Do you always take a hydro reading?

[ChrisG]

May be its just me being lazy, but I generally not bothered about taking a hydrometer reading.

As long as it finishes below 1008 I'm happy to transfer to keg or bottle. So far this has worked well for me.

Not really that bothered with finding out the exact alcohol % (I'll drink anything )

What are your views?

[anomalous_result]

The first kit I brewed I didn't use one at all and it was fine. After that, because people kept asking me how strong it was, I used one. Also it is useful for keeping an eye on whether it's fermenting slowly or not at all.

I think a hydro can be much more useful for AGers so that they know when to stop sparging, whether they hit their mash efficiency etc.

[Buzz]

not bothered about taking a hydrometer reading....As long as it finishes below 1008 I'm happy

Sorry, confused - how would you know if it hit 1008 if you didn't take a reading

FWIW, I never used to in my early days doing kits. I just let it ferment out, giving it plenty of time before bottling. Never knew the strength but it never bothered me, so long as it tasted good. And, never had any exploding bottles either so it must have been finished.

I've gone AG now though and always use a hydrometer. Even keep a couple of spares just in case one breaks during a brewday.

[ChrisG]

Sorry should have said when its almost finished i take a reading.

[prolix]

hydrometer readings only really tell you if something has gone wrong, you can live without them just leave 10 days then barrel/bottle.

Less stress that way

[StrangeBrew]

It's always wise to take an initial reading when brewing kits as I've found in the past, other than being able to work out the ABV of the finished brew, it's also a good indication whether LME has been mixed in well. If you don't take a starting gravity you risk not having the wort at it's full potential.

Hope that makes sense...