when to check sg

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countrygirl

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tomorrow morning will be the 3rd morning for the blueberry must. good bubble, smell, co2, etc. the recipe that i posted in the other thread about yeast, says to rack in 7 days or when sg down to 1.020. when should be the first time i check the sg? i've noticed several threads where sg decreases faster than expected. i have my glass secondary ready...just in case.
 
It's OK to check the SG anytime you please. Once you get used to process you become less and less preoccupied with how it's progressing and get a sort of sense for it.

Check that SG....let us know what you get for a reading.

And, as John Denver would say if he were still around... "Thank God you're a Country Girl".
 
i will check tonight just out of curiosity, and yes, i do thank God i am a country girl, lol
 
Rica, stir your must 1 or 2 times daily with sanitized stirrer. After 4-5 days (depending upon temps) your s. gravity should be low enough to check daily. The amount of foam/bubbles will slow.

Like Darren said you'll get a feel for it over time. A hydrometer will tell you what is going on with your wine. I usually rack around 6-7 days.

Do you know how to read a hydrometer?
 
I usually check mine daily when in the primary - it only takes me a few minutes to do so.
 
it took me a few tries with the hydrometer to get the hang of it when i did the kit first. i think it threw me for a loop because the s.g. was lower than what the instructions had lead me to believe, so i racked it a couple days early. i haven't even peeked at my kit since it's been aging. according to "directions" it should be able to be bottled around aug. 18th (suncal lambrusco). i think i'm gonna need more clean pro, lol, to keep cleaning my hydrometer/set up and stirring paddle. for all us/you newbies out there, definitely order a long handled paddle!!!
 
I ususally check mine after a few days in the primary to get an idea where it is, then recheck as needed before transferring to secondary based on how fast fermentation is occuring.
 
sg 1.020
but now i have what may be the silliest question of the year....
when i got my kit and practiced with the hydrometer, it came in a large clear plastic cylinder. that's what i've been doing the readings in. seems like the books/alot of internet info. talk about a glass hydrometer jar. i have nothing else to measure sg in. is this ok?
it smells really good!
 
imho The storage container the hydrometer came in is just fine dor doing your readings in. Eventually you may wish to purchase a separate test jar similar to the one linked below.

Test Jar
 
plastic, too, but larger, screw off bottom for easy cleaning:)
good price too. i think i see a purchase in my future.
when i stirred this morning, everything seems so active i can hear it!
the berries seem to be swelling. is it actually fermenting inside the berries? i swear i've crushed 'em and poked 'em and prodded 'em, lol
 
If your primary is deep enough you can test s.g. in there, otherwise sanitize the hydrometer, test jar and your hand and insert into the must. If you have fruit in there use two fingers to keep the fruit out as you push it under the wine.

Take your reading and pour it back in.
 
when i bought the kit, i bought a second primary, so even though my secondary will be a glass jug for this gallon recipe, the big 5-6 gallon bucket has been a good size for working with the bag of berries, etc. it has a spigot, so i just open the spigot and fill up the tube! i will remember the trick to just test in the primary when i do larger kits/amounts! e-a-s-y
 
if i am reading the hydrometer correctly, tonight's reading is 1.008.
the recipe said to rack in 7 days, or s.g. 1.020, which it was last night.
sat. will the 7 days. i've just realized i have the wrong size bungs for my 1 gallon jugs:tz
i've ordered the next size bungs, and hope they will be in by sat.
i do have a 3 gallon carboy, but that would be WAY too much air/surface area, correct? i did buy some blueberry juice at the grocery to top up with. any other suggestions?
 
I think it would be alright for now - as it is still fermenting in the carboy at this time - the CO2 put off by the fermentation will act as a barrier to the oxygen.

When the fermentation is complete - rack into the smaller ones.
 
good, hopefully the new bungs will be in by sat. as the sg is right on track. it amazes me how the berries plump up with fermentation! i think this is more fun than the concentrate. more to watch and learn from:D
 
ok, update/rundown...
i didn't get a chance to stir the blueberry must yesterday (too much work)
got in very late last night after a friend's birthday party, so stirred and check s.g. and it was .992.
stirred this morning and check again and it was 1.000
does this have something to do with the lack of usual stirring yesterday?
am hoping the bungs come in today so i can get this in the secondary...i feel like it needs to get in there and off the lees and berries. does that sound silly? makes me sounds like a wine psychic, lol, no wait, that's wade, heehee
 
You can let it finish in primary as I do or rack it now. There is most likely sugars in there still that are not dissolved. Did you use dissolved sugar when making this batch or just dump sugar in and stir?
 
this batch was dissolved and then poured over the smashed berries in the bag when the water had cooled only a little bit (just not boiling). the lambrusco kit i just poured in and stirred:re
i probably won't do that again, no matter what instructions say.
the must seems different today...less co2 when i uncover it?
i assume this means fermentation is towards the end.
going to mailbox now to see if bungs arrived...
 
no bungs:(
this must gonna be ok till monday??
if no, does anyone have any ideas...i have everything i need except the correct size bung.
the bung i ordered wrong is on the small side. if you set it in the secondary, (one gallon carboy) it will sit there. if you try to move it, wiggle, whatever, it will fall into the carboy:(
i do have a 3 gallon carboy that has a correct bung. would that be better than the 5 gallon bucket till monday?
do i need to go ahead and remove the berries, no matter which container i use?
thank you for any suggestions.
 
Do you have any balloons? Even a sandwich baggy with a pin hole in it and an elastic would be ok.
 

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