Comments on: Gravity Readings During Fermentation

By: Roan

Roan — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:21:31 +0000

Dave if you have a spigot, you will need a sediment reducer. it helps to keep the yeast in the bucket and out of the bottle.

By: John

John — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:06:09 +0000

Good question Dave. I think the sediment layer would make getting a good sample out of the fermentor really tough.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:05:17 +0000

How do you take a sample through the spigot without taking in a bunch of dead yeast and other sediment sitting at the bottom of your bucket? You surely go through a lot of beer trying to get a good one. I don’t even know it is possible.

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:27:02 +0000

Evan – nope. If you have had luck fermenting in a bucket with a spigot, then you should be able to open up the spigot to get a sample for a hydrometer reading.

Although I haven’t tested it, I am not confident that my bottling bucket is airtight enough for fermentation.

By: evan

evan — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:12:20 +0000

if i’m using a bucket with a spigot, is there a reason not to take a sample through the spigot rather than opening the top?

By: Willy

Willy — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:35:59 +0000

Sorry, I know this post is a bit old.
One thing that’s worked for me in the past is to just keep a hydrometer floating in the wort for the entire fermentation. It can be a little tricky to read with the krausen and the diffraction in the sides of the carboy, but you don’t lose anything or risk contamination, and you can take as many measurements as you want.

By: Primary Fermentation | Brew Dudes

Primary Fermentation | Brew Dudes — Fri, 07 May 2010 02:05:19 +0000

[...] A primary fermentation duration of two weeks is a guideline. It could take shorter. It could take longer. The only way to know that your primary fermenation is done is to take a gravity reading. Click here if you would like tips on how to take gravity readings during primary fermentation. [...]

By: Maibock Gravity Reading | Brew Dudes

Maibock Gravity Reading | Brew Dudes — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:36:28 +0000

[...] took a gravity reading yesterday following my own advice about how to do it. My hydrometer read 1.015 which is a little lower than my target, but in the [...]

By: Roel

Roel — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:18:06 +0000

For a nice (javascript-driven) page to calculate alcohol from OG and Brix, try http://brew.stderr.net/refractometer.html . If you’re brave, look at the page source for their calculations.

I use a refractometer that strongly resembles the one Morebeer sells, and is ubiquitous at Ebay shops. Using it is a breeze, but the contrast of the reading scale is highly dependent on the clearness of the fluid you’re testing- and Bacchus knows beer isn’t necessarily clear.

By: JW

JW — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:11:09 +0000

Honestly, I also don’t do mid-fermentation gravity checks – its just too much of a pain and you’ll lose about 1/3 to 1/4 a bottle beer each time you do it with a hydrometer. Using a refractometer is the way to go, although it is not straight forward once fermentation starts (i.e. the alcohol in solution will throw off the refractometer reading – the more alcohol, the more trouble it gives the measurement).

One resource I remember hearing about is the MoreBeer.com site. They hace posted at least one video on using a refract during fermentation, as well as developing a spreadsheet that will allow you to take SG measurements during the ferment (it mathmatically removes alcohol’s effect on the EG meadure). A link to this resource can be found below.

http://morebeer.com/learn_vids/vids_refract

Good luck!

-JW