Stupid first mistake

Production methods from starch to sugars.

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
BuffaloBob+837
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:53 am

Stupid first mistake

Post by BuffaloBob+837 »

Such in a rush doing the first mash forgot to do the hydrometer reading. Since there's no beginning reading should I bother to take reading before distilling?
greggn
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1380
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:59 am
Location: East Coast

Re: Stupid first mistake

Post by greggn »

Of course you should take an final gravity reading ... it will still tell you when fermentation is complete. Besides, even partial data is valuable in establishing trends in your process.
________________

I drank fifty pounds of feed-store corn
'till my clothes were ratty and torn
User avatar
rgreen2002
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1309
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:57 pm
Location: Northeastern USA

Re: Stupid first mistake

Post by rgreen2002 »

The hydrometer reading isn't a real necessity.. more like a luxury. If your wash/mash has fermented out you will git what you git. An FG will let you know where you ended up... so there's something.

That being said: if you end up with a problem with the distillation, the OG and FG would have been helpful to troubleshoot.
HD Glossary - Open this
A little spoon feeding *For New & Novice Distillers - start here
BEST WAY TO GET ANSWERS FROM HOME DISTILLER
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."
zapata
Distiller
Posts: 1664
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm

Re: Stupid first mistake

Post by zapata »

Even a mid run gravity reading will help if a problem arises. As said partial data better than none. Most of my ferments go fine, and I'm lazy, so I probably wouldn't bother. You could just keep your hydro in the wash and watch it drop everyday. It's not precise, but it's accurate relatively. And easy enough for lazy people like me.
User avatar
fizzix
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 3698
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2017 4:08 pm

Re: Stupid first mistake

Post by fizzix »

Hey BuffaloBob it may sound ineffective, but Post-It notes keep me on track with step-by-step "trivialities".
They'll keep you focused and you'll find yourself trained to complete details by habit after a while.
User avatar
JellybeanCorncob
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 485
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:18 am
Location: Under the Redwood Trees

Re: Stupid first mistake

Post by JellybeanCorncob »

BuffaloBob: So you forgot to take a OG reading. Ok. Did you taste your mash? Was it sweet? I always taste my mash. Then try to guess the gravity before I drop in the hydrometer. This is a tactile hobby. You need to use your senses. Sweet, you got converson. Not sweet you didn’t. Then taste before you do your FG reading.
Kind of common sense once you get the hang of it.
Good luck
JBC
JBC
Post Reply