After taking the the OG would be a good or bad idea to add the test jar back to the 5 gallons or just discard it?
Did you sanitize everything?
I drink my samples. Even the unfermented one.
Bad idea. There is no reason to do so. It’s not worth a couple oz. to muck up many gallons.
Take your reading and then have a taste if you like, or just dump it. NOT worth to put it back.
I personally do not see the risk of you are smart about it. I soak my hydrometer and thief in my 5 gallon bucket of Star San for a couple minutes before checking. I am much more concerned about a bug lingering somewhere on the lid, in the mason jar of harvested yeast, air lock or in the air than my thief.
I might taste a little, but generally wait for the alcohol :cheers:
I’m usually in the “if you sanitize well, then do X,y, or Z”, but in this case I would say no. Your taking your sample out. Probably spinning the hydrometer to get any bubbles off. Letting it sit for a while to allow any foam at the top to drop, so you can read it. Taking a sip of it afterwords to see how it tastes. All this time there are bugs falling into your sample, onto the lip of the test jar, and smearing off your lips onto the jar. Not to mention it means doubling the number of times you are opening your fermentor and exposing it to infection.
The amount of wort you take out is tiny. If you are concerned about losing it, then add a little more fermentables and water to your recipe, or buy a refractometer.
[quote=“WiVikesFan”]I’m usually in the “if you sanitize well, then do X,y, or Z”, but in this case I would say no. Your taking your sample out. Probably spinning the hydrometer to get any bubbles off. Letting it sit for a while to allow any foam at the top to drop, so you can read it. Taking a sip of it afterwords to see how it tastes. All this time there are bugs falling into your sample, onto the lip of the test jar, and smearing off your lips onto the jar. Not to mention it means doubling the number of times you are opening your fermentor and exposing it to infection.
The amount of wort you take out is tiny. If you are concerned about losing it, then add a little more fermentables and water to your recipe, or buy a refractometer.[/quote]
Try this instead. Bend over slowly and take a knee, slide the lid, which is loose, to the side and dip you thief 8" into the bucket. Raise to eye level, spin hydrometer as you lower into liquid, take quick reading, hit the tip of thief against the edge of bucket to drain. Close lid, wait two to 3 weeks and repeat.
The entire thing is done in 15 seconds, nothing that did not just come out of sanitizer touches the wort and the wort goes right back in. I fail to see the risk. Done 60+ batches, never had an issue.
Sanitation aside, I am in the belief that taking an SG reading is the perfect time to sample the brewing beer. It may not taste the best but you get an idea of what it is developing into.
