Obtaining hydrometer reading during fermentation

[BeerNut24]

What is the best way to obtain a hydrometer reading during initial fermentation? Is it a problem just removing the cover of the bucket to dip a thief into the liquid or is it better to put a small tube down the airlock hole and syphon into a thief? I don't like the idea of taking the cover off my primary and exposing the beer to the air. Thanks in advance.

Don

 

[HVBrewtality]

First, there is no reason to check until at least a week has passed.

Second, no problem pulling the top off to use a thief. Just make sure everything is sanitary, and don't sneeze, drool, vomit, or shed into the wort. You'll be fine.

 

[Rentachik]

First, there is no reason to check until at least a week has passed.

Second, no problem pulling the top off to use a thief. Just make sure everything is sanitary, and don't sneeze, drool, vomit, or shed into the wort. You'll be fine.

+1

I have a rye beer that I though finished up fermenting after about 4 days or so. (Bubbles stopped for a day or so) Hyrdometer said it was at 1.015. I let it sit for a few more days the bubbles came back. Ended up at 1.008. I'll take it. Measuring the gravity along that way should not hurt anything. The biggest risk is infections. Other than that, Its all good.

 

[superjunior]

as already said, there is no reason to take a gravity reading during initial fermentation

 

[C-Rider]

First, there is no reason to check until at least a week has passed.

Second, no problem pulling the top off to use a thief. Just make sure everything is sanitary, and don't sneeze, drool, vomit, or shed into the wort. You'll be fine.

Roger that!

Go Dodgers.....Brooklyn Dodgers I mean.

Haven't been to a pro game since they left when I was a little boy.

 

[Revvy]

The question gang is not whether or not to take one, it is how to do it...he's not asking should you, and dissuading him from something he's scared of doing already isn't going to help in the long run....

BeerNut24, don't overcomplicate things by trying to avoid what thousand upon thousands of homewbrewers do all the time with no ill effects. In homebrewing there is so much that we advise folks not to do, yet the one thing that EVERY book, podcast, magazine and website talks about is gravity readings....

How do you think we get them?

Do you think the advice to take them is a vast conspiracy by us old timers to ruin millions of new brewer's batches, so that they flee the hobby and give it a bad rap? Or so they make crappy beer and we kick your asses in contests?

With simple sanitization practices openning the fermenter to take a reading is perfectly safe.

This is what I use, and it works with both buckets and carboys. And probably FV's whatever the heck those are....

I replaced the plastic one a year ago with an extra long stainless baster from a kitchen ware store and it is awesome. But the plastic one from any grocery store works fine.

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) add hydrometer and take reading

It is less than 30 seconds from the time the lid is removed until it is closed again. More like 15 if you ask me.

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

ANd then you drink the sample....don't pour it back in....

 

[BeerNut24]

Thanks all. Just want to keep everything sanitary.