oops...now what?

[sadie33]

Dougmatt I don't see any links in your post. I see a calculater that NZChris has in his link. Maybe I am missing it.

[shadylane]

I don't do that because it's too complicated for me.

Tell the truth.
It's not too complicated, Your too lazy.

Anymore, for mashing and fermenting, I don't bother much with hydrometers or refractometers.
The only accurate measurement I need is a thermometer for mashing.
I can't use my finger for that, because it gets progressively more sensitive after being burned.

[sadie33]

okay...I hope this is right.
I found a calculator that will do the temp correction for Brix to give you the True Brix reading (TB)
Then I found a calculator that will convert Brix into SG.
I converted my F* to C* and this is what I got-
Brix reading was 24 @25 C* the calculator said the correction makes it Brix 24.34 I converted to SG=1.10
Brix reading was 0 @ 22.5 C*the calculator said the correction makes it Brix .13 I converted it to SG=1.00
I do the formula 1.10-1.00x131.25=13.12

Is my potential alcohol like 13%?

[sadie33]

I didn't know what to do with the Brix #, that's why I converted it to SG. I found one place that said you multiply the Brix by .59, but that didn't seem right.

[Saltbush Bill]

The whole thing sounds like a headache doing it that way.......save the drama and buy an alcometer.

[NZChris]

ATC is Automatic Temperature Compensation. You do not have to temperature correct a reading taken with an ATC refractometer.

Degrees Brix is a measure of the dissolved solids in a liquid. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams.

To estimate the SG using Brix, Multiply by 4 to get the second decimal place. E.g. Brix 16*4=64, equals SG 1.064

[sadie33]

ATC is Automatic Temperature Compensation. You do not have to temperature correct a reading taken with an ATC refractometer.

Degrees Brix is a measure of the dissolved solids in a liquid. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams.

To estimate the SG using Brix, Multiply by 4 to get the second decimal place. E.g. Brix 16*4=64, equals SG 1.064

Thank you NZChris, I know my refractometer is ATC and I know that it will auto correct the themp. I'm not using my refractometer, I am using my floating hydrometer. I guess I should have mentioned that. I have read that refractometers can give very wonky # when used on mash/wash. So I will use my hydrometer for my mash/wash and the refractometer for after.

that makes sense to me. I saw a video where the girl showed the exact hydrometer I have and she said it was tricky to read. When it looked like 80 on the SG side it was actually 1.080.

When using an alcometer is there any math or charts that you have to do or it just gives you the ABV or %of alcohol?

[sadie33]

I have 3 scales on my hydrometer. SG, Brix and potential alcohol by volume. so wouldn't that be an alcometer?

[NZChris]

When using an alcometer is there any math or charts that you have to do or it just gives you the ABV or %of alcohol?

viewtopic.php?p=7738074#p7738074

[Sporacle]

I have 3 scales on my hydrometer. SG, Brix and potential alcohol by volume. so wouldn't that be an alcometer?

The sixth post on the first page by Demy answers this very question

[sadie33]

OH MY GOODNESS I GET IT!!!

Thank you so much for being so patient.

I knew what each piece of equipment did (though honestly didn't know much about the potential volume of alcohol on my hydrometer.)
I was getting lost in the conversion charts of going from F* to C*, temp correction for all of them. I had to put this down for a bit and go to my sewing room. (I did finish quilting my quilt I have been working on for about a year )

I came back and read this WHOLE thread again and yet again. Clicking on EVERY link posted. I used the alcohol temp conversion chart NZChris posted. At first I was looking at the chart on top and it confused me even more, but then I saw the calculator below it. I used it and it worked!!

By using my Brix, doing to temp correction and converting F to C it came out to 13%
Then when I used the calculator for the potential alcohol it came out to 13%
When I converted my brix to SG and did the formula it came out to 13%
And the light went on. Now I have to go write this all down so I don't forget it.

So my ABV is 13% and I figured it out using all 3 scales on my hydrometer.

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!! and if I am wrong....please don't tell me till next year! I will figure it out.

[shadylane]

Now that you have the measurements figured out.
I'd recommend staying below 10%

[juana_b]

Keep up the good work Sadie. Proof that you're doing your homework gets you tons of Brownie points here.

[NZChris]

A Brix of 16, (an OG of 1.064), is my personal sweet spot for a lot of products. That said, if a wash is not far off my target, I don't try to fix it unless there is room in the fermenter and a good reason to.

BTW, I am a bit confused by you saying that your Brix is 13% and your ABV is 13%. A staring Brix of 13 should yield roughly 6.5% ABV in the finished wash.

Brix refractometers and Brix hydrometers do not give a newbie an accurate reading of anything in a partly fermented wash.

[sadie33]

A Brix of 16, (an OG of 1.064), is my personal sweet spot for a lot of products. That said, if a wash is not far off my target, I don't try to fix it unless there is room in the fermenter and a good reason to.

BTW, I am a bit confused by you saying that your Brix is 13% and your ABV is 13%. A staring Brix of 13 should yield roughly 6.5% ABV in the finished wash.

Brix refractometers and Brix hydrometers do not give a newbie an accurate reading of anything in a partly fermented wash.

What I meant when I said my Brix was 13% is that when I took the brix #, did the temp correction, converted from F to C it and did all the math, it came out to 13%.

For my first spirit run, as long as my low wines are below 40% (which I have been told they almost always will be from a pot still)And now that I know how to use my hydrometer fully, I am not going to fiddle with them. I will proof it to where I want it after the spirit run. I am going to age some with oak and turn some into apple pie moonshine and try a blueberry muffin moonshine. (I have some of our blueberries from this summer in our freezer). I took a pint of my low wines and added a cinnamon stick and some other spices for flavor. I am planning on putting this in my thumper for the spirit run. I know it won't carry through strong, but I think it will give it just a hint of flavor for a good base. The sweet feed I used in the mash has a nice little molasses flavor coming through. I also think this will be a nice base for the blueberry muffin.

[Steve Broady]

My cheap Chinese alcohol refractometer isn't very accurate much over 40%. I only use it when ABV accuracy isn't very important or the ABV is low. It's handy for Low Wines as I'm aiming for 24-30% for most of my flavored products, but I have to remember that it reads about 1% high.

Chris, does your refractometer have a calibration screw on it? Mine does, though I have not yet compared it to a hydrometer across a range of proofs. I checked it today, having finally bought myself a proof and tralle hydrometer. It was way off, but I’ve since calibrated it. I’ll be checking it with every use for a while, when I can.

You know way more than I do, so please don’t take this as me trying to educate you. I’m trying to educate myself, and your comment piqued my curiosity.

[StillerBoy]

I checked it today, having finally bought myself a proof and tralle hydrometer. It was way off, but I’ve since calibrated it. I’ll be checking it with every use for a while, when I can.

Be aware and mindful that the p&t hydrometer purchase online or at brewshops are not accurate to start with.. unless you purchase one that is for legal measuring, and those are costly..

Those are ok to give us a starting point or indicator..

Mars

[Steve Broady]

Is there any reasonable way to verify or calibrate tools like this at home? The only thing that comes to mind is checking it on a commercial spirit, since I would guess they ought to conform to the label pretty closely.

[bcook608]

Is there any reasonable way to verify or calibrate tools like this at home? The only thing that comes to mind is checking it on a commercial spirit, since I would guess they ought to conform to the label pretty closely.

calibrate it with distilled water to 0% is what I've seen and heard for refractometers

[Deplorable]

Is there any reasonable way to verify or calibrate tools like this at home? The only thing that comes to mind is checking it on a commercial spirit, since I would guess they ought to conform to the label pretty closely.

Refractometers can/should be calibrated with distilled water or in accordance with the owners pamphlet.
Alcometers can be checked for accuracy by checking it against a bottle of spirits and distilled water, both of which should be at the temperature that your alcometer is calibrated at, so make sure your thermometer is calibrated correctly as well.

[NZChris]

My cheap Chinese alcohol refractometer isn't very accurate much over 40%. I only use it when ABV accuracy isn't very important or the ABV is low. It's handy for Low Wines as I'm aiming for 24-30% for most of my flavored products, but I have to remember that it reads about 1% high.

Chris, does your refractometer have a calibration screw on it? Mine does, though I have not yet compared it to a hydrometer across a range of proofs. I checked it today, having finally bought myself a proof and tralle hydrometer. It was way off, but I’ve since calibrated it. I’ll be checking it with every use for a while, when I can.

You know way more than I do, so please don’t take this as me trying to educate you. I’m trying to educate myself, and your comment piqued my curiosity.

Yes, but it doesn't adjust the range. I have mine zeroed for water, but you could adjust one for accuracy in a range that is important to you. Mine is sort of ok around 40%, but increasingly off above that. If I wanted it to be accurate around 50%, I would have to calibrate it against a sample of 50%, but then it would be way off at around 28% where some accuracy is convenient for stripping.

If you look up a graph of the Refractive Index of ethanol and water, you will see that it tops out at around 81% and starts falling, making it difficult to produce cheapos that are accurate at high abvs.

[Steve Broady]

Thank you! That makes perfect sense once you explain it. I suppose that if one really cared, they could either recalibrate for the appropriate portion of the range each time, or have multiple refractometers calibrated for different ranges. Or just go with it, and not sweat the details most of the time.

[NZChris]

After my first strip, I measure the ABV collected with a hydrometer and the refractometer. That tells me how much refractometer error I have to allow for the subsequent strips, so I could calibrate my cheapo for any desired ABV range and still be able use it when stripping.

If I didn't have an alcohol refractometer, I could substitute my Brix refractometer. Whatever reading it gave at my desired Low Wines ABV would be the target for the rest of the strips.

[Wildcats]

Now I'm just more confused

[Wildcats]

Well my brain hurts. This should be easy. But it's just not clicking for me rite now. Hopefully I'll have a fresh look at it tomorrow and get it. I have the glass tester now but the refractometer is coming Wednesday. So maybe I'll be able to read that one. I'm talking about sg.

[bcook608]

Well my brain hurts. This should be easy. But it's just not clicking for me rite now. Hopefully I'll have a fresh look at it tomorrow and get it. I have the glass tester now but the refractometer is coming Wednesday. So maybe I'll be able to read that one. I'm talking about sg.

When using a hydrometer (this should be a triple scale hydrometer, not an alcoholmeter) to test wash, you want to use the scale that shows 0.990 to 1.xxx (not sure the max of the scale). When you create your wash, you'll want to shoot for somewhere around 1.070-1.080 to keep from stressing the yeast. When setting up your ferment, make sure you provide the required nutrients (See Shady's Sugar Shine for the best nutrition setup), add a buffer medium (Crushed oyster shells suspended in pantyhose so they don't get buried at the bottom), and ensure your fermenter is insulated and you have the ability to adjust temp as needed. Once the ferment has been working for 24-48 hours, test it again to ensure things are going well. Then test every 2-3 days until you see a reading under 1.000. Once there is no further movement in that number, you have your final gravity and your wash is ready to run. If it's still cloudy, allow it to sit for another few days or you can cold crash it if you are able to move your fermenter outside to let the trub settle to the bottom.

Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion. A refractometer is not required and in my opinion just adds more complexity to the process and more opportunity for mistakes when taking readings. That said, every tool has it's use so it's up to you to decide if you will use it regularly or not.

[Wildcats]

Very helpful. I didn't have a way to test the osg at the start of my last wash. But was able to test it as it was finished. Fsg was so low the whole tester sank past .998. and I did let it clear. Striped it and now doing this one to add to my low wines. For spirit run. Thanks again man.

[Hapican]

I guess I was asking the wrong ? because I just found a few articles on how to do it w/o OG.

There we go.. it's important in this hobby to take time to learn the language of the hobby.. otherwise the research will be worthless, or the assistance not forth coming..

There is nothing that requires to be learned that isn't posted somewhere on HD, but most are in a rush and forget to learn to walk first, which imply learning and understanding the language of the hobby..

Hopefully a lessen learned..

https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.ph ... y:Glossary

Mars

Thank you for posting the link. I added a shortcut to my home screen for ease of accessing.

[Hapican]

I looked up alcometers and got breathalizers I think I will try and figure out the Brix thing first.

* This is the one I ordered. It would seem to be more accurate as the scaling is broke over three choices of meter|ranges.

5 Pieces Alcoholmeter Accurate Alcohol Hydrometer Kit 0-100% ABV, for Spirits Whiskey Moonshine Distilling Liquor Testing with Glass Test Jar Carry Wooden Storage Box (Wooden Box) https://a.co/d/4IOOLiq

I'm new to shinin as well, good luck on your run.