Help - started first brew but hydrometer broken

[William in Melbourne]

Last night I started my very first brew but found the hydrometer was broken, so I have no OG reading. What are the implications of this? Should I still get one to find out when fermentation has stopped? Any advice appreciated, complete newbie.

[I'm doing Mangrove Jack's starter kit with Gold Lager and Kveik]

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I wouldn't be worrying about it but in future buy 2 hydrometers. I would say most of us has broken one or two.

 

[philrob]

I would say most of us has broken one or two.

Only one or two?

 

[djebel]

Only one or two?

I must be the odd one out. I've NEVER broken a hydrometer (have broken a thermometer though). Instead, I break the tubes they come in. They get squashed or burnt/melted or whatever.

I've got about 8-9 of the standard saccharometer type (plus an alcoholometer), but none of the original tubes.

 

[Vini2ton]

I think we all remember the starting off brewing period. The absolute feeling that we were stuffing things up and it will all turn out bad. Lucky you're in a big city and can just go and buy another hydrometer or 2. Or in you are a real klutz, buy a hydrometer factory. If I had to brew without a hydrometer, I'd wait 14 days and if there's no activity, proceed to package. But if I had never brewed, I wouldn't know what to look for. Get another hydrometer and go by its readings.

 

[IanW]

Only one or two?

Yes, I've broken numerous hydrometers over the years. I always have a couple in reserve. I leave my MangroveJack's to ferment for 2 weeks, then as per
MJ instructions, check Final Specific Gravity is constant over two days, then bottle, cheers

 

[Paddy Melon]

I don't use a hydrometer anymore I use a refractometer so easy and uses a few drops of wort instead of filling the tube. It also allows for a safer extraction of the wort, I just remove the bubbler and use a thin tube through the bubbler hole to extract some liquid. I use a Brix refractometer and use the refractometer calculator on the nNorthern Brewer site. Sooooo much simpler.

 

[djebel]

I don't use a hydrometer anymore I use a refractometer so easy and uses a few drops of wort instead of filling the tube. It also allows for a safer extraction of the wort, I just remove the bubbler and use a thin tube through the bubbler hole to extract some liquid. I use a Brix refractometer and use the refractometer calculator on the nNorthern Brewer site. Sooooo much simpler.

Hydrometer is better for QC purposes, because you need to taste the brew to check its progress .

 

[philrob]

I don't use a hydrometer anymore I use a refractometer so easy and uses a few drops of wort instead of filling the tube. It also allows for a safer extraction of the wort, I just remove the bubbler and use a thin tube through the bubbler hole to extract some liquid. I use a Brix refractometer and use the refractometer calculator on the nNorthern Brewer site. Sooooo much simpler.

I use both. Refractometer to measure OG post mash, and post boil into the fermenter.
I use the hydrometer prior to bottling, just to fill in the blanks in my BeerSmith3 recipe page, although I've never had an under attenuating brew in over 17 years of brewing. Plus, it's a taste test at bottling time!