Monitoring gravity...

[PassionBeer]

Can someone please explain this to me:

The "proper" way to tell when the beer is finished fermenting in the primary, is when you reach your FG, correct? That is, 2-3 days with the same gravity reading. How can you properly take a reading when (from what I understand) the point is to keep that CO2 blanket on top of the beer while fermenting in the primary?

If I open the lid to get some of the beer to take a reading from, isn't that providing a negative effect on the fermentation?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Just don't sneeze in it. The Co2 isn't going to come rushing out of the fermenter. It's heavier than air and just sits there on top of your beer.

 

[PassionBeer]

Just don't sneeze in it. The Co2 isn't going to come rushing out of the fermenter. It's heavier than air and just sits there on top of your beer.

Ha, sounds good.

One other question, what do the experts do: do you dunk the hydrometer into the primary to get the beer or siphon it into the hydrometer, etc?

 

[frazier]

For my first brews, as an avid beginner, I checked gravity every few days. I could watch the gravity dropping. What fun! But unnecessary.

Now I plan on waiting three weeks before bottling. A few days before bottling day, I'll check gravity, then check again a few days later just to be sure it's done. I use a turkey baster, sanitized of course, and try to be quick and gentle. Other people use a wine thief, or an autosiphon. But yeah, keep it to a minimum.

I should mention that some here will assert that "minimum" equals zero. Let's face it, for normal ales, in normal gravity ranges, after three or four weeks in the primary nothing is going to change. So just bottle it.

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Most people use a wine thief, a turkey baster, or even an autosiphon without the racking cane in it to pull out a small sample. I prefer the wine thief because the hydrometer sits in it and can be read through it, and then you can decant easily into a wine glass to check clarity and give it a taste...

 

[PHBalanced]

There are quite a few ways to get a sample. At one time I used a turkey baster but have since moved up to a wine thief due to having 6 gallon carboys. you could siphon as well, but whatever you chose just remember to sanitize anything that is coming in contact with your beer. AND whatever sample you pull out stays out, I like to drink mine to see how the product tastes at different points.

 

[pwndabear]

anything going into your beer at that point is a potential risk for infection. Now, if you are extremely sanitary in your brewing practices, you should be ok with whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.

That said, i have taken gravity readings directly from my primary. I use a bucket which makes it easier to do this. If your primary is a carboy and you drop your hydrometer in there, you may need to wait awhile until you rack to get it out...

If you use a wine thief or turkey baster or have a bottling bucket as your primary, you can steal, baste, or spigot, respectively, into a graduated cylinder to take your reading

 

[PassionBeer]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I'll look into a wine thief. And by "done" we're saying no change in the gravity reading, correct? That certifies the fermentation is complete. Though, I should question, isn't the fermentation normally done by 1-2 weeks?

 

[pwndabear]

If your gravity readings are staying the same for a few days in a row, then it is pretty much done fermenting. Thats not to say other stuff isn't happening in there; those yeasties are still cleaning up after their gluttonous orgy party.

If you brew, for example, and you have a really strong fermentation and it subsides after just 2 or 3 days, it will still be fermenting at day 3 and 4 and a little bit at 5. Once you take those gravity readings and they stay the same, it's safe to rack to secondary (if thats your thing, which it is mine), bottle, or really leave it alone in the primary for another week.

It's Up to you, sir. Patience is a virtue in the world of brewing, i have learned. The beauty is you're the one in control here.

 

[KeithMoonsLiver]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I'll look into a wine thief. And by "done" we're saying no change in the gravity reading, correct? That certifies the fermentation is complete. Though, I should question, isn't the fermentation normally done by 1-2 weeks?

I just leave it in there for 2-3 weeks, check it the day before I plan on bottling or racking and as long as it's roughly the FG I was aiming for I don't bother checking it again.

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I'll look into a wine thief. And by "done" we're saying no change in the gravity reading, correct? That certifies the fermentation is complete. Though, I should question, isn't the fermentation normally done by 1-2 weeks?

Normally yes, but several things can affect that length of time. Stuck fermentations were my biggest concern, having had one that nearly blew up a 3-gallon carboy (a mead). I put a solid bung in after a few months for some long term aging without checking the final gravity. Had I checked, I would have realized that I was several points above what I should have been at and when I moved the carboy one day, the yeast started eating again and built up a lot of pressure. Luckily I was impatient and went downstairs to steal a 32-oz sample for a party and had the bung shoot out of my hand as I pulled it out.

Shortened version of above: know what your target FG is and when you're close, you can start the multiple samples to see if it's done.

 

[PassionBeer]

I just leave it in there for 2-3 weeks, check it the day before I plan on bottling or racking and as long as it's roughly the FG I was aiming for I don't bother checking it again.

Fair enough. So let me get this straight - you can actually "aim" for a specific FG, or does that come based upon the ingredients in the recipe? The reason I'm asking is because the BB or AHB kits will give you what your FG should be, but you can alter this in the recipe somehow? Is it more sugar to convert to ethanol, etc.?

Sorry for the newb questions...

 

[Revvy]

This is what I use, and it works with both buckets and carboys

And

Here's what I do....

1) With a spray bottle filled with starsan I spray the lid of my bucket, or the mouth of the carboy, including the bung. Then I spray my turkey baster inside and out with sanitize (or dunking it in a container of sanitizer).

2) Open fermenter.

3) Draw Sample

4) fill sample jar (usualy 2-3 turky baster draws

5)Spray bung or lid with sanitizer again

6) Close lid or bung

6) take reading

It is less than 30 seconds from the time the lid is removed until it is closed again.

Probably less if you have help. And unless a bird flies in your place and lets go with some poop, you should be okay.

But like other's have said, you don't need to take constant readings. I take two readings, one on jest pitch day, and 1 a month later on bottling day to determing FG and the abv.

If you have faith in your yeast, the you really don't a ton of readings, unless you think there's something wrong. But if you trusty your yeast, and realize that rarely does the yeast let you down, then you just need to take the minimum of readings needed to tell you what you need to know.

 

[david_42]

Sometimes I'll leave the sample sitting next to the fermenter. Since I pitch, then draw, the sample ferments at about the same rate as the batch. Once the sample is stable, I'll draw a second one for comparison.

 

[pwndabear]

Sometimes I'll leave the sample sitting next to the fermenter. Since I pitch, then draw, the sample ferments at about the same rate as the batch. Once the sample is stable, I'll draw a second one for comparison.

This man has patience as any sample i draw is immediately imbibed after studying.

 

[PassionBeer]

Ok, so we're taking a SG reading until it produces the same number for 2 days or so. This is then considered our FG, correct? So, will that FG ever change whether I let it sit in the primary for the duration or transfer to secondary?

The reason I'm asking is because the BB instructions tell you to get the FG reading before you transfer it into the secondary. But even if I took the reading before bottling from the secondary, the FG shouldn't have changed; hence, Final Gravity, correct?

Thanks again for all responses!

 

[pwndabear]

that should be it right there