I bought a plastic tall skinny beaker-like thing from my wine store to use
when I take hydrometer readings. I don't like to spend a lot so I don't
think it was too expensive. As long as everything is clean before I use it,
I pour what I measure back into the batch. I usually use a clean 1 cup
glass Pyrex container to draw off what I need to measure for a batch. If
you're using a fermentation bucket, I just stir the batch, use my cup to
grab some and pour it into my beaker thingy and then pop my hydrometer in.
I have tried to put my hydrometer into a 1 gallon glass carboy to measure
the SG that way, but if I keep the carboy topped up properly, then I've
found that when you put the hydrometer in, it can overflow. If you're into
larger batches, I don't see why you couldn't pop the hydrometer in - but you
might want to be on the safe side by making sure it is always clean.

I usually only take the reading at the beginning and maybe one other time
during the primary ferment. Watch your first batch, it will get very bubbly
and frothy in the beginning, then it will calm down. If it continues to
slow down, then it might mean your primary ferment is over and it is time to
move it to a secondary. The only time I usually measure more often is when
I'm going to add additional sugar to increase my % alcohol if my starting
point is not about 11%. The current batch I have going is a Rhubarb wine -
my initial % alcohol was 9%, but the recipe calls for holding some sugar
back. My batch is fermenting pretty good right now, but when it starts to
slow down, I will consider adding enough sugar to make sure my total %
alcohol is 11%.

Welcome and good-luck!
Darlene

<reply@grouponly> wrote in message
...
> Greetings,
>
> Thanks to all who helped with my question the other day.
>
> What I'm trying to figure out is practical hydrometer usage. Sure,
> I know how to use it, but in what ? Books/articles always say to,
> "draw off a sample", or somesuch. Now I'm using a basic glass
> "made in France" hydrometer. If I were to Primary Ferment down
> to, say, 1.010 as Frishman suggests I'm gonna need a glass
> something at least 7.5 in. deep to allow for a little leeway. Sounds
> easy. But when I actually start measuring glasses around the house
> it's obvious that any sample I draw off is gonna be close to half
> a bottle. Pretty nice sample !
>
> Then you've got to discard a lot or risk dirtying or oxidating a
> fair volume in order to return it. Seems clumsy. There ought to
> be a better way, I think. So I'm asking the ng for advise to how
> (and how much) they draw for sampling. Related questions
> could be:
>
> 1. During Primary Ferment can't you pop the lid and drop the
> hydrometer in the bucket, or is this risky ? How often?
>
> 2. Do I need to buy some special "shorty" meter or am I
> missing something obvious?
>
> BTW, the best "beaker" I've found so far are the cheapo
> glass tall votive candles they sell all over for .99cents USA.
> Dollar Store, K-Mart, Safeway all have them -Occasionally
> with a lovely tacky picture of the Virgin de Guadelupe on it.
> The wax comes out cleanly, they are dishwashable, they
> are about 3 inches wide, and they are 8 inches tall and don't
> narrow at the neck like many olive-oil bottles.
> (I've read somewhere that you shouldn't measure through
> a narrowed neck as it throws off the reading).
>
> Andrew