My first brew --- using the hydrometer

[nerdlogic]

I bought a hydrometer and a 14" tube thing-- when should I take my first measurement? I put my beer into the primary fermenter yesterday (its a lager).

When I take the sample so i add water? i've heard this other places

Do I add the sample back into the fermenter?

 

[RickWG]

Should have taken your first Hydrometer reading after the water was mixed with your wort in the primary before you pitched your yeast. That would be your original gravity. (OG)
Should take another reading after the fermentation stops (I did mine when I transferred to the secondary after 12 days) or when you transfer to the secondary after a week or so in the primary. Kind of a Mid gravity.
Should take another reading or two or three to determine if fermentation stopped and you are ready for bottling. 2 or so weeks in the secondary. Final Gravity (FG) for alcohol calculations.

Really, when you put it in the secondary you can see how much better the beer clarifies. I was surprised to actually see it occurring in layers.

 

[nerdlogic]

So... its too late to take an (OG) ---

what do i do?

 

[RickWG]

go out a buy some beer and drink it, wash and save the bottles, repeat for a week.
Then rack to a secondary, buy some beer and drink it, wash and save the bottles, repeat for 2 weeks. During this time start another batch in the primary using the knowledge that you gained in the first batch.
Bottle the first batch and let it condition in the bottles. Buy some beer and drink it, wash and save the bottles, repeat for 3 weeks.

I'm not an expert, but a noobish like you but I've read enough on here and in books to know not to worry. Have fun with it. Enjoy drinking enough beer to collect bottles, ask your friends for some.

O yeah, Don't put the hydrometer wort back into the fermenter. Drink it.

O yeah, (2), I haven't done a lager yet so someone might correct me if I'm wrong but I bet the procedure is pretty much the same.

 

[treehouse]

To actually take the sample you should be careful to not contaminate your beer. An easy beginner way is to get a turkey baster, sanitize it and get your sample out through the fermentation lock hole. Take enough to fill your 14" plastic tube to the top, plunge your hydrometer in and take your reading. Definitely DO NOT add the sample back to your fermenter because it is now contaminated. I drink it which helps give an idea what the stuff tastes like. It might not taste so good during the initial stages keep in mind.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

O yeah, Don't put the hydrometer wort back into the fermenter. Drink it.

Like this:

http://www.anotherprofile.com/likethis.jpg

This caramel cream ale tastes AWESOME!!!

 

[nerdlogic]

you guys rock, thank you---

its currently fermenting at 53 degrees, very slowly.

i'm gonna raise it to like 55, maybe 56 --

but my lager yeast said stay between 53 and 58

 

[brewt00l]

So... its too late to take an (OG) ---

what do i do?

fwiw if I don't have an OG reading and I need that info, I will usually run with the estimated OG from something like Promash or one of the online recipe spreadsheets.

 

[Fiery Sword]

you guys rock, thank you---

its currently fermenting at 53 degrees, very slowly.

i'm gonna raise it to like 55, maybe 56 --

but my lager yeast said stay between 53 and 58

just to chime in on this post, i would highly reccomend letting your lager primary for 7-10 days (until "most" fermentation is done) then doing a diacetyl rest by moving the carboy to a room temperature space for 1-2 days. After this rest, move the carboy to as close to 36F as you can get and lager it out for 3-4 weeks.

Before I understood and knew about the diacetyl rest my lagers would take months and months to rid themselves of some no-good off-tastes. Taking this simple step of letting the beer warm up for a few days after most fermentation is complete will give the yeast some time to eat up all those off flavors. I garuntee your lager will come out much better using this technique compared to not. The results, to me, were drastic!

 

[nerdlogic]

How do i know when my initial fermentation is done? it takes like 10 minutes for the airlock to let like one burst of bubble through.

 

[Fiery Sword]

If it's one bubble per 10 minutes, then your fermentation is "done enough". If I'm looking to judge when to go for a diacetly rest, once the bubbles take a few minutes that's good enough for me. With lagers, I am hesitant to keep poking a thief in there to get a samply. I like to leave them be and go by visual clues......

 

[nerdlogic]

its only been fermenting since sunday but it only got up to 53 degrees (the minimum temp) yesterday --- its been at about 50, then 51, 52, slowly climbing since sunday.

 

[Fiery Sword]

Without knowing a ton of detail, I'd probably do the rest next Monday-Wednesday - you don't need to be 100% NASA accurate with the timing, but you want to make sure most of the visible fermentation is complete. 7-10 days usually takes care of that.