This is my first foray into home brewing, so of course I made a silly mistake early on in the process. I wanted to measure gravity continuously, so I sanitized my hydrometer and stuck it in the glass carboy I'm using as a fermenter. I forgot about that stuff called krausen. Doh! What's worse... I don't have any tongs that can fit through the narrow opening to fish it out.
I'm brewing an IPA and wanted to transfer the brew to another vessel so I can dry-hop and condition while getting a new batch started. How will I know when it is time to rack to the secondary? Is there a downside to doing it too soon? I got a lot of trub in the fermenter and don't want the yeast to start snacking on that junk as they deplete the sugars.
Fermentation was very vigorous in the first two days (gas and goo were shooting out of my blow off hose), but since then the pace has tapered off and I have been getting a steady bubble out of the hose every 5 seconds for the last 5 days. Today is the 7th day of fermentation, so I think the action should be winding down in the next few days. Unfortunately, I have no way of checking changes in gravity from day to day. I guess I could go buy another hydrometer, but I'd rather not.
Any advice? From what I've read, I probably I need to be patient for a while and RDWHAHB. But I don't have any HB's (since this is my first), so a Sierra Nevada Torpedo will have to suffice.
I'm brewing an IPA and wanted to transfer the brew to another vessel so I can dry-hop and condition while getting a new batch started. How will I know when it is time to rack to the secondary? Is there a downside to doing it too soon? I got a lot of trub in the fermenter and don't want the yeast to start snacking on that junk as they deplete the sugars.
Fermentation was very vigorous in the first two days (gas and goo were shooting out of my blow off hose), but since then the pace has tapered off and I have been getting a steady bubble out of the hose every 5 seconds for the last 5 days. Today is the 7th day of fermentation, so I think the action should be winding down in the next few days. Unfortunately, I have no way of checking changes in gravity from day to day. I guess I could go buy another hydrometer, but I'd rather not.
Any advice? From what I've read, I probably I need to be patient for a while and RDWHAHB. But I don't have any HB's (since this is my first), so a Sierra Nevada Torpedo will have to suffice.