Taking Hydrometer Readings

[Western Brewer]

Hi,
When taking a reading during/after fermenting I have always used a test jar to do this. Does anyone else do this tiresome job i.e. sterilising the jar, hydrometer and syphon equipment or do you just do the hydrometer a stick it in the fermenting bin?

[PieOPah]

Personally I have a tap so don't need to sanitize anything.

I assume you don't have this luxury so I would advise buying a turkey baster from Sainsburys (I assume most supermarkets sell them but I have specifically seen them here).

This way, all you need sanitize is the baster. You can draw off your sample and squirt it into your trial jar. You now have a sample to take your reading and taste and little sanitizing is required.

It's what I used prior to having a FV with a tap.

[RabMaxwell]

Hello i just stick it in the fermenter after seeing that quit a few microbrewers do the same. Cheers

[PieOPah]

Hello i just stick it in the fermenter after seeing that quit a few microbrewers do the same. Cheers

I assume you sanitize first???

[noby]

I also tend to stick it in the fermenter, when the krausen has sufficiently fallen back. Usually I pour hot water over the hydro first, but at that stage, when there's alcohol present it's much more difficult for infection to take place.

There's a wonderful photo in one of Michael Jackson's book, of a guy in the Pilsner Urquell brewery, hunched over an open fermenting vessel with a trial glass in one hand and a combined hydrometer holder/candle stick holder in the other examining the candle light through the beer. You can almost see the wax dripping into the beer, and he doesn't seem too bothered.

[PieOPah]

Yet people are extremely anal about not starting a syphon off by sucking.....

What is the real difference?

[RabMaxwell]

PieOPah wrote
I assume you sanitise first???
Yes i always sterilise hydrometer first and absolutely every thing else with iodophor that touches the brew.Cheers

[RabMaxwell]

As cleanliness is getting mentioned i went to micro brewery visit once.The owner propped the ex milk tank lid up with a piece of wood covered in pigeon shit so we could have a look.Won't mention any names but his beers are excellent . Cheers

[Vossy1]

I store my hydro in a 500ml coke bottle filled with iodophor soln.

I take it out, rinse with water, and striaght into the fv with it.

After taking the reading it gets another rinse with water, then straight back into the coke bottle t'ill next time

[mysterio]

I stick the hydrometer straight in after a spray of iodophor. Usually I let the hydrometer sit in the hot wort while it cools, if i'm taking an OG.

I used to suck on my siphon without any problems. I now make a seal around the siphon and my mouth with my hands so my mouth doesn't actually touch the siphon

[Andy]

I use my shiny refractometer and just take a sample of a couple of drops using an iodophor sprayed pipette

[Vossy1]

I use my shiny refractometer and just take a sample of a couple of drops using an iodophor sprayed pipette

I was thinking of the bad old days in the reply b4

I too use shinyness now, as Andy above