Brewing Master

Question:

What is the preferred method of obtaining a sample from the fermenter without disturbing the CO2 blanket.  It seems to me if I remove the cover I will be allowing CO2 to escape. I had the same question and with looking through many books and magazines I developed my own method.

I’m surprised to hear that the plastic fermentors being mentioned here don’t come with spigots in the bottom.  To retrieve a sample, simply open the spigot. If you don’t have one, though, another easy way is to sanitize your racking hose, insert one end into the beer, hold your thumb over the other end, and withdraw.  The beer should stay in the tube, more or less.   Put the beer end into your sample jar and release your thumb.  Bingo. There is nothing to fear in "disturbing the CO2 blanket" or letting CO2 escape.  Primary fermentation will very quickly replace any CO2 displaced by this procedure, and that possible, momentary exposure will do nothing to harm your beer. Good luck, Dave in Dallas

Response:

Try using a santized turkey baster. Just lower it through the hole and take up a sample of wort. Squeeze the bulb before it gets to the wort, otherwise you’ll be putting air in your wort. Sheena – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is the preferred method of obtaining a sample from the fermenter without disturbing the CO2 blanket.  It seems to me if I remove the cover I will be allowing CO2 to escape.  If fermentation is complete at the first reading (assuming readings being taken over a three day period) will I contaminate the beer?  Also, any ideas on how to get an accurate reading right before the yeast pitch? Thanks in advance! Bruce

Response:

I guess I use the wine thief because I don’t want to hassle sanitizing the spigot or throwing out the sample (I prefer to save every drop). I also use a walk in attic to ferment and don’t have any table to prop up the fermenter in order to access the spigot. Maybe its time to get a cheap table for my attic. Good Brewing, -Dan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is the preferred method of obtaining a sample from the fermenter without disturbing the CO2 blanket.  It seems to me if I remove the cover I will be allowing CO2 to escape. I had the same question and with looking through many books and magazines I developed my own method. I’m surprised to hear that the plastic fermentors being mentioned here don’t come with spigots in the bottom.  To retrieve a sample, simply open the spigot.

Response:

What is the preferred method of obtaining a sample from the fermenter without disturbing the CO2 blanket.  It seems to me if I remove the cover I will be allowing CO2 to escape.  If fermentation is complete at the first reading (assuming readings being taken over a three day period) will I contaminate the beer?  Also, any ideas on how to get an accurate reading right before the yeast pitch? Thanks in advance! Bruce

I had the same question and with looking through many books and magazines I developed my own method. First off there’s a neat device that is basically a tube with a valve on the end. You put it into the beer (after sanitizing) and the valve floats until the beer in the tube reaches the level in the bucket or carbouy. The valve is oneway until you hold it against the side of the container to release the beer back into the bucket. This tube is also nicely sized to hold a hydrometer as you dip it into the beer. Hence a quick easy reading and minimal disruption of the CO2 blanket. Unfortunately, it does not fit in the airlock hole so removing the lid of a bucket was required. I suspect it works great for carbouys. Williams Brewing sells a wine thief that is a smaller diameter than the airlock hole. I have yet to use it but expect it will work great and I won’t have to remove the bucket’s lid. It is also glass and will be easy to sanitize. I bought a hydrometer cylinder to go with it. It’ll probably take three or four dips to fill the cyclinder but no more lid removal concerns. As for the accurate reading before the yeast pitch, just sanitize the hydrometer and put it in the bucket of beer to get your reading. Adjust for temperature as needed. Good Brewing, -Dan

Response:

What is the preferred method of obtaining a sample from the fermenter without disturbing the CO2 blanket.  It seems to me if I remove the cover I will be allowing CO2 to escape.  If fermentation is complete at the first reading (assuming readings being taken over a three day period) will I contaminate the beer?  Also, any ideas on how to get an accurate reading right before the yeast pitch? Thanks in advance! Bruce

Response:

CO2 is heavier than air, so the "blanket" can’t escape upwards.  CO2 may be lost by too much air movement, so open your fermenter in a draft-free place. My first primary fermenter was a plastic bucket, and I used a sanitized (boiled) ladle to retrieve beer for sampling/testing. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is the preferred method of obtaining a sample from the fermenter without disturbing the CO2 blanket.  It seems to me if I remove the cover I will be allowing CO2 to escape.  If fermentation is complete at the first reading (assuming readings being taken over a three day period) will I contaminate the beer?  Also, any ideas on how to get an accurate reading right before the yeast pitch? Thanks in advance! Bruce

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