Taking a gravity reading

[Spiderwebster]

My first brew of Wherry is nearly a week and half in the Primary F.V. When it comes to taking a few readings towards the end to see if the magic has happened , what is the best way , crack the lid and siphon a sample out from mid brew depth or will surface sample be ok . Up to now apart from my first readings I have not cracked the lid or disturbed the brew , just sat next to it and told it night time stories ...lol....p.s any advice on dry hopping or other tricks to craft it up would be appreciated .......Or would it be best for me to keep it to the kit method ,so I can get the not touched taste to set my tasting foundation . Thanks in advance Gang .....sorry because no doubt this question as been asked a milliontimes.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I would leave it for a few more days, until it has been fermenting for two weeks. Fermentation should have finished by then, so take you sample using a sanitised turkey baster (or a wine thief if you're mad on equipment, like me) just before you rack the brew off the sediment.
I would also hold back on dry hopping - try the beer "as is" and try tweaking on your next batch.
Bedtime stories: Goldilocks and the Three Beers?

 

[Spiderwebster]

Cheers for the advice , it will be two weeks this Saturday will get the readings then , I am going to bottle some . What do you reckon gang because it is an English ale one carb drop or two to prime my 500 ml Glass bottles .

 

[Clint]

+1 with the sanitised turkey baster...couple of quid from Wilko.

 

[Spiderwebster]

Whats that Clint ....squeeze the baster to get the vacum to suck up the drop out the packet ,then squeeze it when above the bottle to deposit plus one carb drop into bottle ......or was it a great idea to use baster to take sample for gravity reading .......LOL You know what us new one,s are like . Don,t want to look a Bafoon in front of the wife .

 

[Spiderwebster]

Just ordered one of E BAY for £3 for sample taking .

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Used a lot in whiskey making for taking samples. Lol I have one from 1880 and 3 foot long..., very rare.... I forget the proper name for one .

 

[Dutto]

+1 with the sanitised turkey baster...couple of quid from Wilko.

Just ordered one of E BAY for £3 for sample taking .

You were both "done"!

If you had waited until just after Christmas Tesco usually sell them for a quid each!

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

It's in the loft... lov brewing History.

 

[Dutto]

Used a lot in whiskey making for taking samples. Lol I have one from 1880 and 3 foot long..., very rare.... I forget the proper name for one .

A "Pipette" if you worked in a lab or a "Wine Thief" if you didn't ...

... and a "Burette" if it has a tap on the end.

 

[Dutto]

Trip down Memory Lane! Sorry!

I worked on a Refinery where one of the Lab Technicians had explained to me how he would NEVER work out on the Refinery because "It's too dangerous for me!"

A few weeks later, I saw the same Lab Tech with his head in an Extraction Cabinet sucking Tetramethyl Lead BY MOUTH into a pipette!

Happy Days - and I hope he's still alive 'cos that was dangerous with a capital "D"!

 

[Cwrw666]

I just drop the hydrometer into the FV. Sanitised first of course - washed down with boiling water.
I can't see any infection issues doing this as you have the same potential risk using a turkey baster.

 

[Dutto]

I just drop the hydrometer into the FV. Sanitised first of course - washed down with boiling water.
I can't see any infection issues doing this as you have the same potential risk using a turkey baster.

Agreed ...

...but some of us don't like humping 23 litres of wort out of a fridge just to drop a hydrometer into it to check the SG!

 

[Bigcol49]

I just drop the hydrometer into the FV. Sanitised first of course - washed down with boiling water.
I can't see any infection issues doing this as you have the same potential risk using a turkey baster.

Hi!
But that way you don't get to drink the sample from the trial jar!

 

[dad_of_jon]

I use a 100ml syringe so I remove 80ml which is enough to fit in the sample jar I use :-) the syringe goes in the dishwasher afterwards and a dunk in starsan before the next use. I only take a sample pre-bottling. if my fg is a little higher than expected then I just prime with less sugar at bottling time.

Note thought that wherry can stick at 1.020, I heard on here they're going to /have put more yeast in the kit to try and fix this.

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

just looked it up its a Valinch or Whiskey Thief......and my ones very old

 

[Dads_Ale]

I use a Tilt so no need to take any samples LoL
Although I always like to double check at the end.

 

[Cwrw666]

But that way you don't get to drink the sample from the trial jar!

No but you can still lick it while it's still dripping!

 

[Bigcol49]

No but you can still lick it while it's still dripping!

Ooooh! Matron!