydrometer reading of my American IPA i have in the primary and its about 1.022 which is where the instructions said it should be....well everybody here says to take a reading 2 days in a row so im going to.

My concern is, isnt doing 3 hydrometer readings (before pitch, then 2 days to make sure FG is right) doesnt that seems to use up a good amount of beer? I mean my hydrometer jar seems to be way bigger than it should be but does anybody dump the reading back in? Seems like that would risk way to much.

 

[jamesnsw]

I estimated that my jar is 1/4th of a beer. So yeah, you'll lose a beer if you have a jar about the same size. If not, I don't think test tubes are very expensive at all.

 

[Yooper]

My sample jar is about 3-4 ounces. That's not very much, and I sample once at pitching the yeast, and once after a couple of weeks when I rack. If it's at an expected gravity, then I don't check it again. So, maybe six-eight ounces total of beer for the sample, which I then drink. It seems to be ok to me!

 

[SumnerH]

If it's the hydrometer jar that is about the size of a high school science class' graduated cylinder, it winds up being about 8oz that you lose for each reading. So you'd lose 24 oz for 3 readings (2 beers worth).

Some people use the tube the hydrometer came in (smaller) or another smaller vessel.

 

[Ishraider]

ok i guess in theory its not alot....but im still a beginner so dont like seeing that much beer not make it to bottle...since im at expected gravity, im looking to rack into a secondary so i can get the primary running for another batch, should i just skip the second reading and rack to secondary tomrrow?

Oh yeah i taste when i do readings and well the IPA tasted GREAT already thanx to this site and all the help provided.

 

[HSM]

If you don't have a graduated cylinder, you should. You can find them under 10$ easy. I bought a glass one and it's served me well. My plastic one died under stress...

No matter if it's beer, wine or full on ETOH, I pour 100ml and measure. For beer you are loosing about 3.4 ounces per measure, but pour it out (drink it).

 

[flylock_jac]

On the flip side of the coin , if you don't take readings and end up
with bottle bombs . How much beer do you end up losing ?

 

[carnevoodoo]

ok i guess in theory its not alot....but im still a beginner so dont like seeing that much beer not make it to bottle...since im at expected gravity, im looking to rack into a secondary so i can get the primary running for another batch, should i just skip the second reading and rack to secondary tomrrow?

Oh yeah i taste when i do readings and well the IPA tasted GREAT already thanx to this site and all the help provided.

To me, 1.021 isn't finished, especially on an IPA. Directions may state that's about where you should be, but you cannot ensure that everything is done. If you only want to test twice, I would say wait 2-3 days and test again. If you get the same reading, then I would be ok with moving on in the process.

 

[Ishraider]

Sounds like a plan ill wait 2 more days and take another...I got another brew scheduled Friday and definatly need the primary by then so im sure 2 more days will be perfect.

 

[Yooper]

To me, 1.021 isn't finished, especially on an IPA. Directions may state that's about where you should be, but you cannot ensure that everything is done. If you only want to test twice, I would say wait 2-3 days and test again. If you get the same reading, then I would be ok with moving on in the process.

Oh, I missed the reading. That seems a bit high to me. I'd expect an American IPA to finish much lower than that. They don't tend to have much residual sweetness. It depends on the recipe, and the yeast used, though. What was the recipe?

 

[SumnerH]

Sounds like a plan ill wait 2 more days and take another...I got another brew scheduled Friday and definatly need the primary by then so im sure 2 more days will be perfect.

If it is different gravity on a reading in 2-3 days, leave it and do your next brew later _or_ pick up another bucket at the LHBS to do the Friday brew in.

IMO, it's definitely worth having at least 2 primary buckets in addition to a secondary and a bottling bucket. I've been known to do a Sat/Sun double-header with the brewing, and without another bucket you wind up having to press the bottling bucket into service as a primary or something else pretty dumb.

 

[Ishraider]

If it is different gravity on a reading in 2-3 days, leave it and do your next brew later _or_ pick up another bucket at the LHBS to do the Friday brew in.

IMO, it's definitely worth having at least 2 primary buckets in addition to a secondary and a bottling bucket. I've been known to do a Sat/Sun double-header with the brewing, and without another bucket you wind up having to press the bottling bucket into service as a primary or something else pretty dumb.

Yeah unfortunatly the closest LHBS is a little over an hour drive away...so makes it hard to get up there often.

I actually have 2 primary 6 gallon carboys and a 5 gallon carboy. I have a brown ale a little over a week in the primary, but i want my IPA to be the transfer to secondary because it had a lot of hop pellets and i wanna make the IPA more clear. The brown ale im just gonna let sit in the primary for 3 weeks then bottle it.

I used an extract brew kit from Williams Brewing somewhere down in california. They both had about 8 lbs. of extract. The brown ale had probably 1-2 oz hops and the IPA had 5.5 oz hops.