Hydrometer

Newbie hydrometer question...I just brewed my first batch yesterday! Beyond excited! I was deep into the brewing process when I remembered that I was at the point of getting a hydrometer reading. I have never used one before but I have one. But I don't have anything to use as a sample "vile", to drop the hydrometer into. Any suggestions on something I could use? Household item or something I could buy in town?

Oh and I might as well ask too...now that the primary fermenter is sealed and workin, can I freely open it to take a hydrometer reading? Or is this something that is recommended to only be done at certain times?

Thanks so much for the help!,

On my first home brew day i dropped my hydrometer as i was walking down the hallway.Never did take an OG reading and just made sure i hit my FG from the kit.I would just leave it alone for ten days and then take a reading.Let the yeast do their job and just sit back and relax.

What's the recipe? If it's extract you can calculate the gravity. If the tube your hydrometer came with won't hold liquid you can get one at any home brew supplier, local or on line. Don't obsess! If it's fermenting leave it alone. When it stops, leave it alone for another week. Then, using a sanitized turkey baster or a "wine thief", carefully take a sample to check final gravity. And the best investment I ever made for any of my beers, my home brew books and the time to read them. NOTHING will make a bigger difference in your beer than knowledge....

Demus said:

What's the recipe? If it's extract you can calculate the gravity. If the tube your hydrometer came with won't hold liquid you can get one at any home brew supplier, local or on line. Don't obsess! If it's fermenting leave it alone. When it stops, leave it alone for another week. Then, using a sanitized turkey baster or a "wine thief", carefully take a sample to check final gravity. And the best investment I ever made for any of my beers, my home brew books and the time to read them. NOTHING will make a bigger difference in your beer than knowledge....

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The recipe is an Irish red ale, extract, from Midwest. The tube the hydrometer came in only goes about halfway up the length of the hydrometer so I didn't think that would work for it?

rydia131 said:

The recipe is an Irish red ale, extract, from Midwest. The tube the hydrometer came in only goes about halfway up the length of the hydrometer so I didn't think that would work for it?

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As long as you brewed it to the volume on the kit, I'd just assume you hit the original gravity this time. Extract is pretty consistent, so unless you went under or over on the gallon-age you'll be very close. The final gravity will be a bit more important to make sure the ferment is finished and went ok. Whatever you use has to be deep enough for the entire length of the hydrometer. Thinner is better since you'll waste less beer. DON'T put the sample back in the batch! I like to drink them to get a feel of the aging process ;-)

Demus said:

As long as you brewed it to the volume on the kit, I'd just assume you hit the original gravity this time. Extract is pretty consistent, so unless you went under or over on the gallon-age you'll be very close. The final gravity will be a bit more important to make sure the ferment is finished and went ok. Whatever you use has to be deep enough for the entire length of the hydrometer. Thinner is better since you'll waste less beer. DON'T put the sample back in the batch! I like to drink them to get a feel of the aging process ;-)

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Yeh i stayed on the volume for the recipe. So i wont need to test the volume until the end of fermentation right? So if this is true i could order a sample tube online and get it by the time i need it?

This was my first kit as well and I had the same exact issue. After reading how most people's hydrometers plastic case could be used to hold the beer I didn't even bother testing it ahead of time. Don't worry about it, it's not needed. I recommend buying a Wine Thief so it makes taking a sample out easy and you can also do a hydrometer reading inside it. Take a sample in about 3 weeks and take a reading then and bottle them up if they're ready.

If you ferment in a bucket, just drop your sanitized hydrometer in, take a reading and remove it. If you use a carboy, you're better off with a turkey baster/wine thief and graduated cylinder or hydrometer tube.

I have always just taken my hydrometer measurements right in the bucket, either just before or just after pitching. Works just fine although sometimes I have to wait awhile (just a couple minutes) for the foam to settle out enough to get an accurate reading.

One thing I found that works in a pinch for measure FG, is if you have a 22oz bottle, but only a taller one like New Belgium uses, not a stubby on like Sierra Nevade, the hydrometer will juuuuust barely fit through the mouth (mine does anyways, check yours carefully). I found out after I accidentally bottled everything and realized I didn't take an FG from my bottling bucket, so instead I took it from one of the bottles, worked like a charm. Really came in handy when I did a 2.5g batch and my hydrometer bottomed-out in the bottling bucket. It isn't the best thing, but it does work, and best part, zero wasted beer!

One thing to note when taking OG readings in the future that a lot of people (myself included) tend to overlook, is that the temperature of your beer can impact the hydrometer reading pretty drastically. I think most are calibrated for 70* but I could be wrong on that. There is also a way to adjust your OG reading based on the temp difference from calibration.

Your OG should be around 1.045-1.050. Mine was 1.050.

The readings aren't "important" per se; you can brew great beer without knowing them. They are for your information to tell %age of attenuation and alcohol, and to track your performance for potential issues. As long as you wait at least a week after all activity has ceased there's really no problem with not having the info on this batch. The only problem is learning for future brews. Did I get what the recipe predicted? Did my yeast attenuate within the normal range? Great info, but not necessary info...

Thanks for the replies and all the good info. I appreciate the help!