Testing

[Gregman]

I have tested my beer for 2 days now and the SG is lower than when I started. Did I do something wrong?

[Kegory]

11 minutes ago, Gregman said:

I have tested my beer for 2 days now and the SG is lower than when I started. Did I do something wrong?

It's meant to keep getting lower. The yeast turn the sugars into alcohol, which is lighter than water. That makes the gravity lower.

When the gravity stops falling over successive days it has finished fermenting and is nearly ready to bottle or keg. But you don't need to test every day. That's just a waste of beer. I wait until about day 10 before testing.

Edited May 30, 2023 by Kegory
Additional information.

[kmar92]

No. That is the aim of fermenting. You start off with a wort that is full of sugar and then convert that sugar to CO2 and alcohol and if you do that correctly you will end up with beer. It is a very easy process but it involves some really complex chemistry, most of the time you do not need to worry about the complexities of the process or the chemistry though.

[Stickers]

don't stress too much about the hydrometer reading on your first brew, it should start around the 1.040 mark and end up around 1.008 but getting an accurate reading early on can be tricky as the hydrometer itself can be off, the quality of sample you draw from the tap can be tainted by the sugars that settle in the tap and just general first time 'am i doing this wrong' nerves getting in the way doesn't help either.