Taking gravity readings - your views

[Haynesy]

Hi all,
I set off my first ever brew on Saturday, and it seems like it's got going nicely. However, I'm getting so so so tempted to take a sample out to test for a gravity reading... and also a little sip!! :drink:

What I'm thinking about is how to do this. What is the best way to take samples for readings from your FV? Is it safe to take the lid off for a minute or so in order to take a sample in a sanitised tube to hold the hydrometer? This won't harm the batch if it's still fermenting?

Also, how do you guys get a nice clean sample to take a measurement and a cheeky little taste? I don't want to dip the holding vessel in and gather up a load of yeasty gunk from the top!

Finally, how often do you take samples and from what day onwards? This is now day 4 of my brew so I was thinking it's time to see how it is going!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers :

 

[Wez]

It's good to take readings to know where you brew is at.

Yes it's safe to unsnap the lid for a minute, the layer of co2 will protect the fermenting beer from nasties for a while. I'd avoid dipping a tube in, as you say you'll gather up lots of crud and also although you will sanitise the tube the more you fiddle the more chance you have of introducing an infection. It's a bummer when a whole batch has to go down the sink.

What I do is, fit a tap to your FV for next time and then run some wort out into a tube for testing or - if you can do without your hydrometer...once the main yeast head has died back drop your sanitised hydrometer in the fermenting beer and leave it in there - it wont hurt and you can just snap the lid off and take a look every day or two

:thumb:

 

[tubby_shaw]

One of THESE is useful for taking small samples, especially from smaller fermenting vessels and demijohns :thumb:
Easy to sanitise too

 

[commsbiff]

Awesome idea TS - so simple. :clap:

 

[Haynesy]

Thanks Wez. I hadn't thought about dropping the hydrometer in the FV so I could easily pop the lid and keep checking. That's a good tip... and one I have just followed... my brew has dropped to 1.016 in 4 days... it looked like it was still bubbling a bit, so maybe it will drop a bit more in the next few days.
Now the hydrometer is bobbing in there permanently, all I need to do is pop the lid and take a quick peek.
Cheers Wez!
:party:

 

[Haynesy]

Hehe... yeh TS... now that is a sweet idea. Think I will use a baster for my next brew checks... for now though, I have left my hydrometer bobbing in the brew.

 

[Wez]

yep i bet that will drop another 2 to 4 points

 

[ano]

Basters are sometimes sold in homebrew shops as wine thieves. Longer versions are used for sampling wine from casks I guess.

I have left my hydrometer bobbing in the brew.

Exactly what I do. Skim the yeast head of grey brown bits, wait for it to die down then plop the sanitised hydrometer in.

Don't be too worried about cracking the lid. Many commercial breweries have completely open fermentation, Ringwood for example and Sierra Nevada uses open squares for its Bigfoot at least. In my not scientific or knowledgable opinion, by the time the protective yeast head and CO2 blanket have both died down the beer's alcoholic and not very sugary, which isn't as good a medium to culture infection as the starting unfermented wort is.

 

[theboytony]

You could always use the plastic tube off your syphon as a pipette