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

I just use the little plastic tube that the Hydrometer came in.

There is a thing you can buy called a "Wine Thief" that does a good
job of getting a sample out of your fermenter -- espeically those
carboys!

Alex.