Why are hydrometer so small?

[Cwrw666]

Hangs head in shame, several of my brews haven't even seen a hydrometer.

You don't need a hydrometer to brew beer as a thousand years of brewing history will confirm.
All I use mine for is to give me a rough idea of %ABV but TBH I'll drink the same amount whether it's 4% or 7%.

 

[terrym]

I found taking samples without a bottom FV tap a real pita so don't bother. My hydrometer just gets dunked in the wort at the beginning or in the finished product at the end. But if I'm a point out in reading it so what? And the only reading that is really necessary in my view is the FG to confirm what I probably know anyway, i.e. its ready to bottle.
As a homebrewer I really can't see the point of using anything other than a simple to use hydrometer, and certainly wouldn't be plotting the SG of every brew as it progresses even if I had the capability to do so. It doesn't make the beer taste any different once it's got going. Isn't that the reason we brew beer?

 

[DJDave]

Some history ancient and modern.

Alton in Hampshire, or more specifically Baverstock's Brewery on Turk street may be regarded as the home of scientific brewing being the place first recorded as using a thermometer and saccharometer to monitor fermentation. (Thermometer is recorded as being used earlier by Michael Combrune) This was carried out by James Baverstock who kept the procedure secret from his father who would not hold with such new fangled ideas. I think that was in the 1770s This was published in the 1780s by James Baverstock & John Richardson

Baverstocks was bought by Crowleys in 1821 which was bought by Burrells in 1877 and by Watneys in 1947 Brewing continued until 1970. The brewery was knocked down and a distribution depot established and rebranded Phoenix Brewery a southern home counties operating arm. That site was bought by sainsburys in 1992 Many shoppers will not know that under their feet still exist the old Brewery Cellars. Some filled with the debris of the old Brewery.

http://www.breweryhistory.com/journal/archive/121/bh-121-066.htm

 

[Cwrw666]

Used to live in Alton - remember the old Phoenix brewery depot. Left there in 1987.

 

[DJDave]

I left in 2011 Alton had expanded somewhat in the 20 something years we were there. Wasn't the nice rural market town anymore.

 

[Nidger]

Edit to my last post,
I haven't got a hydrometer, its a glass thermometer in a tube lol.
Just looked in the local range and Charlie's but they have none.
Asked a girl at Charlie's when they were getting more home brew stock.
She wasn't sure but said the recent stock was mostly bought by one bloke with a shopping trolley ffs, bloody home brewers lol.

I will probably get one but never bothered much in the past and agree with other comments, i used to just ferment it out then enjoy drinking it without the hassle of checking.

Cheers

 

[MmmBeer]

I ordered a set of 3 hydrometers online, of 1.000 - 1.040, 1.040 - 1.070 and 1.070 - 1.100 ranges. They arrived this week, after about two months (from China obviously) in a wooden box, with a thermometer.
View attachment 32738
I haven't been able to test them yet for accuracy, but even if I do need to apply a 'fudge factor' to the readings, it may be easier than trying to read my Wilko one. For seven quid, I thought it was worth a punt.

I tried these out this afternoon as I was brewing. Selected the middle one, 1.040 - 1.070 and it floated with the scale above the liquid surface. My old Wilko one read 1.060, then I noticed that the scales were the wrong way round.

What I had bought were hydrometers for measuring the alcohol percentage of liquids (like spirits) from 0 - 100%, not the density of wort. Pretty useless for brewing really!