When should I check gravity?

[sefrayser]

I have a batch that I started on jan 3. I checked the og and it was on point. When should I check with my hydrometer to see where gravity is? Also what do you do with the beer you pull out to check? I don't plan to move it to a secondary.

 

[petrolSpice]

I'd check now, and again in a day or two. If the readings are the same, it's done. You can then leave it in the primary for more time to clear up or bottle. If the readings are not the same then let it go for another week or so. You can either toss or drink the sample, don't pour it back in.

 

[NTXBrauer]

I normally wait until 2 weeks has passed before taking a reading, then again at 3 weeks. I always taste the sample to know how the beer is progressing.

 

[sefrayser]

I will check it tomorrow. I just bottled my first batch. Can't wait to start another. Want to do a honey wheat

 

[sefrayser]

It has a layer of krausen on the top still. Is it ok to break thru it?

 

[tallmike]

Personally, I only check gravity before pitching yeast for initial, and before pitching corn sugar for bottle conditioning, for final.

Takes a significant amount of your 5-gal batch if you check more than that. What you learn from repeated samples IMO won't be as valuable as another bottle in the box. I can see from the bubbles in my blow-off tube whether its done fermenting (which it is after only a few days).

Also, I highly doubt the krausen is still there 13 days after pitching your yeast. It probably just looks like it because of the foam debris left on the inside of the fermenter... If it does still have krausen... then I guess it's not even close to done yet.

 

[Yooper]

It has a layer of krausen on the top still. Is it ok to break thru it?

Yes, but don't bother. Wait until the krausen falls, and the beer will start to clear, and then you can check it. Since it has krausen, and it's obviously still actively fermenting, the reading will be meaningless.

 

[sefrayser]

It looks like krausen but could be foam. My first batch had foam on top but went away after a week. This one still has a head on it. I will take pic tomorrow. I will also check bubbler. I think it's bubbling once every 2 minutes if that.

 

[Calder]

I usually check ant time I am going to move the beer; if I move it to secondary, or bottle. I take a sample the day before, and if the gravity is where I expect it to be I go ahead and move/bottle. If it is not there I leave it for a while (but most of the time it is where I want it.

The sample is about 5 ozs. I drink it. It tells me a lot about the beer.

With some yeasts, kraeusen can take a long time to drop, but for most it drops out as fermentation slows down.

 

[sefrayser]

It's a wit ale. Should I leave it Sloan until the krausen falls?