Hydrometer reading question

[Dnderhead]

OG-FG+___ X 132.25=ABV

[Rod]

OG-FG+___ X 132.25=ABV

I know this gives the theoretical %

but would like to measure it

may have to buy a refractometer

[Rod]

did a google on refractometers , price etc

on the roundabout found out you can use a vinometer to measure alcohol content of wine

you tube demonstration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI4EoOenyo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

where to buy http://ebrew.com/test_equipment/vinometers.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

maybe worth a look at

cheap

[Dnderhead]

even if you got a hydrometer that read in % alcohol it whould not be accurate
in wash. a hydrometer is only accurate in pure water and alcohol.anything other
in wash/drink will throw off reading.
(if you google hydrometers many scientific sites have a vast variety to choose from)
I thanking alcohol SG is .785? so one on here whould work...

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15 V 0884 Specific Gravity Hydrometer, 0.70–1.00, 0.005 divisions $12.75



http://wardsci.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_I ... Hydrometer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Samohon]

OK, lets go back for a minute...

As Dnderhead says, and quite rightly, the specific gravity of water is 1.000, for any amount of H2O...
If I were to add enough liquidised cane sugar to make the hydrometer read 1.080, the water would still have a gravity of 1.000 and the additive to the water (liquidised sugar) 0.080. If I were then to add some corn to my water/sugar solution, the solids contained throughout the liquid would again cause the hydrometer to to rise as this is another variable within our mixture. There would be no conversion of starches from the corn addition due to the lack of malt(enzymes). If we were then to take a brix/plato reading using a refractometer, the solids would again cause the reading to be approximated from a misty meniscus line through the lens...
So, how do we get a gravity reading that we know is within the tolerances of our instrument + or - a degree?

The answer is simple.

When calculating gravity using a hydrometer or refractometer, make sure that your water/sugar solution contains no solids at the recipe development stage. If you are making an un-malted whiskey clone wash, then the sugar additions should be worked out on a 1:1 basis and an SG, that is not approximated at the correct temps, taken. The water sugar solution can then be added to your un-malted grains with a surety of the expected %abv. If the recipe is from the Tried and True section of the site, then this has been worked out for you by the member who put the recipe together and sticking to the quantities and procedures should give you a beverage on par with the authors, although you may need to tweak the recipe slightly to match your equipment and quantities. Sugars differ in sweetness all over the world, but its really not all that important to either a degree + or -.

Malted grains and their conversion, using no cane sugar, are for another topic and can be seen to be even more in-depth due to extraction efficiencies. When I do an AG, I have an efficiency figure and pre-boil extraction of 78.68%, but how do I arrive at that figure. As said, it is outside the scope of this thread but a simple hydrometer and thermometer is used, tools that you already have atm.

Theres a few ways to calculate abv... SG-FG / (7.4 * 1000) or as Dnderhead and other have said SG-FG * 132.25 which IMO, is more precise...
A vinometer works on the gravity/capillary principle. The wine should be at the correct temps for a vino-meter reading, + or - 0.1 degree will cause the reading to be wrong.
The only way to get a 100% accurate abv IMO is to do a titration test with a burette... But even the commercials don't go that far...

If you have an alcometer (for spirits), take a reading from some shop bought vodka/whiskey at 20°C, it will be correct. Thats how the commercials do it too...

[kenfyoozed]

Yep. I add my sugar and water first to get my SG then add the adjuncts.

[Prairiepiss]

OG-FG+___ X 132.25=ABV

I know this gives the theoretical %

but would like to measure it

may have to buy a refractometer

Why? If you are going to put it in your still and distill it. Why would you need to know exact % of the wash? When you can measure the distillate pretty accurately with a spirit hydrometer?

[Samohon]

Thats what I was thinking initially PP... When I do a wash I take an SG, then when I think the wash is fermented out, I take an FG to ensure the wash has finished. A few points here or there is really irrelevant for us... On the other hand, when I do an AG, be it 100% malt or 25% partial malt, I always use the same extraction method as I do for my beers. This ensures that my efficiencies are correct for the grains used during mashing...

I never let my SG for AG's go above that used from the distillery I'm trying to clone. Scotch/Irish/US whisky's are a prime example when I use this method.
They differ slightly from 6%abv to 7.5%abv, but I do make sure I have 80L washes in my 100L fermenting vessel to get at least a good quantity back...

The hydrometer is an invaluable tool to us, but IMO, it really comes into its own when you are trying to replicate the same efficiencies in mashing that the commercials have...

[rad14701]

Why? If you are going to put it in your still and distill it. Why would you need to know exact % of the wash? When you can measure the distillate pretty accurately with a spirit hydrometer?

Some people get pretty anal retentive (man, I hate that phrase) when it comes to minor details... I make my washes based on sugar wash calculations and know my range potential %ABV's of my washes... And if I even bother checking them during the fermentation process I just toss in a simple hydrometer made out of a plastic straw, BB's, and hot glue to seal it up... I have them marked where water reads at room temperature... When the wash hits the line I know it's pretty much done... Otherwise I just use taste... And when I distill, I get what I get... All of the extra measuring and calculating just takes up time and introduces the possibility of worry... If I wanted to sweat a bunch of details I'd just work 24/7...

[Prairiepiss]

Do distillerys not use the same tools we do. Yes they are calibrated and certified. But can't we get close enough with what is available to us?. Do we really need to know the exact to the point numbers?

[rad14701]

Do distillerys not use the same tools we do. Yes they are calibrated and certified. But can't we get close enough with what is available to us?. Do we really need to know the exact to the point numbers?

The distilleries don't pay real close attention to numbers either to the best of my knowledge... They aren't going to wait an extra day or two in an effort to get an extra percentage out of their wort because it would throw their production schedule off... They already know what they should get but don't worry if they miss the mark on occasion... Same goes for the money hungry illicit moonshiners out in the woods... Keep things in the ballpark over the long haul and rely on the averages... Sometimes close enough is, well, close enough...

But that doesn't mean that the home distiller can't play bean counter and fixate on all of the numbers if they so desire... And I'm sure I'm not the only member who knows people who invest hundreds if not thousands of dollars in parts and labor to squeeze an extra couple miles per hour out of a motorcycle, boat, or snowmobile... It gets to the point where it's almost OCD... Poor bastards...

[brewit2it]

This conversation really took a turn....

I'd say the only reason the pros use these instruments is A) Making a consistent product, B) because the govt makes them for TAXES

[The Baker]

"Some people get pretty anal retentive (man, I hate that phrase)...."

I guess from a purely *scatological point of view, to experience anal retention would be **fundamentally (there is a pun in that) opposite to experiencing a ***catharsis.

From a psychological point of view, catharsis I can sort of imagine, anally retentive, not really. It just makes me think of the need for an enema or something...
A vivid imagination.......




* according to Wikipedia, In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of feces.

** the fundament is one word for the arsehole; which is a highly technical word, no doubt from Old English. A people who did not use a long and fancy word when a short and precise one would do.

and ***catharsis is one way of describing a case of extreme diarhhoeia; some of the online dictionaries delicately refer to purgation of the bowels.

[Tater]

Now getting back on topic .Could of read this in New distiller reading Lounge. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=14928