When to take a 1st stage hydrometer reading

[g0dolphins]

Brewmasters:

I've pitched my first batch of home brew (Coopers Real Ale) in a 6 ½ gallon plastic bucket on 12/2 and have been monitoring the daily progress of temp and frequency of the airlock bubbles. Everything seems normal at this point and is only a matter of hurry up and wait. However, there seems to be some difference of opinion on taking gravity readings. What is the best approach? To me it seems simple enough to just wait until there is less activity in the airlock. Doing so also prevents unwanted exposure by removing the lid to the fermentor and possibly introducing foreign elements.

Thoughts?

Steve

 

[rod]

personally i would leave for a week in primary - i only check gravity in the secondary before bottling to ensure i am in the right range

 

[dibby33]

Brewmasters:

I've pitched my first batch of home brew (Coopers Real Ale) in a 6 ½ gallon plastic bucket on 12/2 and have been monitoring the daily progress of temp and frequency of the airlock bubbles. Everything seems normal at this point and is only a matter of hurry up and wait. However, there seems to be some difference of opinion on taking gravity readings. What is the best approach? To me it seems simple enough to just wait until there is less activity in the airlock. Doing so also prevents unwanted exposure by removing the lid to the fermentor and possibly introducing foreign elements.

Thoughts?

Steve

I ain't no brewmaster, but...

Correct, the least number of times that the lid is removed and letting in the nasties is the best. Also it saves cleaning the hydrometer and the beaker.
Patience is the name of the game but it can be a bit of a stuggle not to "just check and see what is happening".
I normally take a reading after three / four days in the primary. Then, depending on the amount of difference between that reading and the expected finishing OG I may test the next day or wait a further couple of days.
I have just finished a brew (ye olde ripper, basically a barley wine) these are my readings :

Date OG
12/11/06 0.092
18/11/06 0.052
22/11/06 0.038
29/11/06 0.034
01/12/06 0.034

Because the OG was so far off I waited 4 days prior to rechecking after the 12th and 18th, then reduced the amount of time as the OG got closer. By the 2nd it was bubbling about 1 per min.
Just a matter of experience, which I need to gain.

I probably check too much - wonder what the normal is?

 

[dibby33]

personally i would leave for a week in primary - i only check gravity in the secondary before bottling to ensure i am in the right range

...yeup - I do check toooooo much !

 

[david_42]

I take a gravity when I pitch and then start checking after a week AND the ferment is down to 1 bpm. I ferment in buckets and they all have spigots, so sampling is no big deal.

Not being in a hurry tends to make for better beer.

 

[RichBrewer]

I check the gravity when I rack it to secondary. My decision to rack is based on the fermentation slowing down quite a bit. I've never had the gravity lower much after racking to the secondary.

 

[Geordiepete]

I can never count like one bubble a minute or 2 bubbles per minute. My airlock does nothing for most of a minute then just lets out a massive fart chorus of bubbles, impossible to count how many

It's slowed down quite a bit now it's been in the primary 5 days though

Now it's just rapid bursts of 2-4 bubbles every couple of minutes or so.

Also if I go anywhere near the lid it seems to let off a burst then as if it's warning me to stay away:rockin:

Mental!

 

[Orfy]

I only use the Gravity to confirm what I think.

When the Krausen falls, the Bubbler slow right down and It's been in the primary for the amount of time I want, then I'll take a reading to check nothings gone wrong.

If things go to plan then you don't actually need to take a reading. It just confirms and takes away the guess work.

One other reason I take a reading is so I can taste the stuff.

 

[trubador]

I pretty much just leave it alone for a week in the primary. As long as it is "hardly" bubbling at all after that week, I rack to secondary and try to leave as much sediment as possible in the primary. I do not even bother with checking gravity at this point. I leave in secondary for at least two weeks and judge when to bottle based on bubbles or lack of bubbles on top of the beer in the carboy. If I'm unsure, then I check the gravity.

Life gets in the way a lot for me (two kids <3 year old and 9 month old>, so sometimes beer ends up in primary longer than a week and sometimes ends up in secondary longer than two weeks. No worries mate!

I have found that the beer only gets better with age and if I can't get bottling one night or I have to leave in the secondary longer, I don't sweat it. Patience truly is rewarded in this hobby.

 

[cweston]

I rarely take gravity readings after brew-day. (In fact, if were brewing extract only, I'd probably not take any at all.)

After you've done a few batches, there are plenty of signs that will tell you when its time to rack, when fermentation activity has stopped.

The only time I ever take a gravity reading after brew day is if something doesn't seem right, or if I'm jujst curious what the final gravity reading is before bottle.

 

[g0dolphins]

thanks one and all. This AM the activity in the airlock has slowed somewhat (I rated 6 bubbles over a 2 minute span), so I think things are progressing very nicely. Like the 2 cent proverb: Patience is its own reward

I'm anxious to take some more photos.

Another question: I've been scribbling notes on a loose leaf, but wonder if anyone took the time to create a template in Word for all the particulars for each brew (OG, FG, recipe, times and temps, etc, etc.) Would that be found in a database somewhere on this site?

many thanks
Steve