Taking Hydrometer sample during primary

[beutinbrew]

Hey everyone,

Gonna ask my official noob question.

I have a brewing bucket with spigot. I am 4 days into fermenting with still great bubbling in the 3-piece airlock. I wanted to know if I move my bucket back up to my kitchen counter in order to draw off a sample from my spigot into my hydrometer jar, will this affect my fermentation?

If so, how long do I need to wait before moving the bucket and/or using the spigot?

Or is it completely safe to move the bucket during fermentation and to use the spigot?

Thanks!

 

[Brakeman_Brewing]

I would open it up and draw the sample from the top rather than the spigot. Youll probably get alot of nasty trub in your sample if you use the spigot.

EDIT: And dont return the sample to the fermenter!

 

[bradsul]

4 days is too early to worry about sampling anyway. Give it at least a week before you do. You can certainly use the spigot to take your samples however.

 

[Brakeman_Brewing]

I retract my previous spigot statement.

 

[beutinbrew]

Thanks, everyone!

I will exercise my patience by pretending I don't have delicious beer (I hope) brewing away in my closet. Perhaps it will mean running the risk of drinking PBR in large quantities to distract me, but that's just the one in 10,000 chance I'll have to take.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Reason being that it’s difficult to completely clean with all the cracks and crevasses of the spigot.

Am I the only person who thinks the difficulty of sanitizing a spigot is greatly exaggerated? It's a VERY simple valve, and most are practically see-through. I just flush them out, soak in oxiclean and carefully inspect them carefully before sanitizing with starsan...nary a problem.

Nobody stresses about the two ball valves on a stainless conical, and they are opaque, more complex, and IMO far more likely to harbor something unpleasant.

 

[beutinbrew]

I haven't tried cleaning mine yet after brewing, but the spigot on the bucket is detachable and having cleaned it and sanitized it the first time, it was darn simple the first time around ... whether that will translate to damn simple cleaning after trub and gunk goes through it, I'll find out.

 

[MikeInCtown]

I know how you feel wanting to sample the beer. Resist temptation though and wait until it stops bubbling as has been said. I've listened to these guys who say wait and figure they know a lot more than I, so I wait. Besides, when opening and closing, you risk contamination.

 

[shaggynuts24]

i ssample mine during various stages ... just so i know what they *might* taste like


fill hydrometer --- check gravity --- take a sip --- pour the rest down the drain

 

[Orfy]

i ssample mine during various stages ... just so i know what they *might* taste like


fill hydrometer --- check gravity --- take a sip --- pour the rest down the drain

That's a good way to learn how beer ages.

It is also wise to continue this when bottled. At least once a week if viable.

 

[DeathBrewer]

why pour any down the drain??? i drink it all

 

[BierMuncher]

Thanks, everyone!

I will exercise my patience by pretending I don't have delicious beer (I hope) brewing away in my closet. Perhaps it will mean running the risk of drinking PBR in large quantities to distract me, but that's just the one in 10,000 chance I'll have to take.

Hey…my first beer I must have taken 15 hydrometer readings in 2 days.

If the curiosity is getting to you…go for it. It’s how you learn your beers process.

I’d strongly recommend you use a stainless steel cup or something to scoop off the top instead of drawing from the spigot. Once your spigot gets filled with wort/yeast/trub…it’s impossible to get it cleaned again during fermentation and prevent contamination.

PS – I am now able to resist taking a reading every 3-4 hours.

 

[bradsul]

...I’d strongly recommend you use a stainless steel cup or something to scoop off the top instead of drawing from the spigot...

A wine thief or a large turkey baster works great too, I can just pop the bung and airlock off my bucket (I don't use the grommet style) and take my sample without even removing the lid.

 

[WBC]

It takes about 2 weeks to properly ferment and settle ales. I then age them for another 2 weeks to condition them in kegs and even longer for strong ales. If you drink any sooner they most likely will be really sweet and not well carbonated. If you bottle then it is the same aging time. When your hydrometer stops droping gravity for 2 or 3 days in a row then you can bottle or keg.

 

[shaggynuts24]

why pour any down the drain??? i drink it all

because flat beer sucks

 

[bernerbrau]

because flat beer sucks

Matter of opinion, says this noob

 

[Eskimo Spy]

because flat beer sucks

All beer is good, even that which is drawn for a hydro reading.

Poor crazy person...

 

[JVD_X]

Am I the only person who thinks the difficulty of sanitizing a spigot is greatly exaggerated? It's a VERY simple valve, and most are practically see-through. I just flush them out, soak in oxiclean and carefully inspect them carefully before sanitizing with starsan...nary a problem.

Nobody stresses about the two ball valves on a stainless conical, and they are opaque, more complex, and IMO far more likely to harbor something unpleasant.

I totally concur... I switched over to 3-piece ball valves for this reason.

 

[GreenDog]

Is pulling the lid off the bucket the best way to take a sample for hydrometer readings? Would it work to just take a sample in the beginning and leave it outside the bucket, separate from the rest of the batch, in the same conditions of course. Maybe just uncovered tough. That way you wouldn't have to keep taking the lid off the main fermentation bucket.

 

[demonrichie]

others may disagree but i open my lid and have it sitting on the edge of the bucket leaving about 30% (visual guess)of the top open to take samples and ive never had problems

 

[Olddog]

because flat beer sucks

I totally disagree. I sample all my hydro readings and drink the beer that doesn't make a complete bottle at the end. I love it all!

 

[BadKarma]

Since I have started brewing small batches, 2.5 gal, I can't afford the hydro sample loss. So I've switched to a refractometer, just a couple drops is all I need. Pull the airlock and a small pipette of wort and I'm done. I like the surprise of tasting when it's done aging.