Didn't take OG reading Help!

[patty]

Hi Brewers,

I had an absolute "Barry Crocker" the other day I cooked up an amber ale, anyway I transferred my boiled wort and other inferdients into the fermenter and "topped up with cold water" anyway I I went to take a reading before pitching the yeast,and I dropped my Hydrometer and smashed it, with no other hydrometer around,so I just decided to pitch the yeast, and not worry about it, anyway I have kept a prett constant eye on this brew and have witnessed absolutely no movement of the airlock at all it has been 6 days now and still no movement anyway since then I have managed to pick up another Hydrometer and curiosity got the best of me, I "drew off a sample from the tap and checked it the reading is down to 1010 or in range stating it is finished, again I couldn't resist to have a "swig" of the sample glass and it tastes great!

My question is does this sound right I saw zero movement from the airlock none at all during this whole time ,and being still fairly new I have watched it like a hawk!

Anyone?

 

[brente1982]

maybe the seal wasn't done properly with the lid to begin with, ie. wasn't tight enough on the FV so that could explain the lack of airlock activity. Im still an amateur but my advice would be, leave it a few more days, wont hurt and then check the hydro again and of course once you get 2-3 days of constant stable readings then you will knows its done.

edit - poor drunken spelling

 

[Yob]

The airlock doesnt mean diddely.. probably had a loose lid or whatever, the gas was taking the path of least resistance..

if you put your nose in and take a big whiff, I'll bet you have very few nose hairs left afterward.. dont do that though..

give it another few days and bottle / keg

stress less, if it tastes great, looks great, chances are it's a duck h34r:

 

[mosto]

I've forgotten to take an OG before. No problems, particularly with kits. If you want, plug your ingredients into ianh's spreadsheet and it will estimate your OG. Slightly more of an issue if AG brewing because you need OG to calculate your efficiency, but still not the end off the world.

 

[patty]

Yeah thanks for that, not being able to take a og makes it hard to have any reference point, but I was more worried that I may pitched the yeast at to high a temperature and this may have "stalled" or "killed" the yeast this stopping fermentation!

your right yob relying on the bloody airlock as a visual assurance means nothing, I guess after being use to seeing the airlock bubbling away on all my brews, its hard not to ignore it and it gives you that assurance that all is good, seriously I thought that fermentation hadn't started, and was almost about to throw a "starter in " , and or throw the contents of the fermenter onto the lawn it wasn't until I checked it with the hydrometer first, I even double checked again to make sure I wasn't reading it wrong, I was sure as hell I had "muffed" this batch!

 

[patty]

Thanks maestro will take a look at it' and see if I can "drive it"

 

[JDW81]

have witnessed absolutely no movement of the airlock at all

Ignore the airlock mate, it is about as trustworthy as a politician during an election campaign.

A heap of brewers don't even use em, they just cover the fermenter in glad wrap and hold it on with the lid's o-ring.

JD

 

[of mice and gods]

Sounds like you'll be fine. The reassurance of the bubbling airlock is nice.. it's kind of a mini-reward before you get to keg and drink However, even if the lid isn't on 100% the pressure of the c02 should stop the ingress of oxygen.

Also, I had to read this thread twice. I got Barry Crocker, but then spent ages thinking of slang/alternate meanings to the other "words and phrases"..

Al