Busted Hydrometer

Northern Brewer General
1

I just wrapped up a brew day…went reasonably well…But when I was bringing the last of all the various items back into the house…juggling a ton of things at once…my hydrometer slipped out of its sheath and fell to the ground with a nice crackle and thud.

Obviously I want to pitch this evening, but I also still need an OG reading.

I don’t want to let the wort sit overnight for fear of some bug getting a foothold before I pitch.

Here’s my question…is there any reason why I can’t thieve a sample…pitch…and measure the sample tomorrow that will, at that time, have been sitting for 20 hours or so?

What do you think???

2

is it extract or all grain? if its an extract batch, if you used all your ingredients, and hit your target volume. you can safely assume your OG without a reading.

you can save a sample. i would cover it with some tin foil and leave it in the fridge

ive broken several hyrdrometers. i seem to be clumsy with those things

3

AG.

If I put the sample in the fridge, do I need to get it back to room temp to get an accurate reading?

4

Yes, bring it back to 68F (colder wort is denser).

5

Buy 2 hydrometers so you have a back up. Once you do, you will never break another one again! :smiley:

6

^^^^^^^
I broke one, so I bought two the next time…first one is still going strong!

7

That reminds me to pickup a spare the next time I’m at NB, mine also slipped out of the case but I’m lucky it didn’t break.

8

In a pinch (broke my hydrometer while brewing) I ran to the local pet supply store and bought one. Aquarium owners use them to test the salinity of their water. Just call ahead and ask if they have them. And like others said, once you buy a backup, the primary won’t fail. :wink:

9

[quote=“mainemike68”]Buy 2 hydrometers so you have a back up.[/quote]Or buy a refractometer for everyday use and keep the hydrometer for the occasional sanity check.