Tasting and gravity readings. Newbie question

[Turfgrass]

When and how often does one taste and take gravity readings with all the worries of exposure to oxygen? Also happen to be using a carboy which makes it more difficult. Thinking I should use a bottling bucket as my primary fermenter, so that the spigot can be used as a sampling port. Thanks in advance.

 

[Kent88]

It depends. If I brew an ale that is 1.055 or lower OG, I pitch a yeast I am familiar with, and the temps are where I want them to be, I'll just keep an eye on the airlock and I assume (perhaps dangerously) that a few days after airlock activity ceases that the ale is done.

If I'm making a lager, or something with a higher OG, or both, then I'll do things like give the beer a little extra time (perhaps 3 weeks or a month) and take a gravity reading at that point. If after that it is at or below what I expect, I rack or bottle. I don't take a reading every day for a few days to see if the beer is stable, I just assume (perhaps dangerously) it will be or that it will be close enough that it wont matter.

Get a wine thief. They'll fit in anything larger than a 1-gallon jug.

 

[myndflyte]

How many times are you opening up and testing? Doing it once or twice, you're probably ok. Plus you said you're using a carboy so there is a lot less area for air exchange compared to something like a bucket.

 

[PADave]

I take a FG reading once, when I package. Between pitching the yeast and packaging the fermenter stays closed.

 

[flars]

I'll take the first SG reading about day 10 to 14. I'll take another SG reading 3 to 5 days later. The second is usually the same as the first and confirms the fermentation is complete for most American ale yeasts. I won't bottle until the beer has time to clear so I'm not in a hurry to verify FG.

 

[kh54s10]

I take my OG reading before it goes into my Better Bottle carboys. After 14 days I am sure it is done. Only once did I have a stalled ferment. I have a wine thief, I take a reading before deciding to bottle/keg. The once it was still at 1.025 and sweet so I swirled it, took it out of the chamber and left it for another week.

I have this wine thief:

Three piece plastic wine thief from Northern Brewer.

 

[VABeerSnob]

Don't sweat the exposure to oxygen. It is overrated. Do worry about sanitation. If you must sample, use a sanitized "thief," available from your homebrew vendor. Your hydrometer will fit in it. When you are done taking the reading, taste the sample.

And RDWHAHB.

 

[Sparkncode]

The only time I take multiple readings is when I have a batch with high og or different yeast as others have said.
I use bucket fermentors with a tap so i can check relatively easially but I always spray starsan up into the tap both before snd after taking the sample to prevent infections.

Since i do my homebrew on weekends its usually 2 weeks in the fermentor before i keg a normal beer. if the fg is at a sane level after 2 weeks its good to go but i do have a fermentation chamber which removes temperature variability.

For the more complex high abv or different yeast beers i will sometimes use a refractometer so i only need small samples to track progress but its not accurate or correct without conversion due to alcohol but a good way to not waste too much beer to hydrometer samples then just before bottling i take a hydrometer sample for the fg.

It is a rule you must drink all samples...
The pre fermentation ones arnt always so good but you start to develop s feel for things.

 

[Turfgrass]

What would you consider a high OG? Some of my recipes are around 1.060-64 OG. I have a thermowell, heat wrap and inkbird controller for my carboy. Wondering if I should drill a hole in the lid of one of my bottling buckets to act as the carboy during primary. I like how the spigot would drain and leave trub behind.

 

[El Nino]

I used a 24" wine thief, works great and can reach far enough into the carboy to get enough of a sample for a reading and taste.

Though recently I've switched to a refractometer (to me, easier to calibrate and gives me reliable readings, and only needs a few drops). Upside, I save more beer by not taking hydro samples. Downside, I don't get to taste hydro samples which I kinda liked to do.