Fermtech 19-Inch Acrylic Wine and Beer Thief
Choose the sampler alone if a suitable hydrometer and cleaning equipment are already available.
Read the differences ↗UBREW USA · Gravity & sampling
Fermtech Deluxe Thief, Triple-Scale Hydrometer and Brush Kit
A sampling-and-testing set that lets the Fermtech Thief hold the sample for a supplied floating hydrometer, with a cleaning brush.
Price & purchase ↓
The equipment in use
How this item fits your brewing setup
This kit combines three roles: drawing a sample, holding it for a gravity reading and brushing the sampling tube afterward. The Fermtech Thief can accept the supplied hydrometer directly, so a separate test jar is not required for that arrangement. Choose it when you want those functions together rather than assembling a sampler, jar and meter separately.
The selected offer specifies specific gravity from 0.990 to 1.170, Brix/Balling from 0 to 35 and potential alcohol from 0% to 20%. Specific gravity describes sample density; the potential-alcohol scale is a brewing reference, not a direct reading of the drink’s final alcohol strength. Keep initial and later readings if you intend to estimate alcohol content.
Fermtech’s instructions have you hold the Thief vertically and let the hydrometer float without clinging to the side or carrying bubbles. The photographed hydrometer is marked 60/60°F. Use the actual meter’s calibration instructions for temperature corrections; the sampler’s heat limit is a separate specification.
For the acrylic Thief, Fermtech specifies a non-alcohol-based sanitizer and a maximum of 120°F/ 49°C. That limit does not establish a hot-liquid rating for the whole kit. The offer also includes a 19 in Thief brush. If you already own a suitable meter and brush, compare the standalone Thief instead of buying the set again.
The selected reference
Specifications & supplied details
- Supplied instrument
- One triple-scale hydrometer
- Sampling component
- Fermtech Thief
- Cleaning component
- 19 in Thief brush
- Declared specific-gravity scale
- 0.990–1.170
- Declared Brix/Balling scale
- 0–35
- Declared potential-alcohol scale
- 0–20%
- Photographed meter marking
- Sp. Gr.60/60°F
- Thief body material
- Acrylic, maker specification
- Thief maximum temperature
- 120°F/ 49°C, sampler only
- Listed kit weight
- 5.1 oz
Before and during use
Advice for this reference
Before you choose
Choose the combined sampler/test-holder arrangement if you want to avoid a separate jar for this measurement.
Also check
Keep instrument calibration temperature separate from the acrylic sampler’s maximum temperature.
Documented use & care
For the Thief, the maker specifies rinsing/sanitizing with a non-alcohol-based sanitizer and no more than 120°F/ 49°C.
Avoid excessive force on the Thief’s release pin, as Fermtech instructs.
Connections & scope
Fit and useful limits
- No direct final-ABV reading, guaranteed bottling-readiness decision or numerical accuracy tolerance is established.
- The sampler temperature limit is not a heat rating for the glass hydrometer or brush.
- No independent lead/BPA certification or different tool quantity is inferred from plural marketing wording.
Questions about this product
What else should you know?
Can I use the sample holder without its hydrometer?
The Thief draws and holds liquid, but does not measure gravity by itself. A compatible floating hydrometer provides the reading.
Should I also order the standalone Fermtech Thief?
The kit already includes that sampling role. Compare the standalone part when you need a replacement or already have the other testing equipment.
Is a potential-alcohol reading the alcohol currently in the sample?
No. It is a brewing reference scale. Estimating final alcohol content requires appropriate initial and later readings, not a single potential-alcohol number.
A different choice for a different need
Compare the relevant alternatives
Home Brew Ohio Glass Sampling and Gravity Testing Set
Compare a glass sampler with a separate test jar rather than testing inside the valved Thief.
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