Brewing Master

Question:

Personally, my hydrometer sample tube is fairly grungy (often times I will let a sample sit in it for days to watch the gravity drop

Nothing good on TV these days? But seriously, I’m assuming you do this to provide a continuous indicator of what is happening in your main batch? If so, do you find the sample progresses at the same rate? I would wonder about the homogeneity of the fermenting wort. In the main batch, this is not a problem as circulation will move yeast around and find any pockets of slower activity (this is not a scientific explanation, just how I perceive things happening). By removing a sample, do you not remove it from access to potentially fresher or more active yeast, thereby causing the sample to ferment at a slower rate? Brian

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Here’s my recipe for mess-free siphoning and hydrometer testing: 1. Use two racking canes (one in the primary, one in the secondary), and one of those plastic hose shutoff clamps.  Connect the hose to the racking cane in the primary, start the siphon (I stick the nozzle of a turkey baster in the end of the hose and suck), then quickly shut it off with the clamp. 2. Put the end of the hose in your hydrometer test flask, unclamp the hose just long enough to get your sample, then clamp it shut again. 3. Connect the hose to the racking cane in the secondary, and unclamp. Be aware that you should be working with a clean (sanitary) hydrometer tube if your are going to let your sanitized hose touch it (in step 2). Personally, my hydrometer sample tube is fairly grungy (often times I will let a sample sit in it for days to watch the gravity drop). I fear letting my clean hose touch it and always run my samples into a small glass first and then pour that off into the sample tube.

Ok, ok… I actually forgot part of step 2: 2a. If your hydrometer flask is — shall we say — in a questionable state of sanitation, give the end of the hose a quick dip in iodophor solution (then shake it off), before attaching it to the second racking cane. This is one of those little "autopilot" sort of things that I generally do, but which I tend to take for granted; I forgot to mention it in my original post. Siphoning into a clean glass as an intermediate step (as you suggest) is, of course, also reasonable. —

Response:

I always hold on to both ends. Perhaps I’m paranoid of one end coming out, and either draining beer onto floor, or pulling out of primary and needing to re-prime the siphon.

Get yourself a racking clip. It clamps onto the lip of a carboy or bucket, and holds the racking cane for you. Brian

Response:

Last night I was in the garage racking a stout from the primary into the secondary, and didn’t have a glass handy, so I had to yell into the house – "asking my wife politely for a glass." She brought out a pint glass, and held it for me near the carboy mouth, and I was able to "draw" a nice pint. She even approved of the warm, flat, and slightly "hot" beer. Here are the questions: 1.    I usually rack solo, and make a bit of a mess trying to get a sample during the process – any good tasting methods? I’ve tried to filter left-over dregs after siphon – not a great experience.

Do you use a racking cane? Mine has a plastic clip which snaps over the edge of a plastic bucket primary quite nicely; but isn’t as positive of a hold, although quite acceptable, on the glass carboys. This frees up a hand to hold a small glass. 2.    Is there a name for this tasting during the racking – and if not I think that there should be?

I hereby decree that it shall henceforth be called a "Howzit". This gives due credit to the person who thought it needed a name, and is also short for "How’s it taste?" 3.    Should I be doing anything other than enjoying – and contemplating during this tasting? Technical evaluations or tweakings for secondary?

Bottle a couple if you want. This will let you drink it cold and carbonated when you transfer to the keg or bottle it. For priming, consider that "teaspoons per 12 ounces" are roughly equivalent to "cups per 5 gallons", but go a little lighter since you still have some fermentables. On a recipe calling for 3/4 cups priming sugar, I usually use a little less than 1/2 teaspoon priming sugar to these "early bottles". Can hardly wait to get it into the keg with a bit of CO2,  and a few degrees cooler. Cheers, Howie

I love stouts, enjoy! — Mark Recktenwald Stow, Ohio

Response:

How do you rack? I do it solo all the time with no problems – get the siphon started and walk away. If I want to sample a glass, lift the hose out of the carboyor keg and put it in my glass. Mike Fun

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Last night I was in the garage racking a stout from the primary into the secondary, and didn’t have a glass handy, so I had to yell into the house – "asking my wife politely for a glass." She brought out a pint glass, and held it for me near the carboy mouth, and I was able to "draw" a nice pint. She even approved of the warm, flat, and slightly "hot" beer. Here are the questions: 1.    I usually rack solo, and make a bit of a mess trying to get a sample during the process – any good tasting methods? I’ve tried to filter left-over dregs after siphon – not a great experience. 2.    Is there a name for this tasting during the racking – and if not I think that there should be? 3.    Should I be doing anything other than enjoying – and contemplating during this tasting? Technical evaluations or tweakings for secondary? Can hardly wait to get it into the keg with a bit of CO2,  and a few degrees cooler. Cheers, Howie

Response:

Here’s my recipe for mess-free siphoning and hydrometer testing: 1. Use two racking canes (one in the primary, one in the secondary), and one of those plastic hose shutoff clamps.  Connect the hose to the racking cane in the primary, start the siphon (I stick the nozzle of a turkey baster in the end of the hose and suck), then quickly shut it off with the clamp. 2. Put the end of the hose in your hydrometer test flask, unclamp the hose just long enough to get your sample, then clamp it shut again. 3. Connect the hose to the racking cane in the secondary, and unclamp.

Be aware that you should be working with a clean (sanitary) hydrometer tube if your are going to let your sanitized hose touch it (in step 2). Personally, my hydrometer sample tube is fairly grungy (often times I will let a sample sit in it for days to watch the gravity drop). I fear letting my clean hose touch it and always run my samples into a small glass first and then pour that off into the sample tube. John — John Varady                     The HomeBrew Recipe Calculating Program Boneyard Brewing                Custom Neon Beer Signs For Home Brewers Glenside, PA                            Get More Information At:

Response:

Last night I was in the garage racking a stout from the primary into the secondary, and didn’t have a glass handy, so I had to yell into the house – "asking my wife politely for a glass." She brought out a pint glass, and held it for me near the carboy mouth, and I was able to "draw" a nice pint. She even approved of the warm, flat, and slightly "hot" beer. Here are the questions: 1.    I usually rack solo, and make a bit of a mess trying to get a sample during the process – any good tasting methods? I’ve tried to filter left-over dregs after siphon – not a great experience.

Here’s my recipe for mess-free siphoning and hydrometer testing: 1. Use two racking canes (one in the primary, one in the secondary), and one of those plastic hose shutoff clamps.  Connect the hose to the racking cane in the primary, start the siphon (I stick the nozzle of a turkey baster in the end of the hose and suck), then quickly shut it off with the clamp. 2. Put the end of the hose in your hydrometer test flask, unclamp the hose just long enough to get your sample, then clamp it shut again. 3. Connect the hose to the racking cane in the secondary, and unclamp. 4. Drink hydrometer sample. 2.    Is there a name for this tasting during the racking – and if not I think that there should be?

I call it Quality Control. 3.    Should I be doing anything other than enjoying – and contemplating during this tasting? Technical evaluations or tweakings for secondary?

Other than recording the gravity, I don’t do much.  If there’s anything unusual at racking time (strange odors or tastes), I generally try to record that too, just so I know what to expect the next time I brew a similar recipe. One cautionary note: If the beer is still really yeasty, drinking more than a small glass of it may be unwise.  I got some really awful gas from doing this once… made me feel like a human fermenter.  (Batch was about a pint and a half too large for the secondary, so I did what any self-respecting homebrewer would’ve done — I drank what wouln’t fit!) Can hardly wait to get it into the keg with a bit of CO2,  and a few degrees cooler.

–

Response:

Get a racking clip. They make different kinds for buckets and carboys. You don’t have to hold onto the racking cane that way, and it can hold the cane off of the bottom at the beginning (make sure to lower it, though!).

That should be racking cane clip. — to respond, change "spamless" to "optonline"

Response:

Same here. Works great. Had I the wine thief, I would probably use it instead out of tradition. Phil – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I use a sanitized turkey baster to pull samples out for hydrometer readings and samples. Cheers, kirk jeffery

Response:

On average, what size zwickel does one partake of?

Response:

    Hmm. Good question. If it’s coming from the primary while racking, usually an ounce or so (i hate to drink a brew beofre it’s reached its full potential) If it’s from the secondary, it’s however much my wine thief holds. Not much either way. Mike Fun

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On average, what size zwickel does one partake of?

Response:

I always hold on to both ends. Perhaps I’m paranoid of one end coming out, and either draining beer onto floor, or pulling out of primary and needing to re-prime the siphon.

Get a racking clip. They make different kinds for buckets and carboys. You don’t have to hold onto the racking cane that way, and it can hold the cane off of the bottom at the beginning (make sure to lower it, though!). — to respond, change "spamless" to "optonline"

Response:

I use a sanitized turkey baster to pull samples out for hydrometer readings and samples. Cheers, kirk jeffery – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 1.    I usually rack solo, and make a bit of a mess trying to get a sample during the process – any good tasting methods? I’ve tried to filter left-over dregs after siphon – not a great experience.

Response:

I use a beer/wine thief to take a sample for checking gravity. I remove the hydrometer and drink the sample from there.

Response:

As for a name for the sampled beer, German brewers call it "Zwickelbier." The zwickel is the sample cock on the side of side of large fermenters and tanks, designed for taking samples for tasting and analysis.  It’s always fun if you’re touring a microbrewery or brewpub to ask for a sample from the zwickel.

Oh good, next time I’ll tell my wife I’m going down to the cellar to rack and zwickel (OK I’m making a verb out of a noun but hey, they do it on football broadcasts all the time). Brian

Response:

I sometimes use a wine "thief" for sampling.  It works well for beer, and many homebrew shops sell them. As for a name for the sampled beer, German brewers call it "Zwickelbier." The zwickel is the sample cock on the side of side of large fermenters and tanks, designed for taking samples for tasting and analysis.  It’s always fun if you’re touring a microbrewery or brewpub to ask for a sample from the zwickel. Cheers. — Bill Pierce Cellar Door Homebrewery Des Moines, IA

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Last night I was in the garage racking a stout from the primary into the secondary, and didn’t have a glass handy, so I had to yell into the house – "asking my wife politely for a glass." She brought out a pint glass, and held it for me near the carboy mouth, and I was able to "draw" a nice pint. She even approved of the warm, flat, and slightly "hot" beer. Here are the questions: 1.    I usually rack solo, and make a bit of a mess trying to get a sample during the process – any good tasting methods? I’ve tried to filter left-over dregs after siphon – not a great experience. 2.    Is there a name for this tasting during the racking – and if not I think that there should be? 3.    Should I be doing anything other than enjoying – and contemplating during this tasting? Technical evaluations or tweakings for secondary? Can hardly wait to get it into the keg with a bit of CO2,  and a few degrees cooler. Cheers, Howie

Response:

I always hold on to both ends. Perhaps I’m paranoid of one end coming out, and either draining beer onto floor, or pulling out of primary and needing to re-prime the siphon. When I "rack" the water from the top of my pool cover into my back yard during the spring, leaves (hops or yeast cake?) sometime clog the hose, and I need to restart it. I have to admit that the other end of the hose has never "fallen" out of the back yard. Howie

Response:

Last night I was in the garage racking a stout from the primary into the secondary, and didn’t have a glass handy, so I had to yell into the house – "asking my wife politely for a glass." She brought out a pint glass, and held it for me near the carboy mouth, and I was able to "draw" a nice pint. She even approved of the warm, flat, and slightly "hot" beer. Here are the questions: 1.    I usually rack solo, and make a bit of a mess trying to get a sample during the process – any good tasting methods? I’ve tried to filter left-over dregs after siphon – not a great experience. 2.    Is there a name for this tasting during the racking – and if not I think that there should be? 3.    Should I be doing anything other than enjoying – and contemplating during this tasting? Technical evaluations or tweakings for secondary? Can hardly wait to get it into the keg with a bit of CO2,  and a few degrees cooler. Cheers, Howie

Response: