How to Use a Hydrometer for Making Mead, Wine, Cider and Beer
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- čas přidán 23. 08. 2024
- How to Use a Hydrometer for Making Mead, Wine, Cider and Beer. The hydrometer and specific gravity readings are soo important to safely and reliably making mead, wine, cider and beer, yet, we see people constantly refusing to use them. It's not about the ABV! It's about knowing what is happening in your mead, wine, cider and beer! Get a hydrometer, learn to use it, and your brews will improve!
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Excellent reminder video!
A little trick for anyone whose eyesight is as bad as mine: snap a picture of your hydrometer floating in the liquid you want to measure using your phone’s camera. You can then enlarge that picture and get a clear reading. Even with reading glasses on it can be hard to read where that level is. Much easier to do so on an enlarged section of a picture on your phone. 😊
That's a good tip!
@@TigerPat_9180 - I used to be eagle-eyed. Now I’m just bleary-eyed. 🤣
Thank YOU!!! 🫡
Plus, then you've got a visual record you can refer back to.
You're my new hero!! Brilliant tip!
Its crazy the amount of “little” details like this that other wine making tutorials just don’t include. They just skip past it like “take the gravity reading” without explaining how to even do it lol. Thank you for this video! This channel has been incredibly helpful
You are very welcome!
This is the best channel. I have been binge watching all of your videos. Just started my first mead and it is nice to start a hobby like this with confidence.
Welcome aboard!
Same bro I did the same thing I love these guys
Hello.135 is not wrong?correct is 131.25
This is like the Good Eats of home brew. Thanks!
Wow, thanks for that! Love Alton Brown!
Best video on the internet about this subject.
Bravo sir
Wow, thank you!
@@CitySteadingBrews my pleasure, I have just begun my home brewing journey with a couple of turbo (hard) ciders, and started my 1st beer with an extract kit this morning.
Your channel has helped immensely, so thank you very much
I'm thinking of two video friendly experiments you could do which might make it easier to understand specific gravity. First, measure out a specific amount, say 250 ml., of water, and test with the hydrometer to show that plain water tests at 1.000. Then weigh it on a scale. After that, dissolve a quantity of sugar into the water, take a reading, then measure out 250 ml., and weigh it. It will be heavier.
The next experiment is the same, but taking an actual weight of the brew at the point where you take the OG, then again when final gravity is taken. Of course, the weight lost is all due to CO² escaping, and an explanation of that might be helpful, too. Just an idea...
Thank you guys for doing what you do.
Back to the basics. Love a good refresher, thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
This totally helped. I took a reading when the bubbles went to like 1 every two minutes. now waiting a while to check. Looking forward to bottling my first cider.
Thank you so much! I started my brew about 3 months ago and just now found out I was doing this all wrong!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Reading and obtaining any useful information from that crazy thing has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced while making beer and mead so thank you for clarifying!
You are very welcome!
I have to agree
I watched this video about 4 times and eureka! I see the light! Thank you so much.
Thank you guys so much!!! We are now enjoying our meads!!! ❤❤❤
Thanks so much for doing this video, its so annoying seeing someone post a three digit SG. Trying to explain SG should always be a four digit number, really appreciate getting the word out. Thanks.
Good vid. Your right, the way hydrometer are set up for readings is confusing, you've helped, thanks.
Very simple and perfect for all. Thank you for sharing.
I know someone already said it but you are a blessing i am just getting into mead have a regular batch and a expiermental melomel brewing. I have been kinds just going at it and learning on the way and your videos have been amazing!
Happy to help!
Great video. I had the toughest time reading the hy-dropiter when I first started home brewing!
Just started my first mead a couple days ago so this helped me correct my reading from when I started
How did it turn out?
@@TheGeekBox came out great exactly like there basic mead recipe
@@nicholasmayon6453 ah brilliant well done! Just put my very first batch in for fermentation. Fingers crossed lol. Think I may have screwed my reading lol
Damn, I now remember that I broke my hydrometer during my last brewing session. Thank you for reminding me with your thumbnail!
Thank you for explaining this
You are welcome!
I usually check the gravity when I see major changes in airlock activity. If I have an active ferment (say a bubble every 10 to 15 seconds or less) I usually leave the fermenter closed. When it starts slowing down to 20 or 30 seconds between bubbles, I will check the gravity to see if it has used almost all of the sugars. If it has, I may add more sugar depending on what I am choosing to make.
Currently, I have an apple cider going that I added a pound of dextrose to when the yeast when past the target final gravity range (was shooting for sweet) . The ferments seem to go a bit better for me when I add most of the sugars upfront but not shoot for the moon on initial gravity.
Thanks for your help, I’m about to start brewing! I have so many ideas, but I’ve never tasted regular , standard issue mead. I suppose I’ll go to Total Wine to get a baseline.
I just asked ChatGPT aboput your channel. Pretty spot on Id say. :)
City Steading Brews is a CZcams channel that focuses on homebrewing, winemaking, and fermentation. The channel's hosts, Brian and Derica, share their passion for creating homemade alcoholic beverages and fermented foods. They provide tutorials, tips, and advice for beginners and experienced homebrewers alike, covering various brewing techniques, equipment, and ingredients. The general theme of the channel is to encourage people to learn and experiment with the art of brewing and fermenting in a fun and approachable way.
Thank you so much for your videos the inspired me to take up cider making.
Holy crap! We’re famous!
When I tried it got the names wrong and said we’re all about beer?
Big fan and follower here!
Awesome!! I get confused every time I use the hydrometer. It might be time for glasses. Lol!🍻
Good explanation!
Thanks for sharing this was super helpful!
Pfff that hydrometer in another episode of yours you said BUY three for backup i have found out why i was spraying down the hydrometer in the empty measuring glass when it slipped out of my fingers en crashed on the bottom of the glass so now ive ordered not A new one but THREE lol
This one! Found it! I'm so excited for this next batch because I'm actually be doing it right
Super helpful! Thanks!
You're welcome!
So my first reading on my current batch was 1.160 and it maxed out the meter... with a yeast going up to 18%, I'm very excited!
That is quite high... beyond what your yeast can do. I recommend diluting that. Otherwise you may have off flavors or even a stalled fermentation.
@@CitySteadingBrews It's been going for 4 weeks tomorrow and I was planning to bottle then, though it is still bubbling slowly. I like mine a bit sweeter than most so I'm hoping it ends up alright
As I said, there is a possibility of a stall. If you notice in our videos, we almost never go past 1.100, there's good reasons for that 😁
Thanks Dude
Hi Brian! I’ve watched nearly all the videos on the channel. Yup. Time to get onto Patreon I think.
Anyway, quick question:
I love chamomile tea. I can’t find a chamomile mead recipe ANYWHERE. There may be good reason for this, however I’ve started one.
Enough tea bags to make 3/4 of a gallon of chamomile tea (following instructions on box)
Enough honey (wildflower) to get a starting gravity of 1.090.
Yeast hulls.
Red star premier yeast
That’s it! That’s my very simple recipe.
Would you have done it differently? I’ll let you know the results, but the primary fermentation seems very vigorous.
We haven’t really experimented with chamomile for brewing yet!
Ty Brian y'all are the best at braking things down and I appreciate that I can only learn things by watching and listening love you both y'all are both great teachers and my wine turned out great drank it in two days lol
Thank you for another easy to digest and informative video! I have a question for maybe the next Q&A, how do you calculate the calories in mead? Do you just go off of the honey by volume? Or does the fermentation process eat away at some of the calories?
You calculate the volume of sugar and the volume of alcohol. 1 gram of alcohol is 7 calories. 1 gram of sugar is 4.
Had to comment because of the shirt, your shirts are always fun but I love that movie. Very informative as always, danke schoen!
Most welcome! One of my favorite movies.
And, us old folks need glasses to read em... 😂. Although, the Herculometer's numbers are a bit easier to read.
Really good video! Thank i so so much!! This helped me a lot!
Happy to help!
O m g! THANK YOU for this! I love mead, not math 😂❤️so I appreciate all the help
I like grapefruit so I'll definitely try that after this one.
Temperature is important. I checked my tap water after rinsing out my primary and found it at 0.994 at 74°. I used colder water at 67° and it was 1.000.
From now on I will be taking temperature with specific gravity.
It's not so drastic in my experience. Usually a point or two. Even the adjustment calcs don't show that drastic a change. Maybe it was warmer than 74?
Love your channel and your humor! I’m learning a lot, new to home brewing . I started a batch of fresh pressed apple cider a month ago, didn’t have a hydrometer so I couldn’t take a reading, have since bought a hydrometer and took a reading today which was 1.000 for my cider, and 1.000 for my crabapple wine. Both seem to have finished with fermenting and bubbling and are just sitting for now. Is it time to bottle the cider? what do I do with the layer of sediment that is sitting on the bottom? Will it go away with time? Also, I need to rack the wine into a carboy, there is a dense layer of sediment on the bottom. Do I transfer this sediment to the carboy too? Gosh, lots of questions, thank you so much for your help! Great helpful videos.
As we show in all our recipe videos... take a reading, wait a week, take another. If it doesn't change, it's safe to rack. After racking, let it sit to settle and bottle in a few months.
czcams.com/video/-X00d3C14z0/video.htmlsi=MI3ZPj5OR3Q9dfuh
czcams.com/video/RN985pf9Ews/video.htmlsi=mHcLLpYp64QxQ8lD
Luckily for me i did chemistry at college and later drove chemical tankers. The weighbridge maths of those liquids was fun.
I like to make note of fluid line on my hydrometer then pull it out and turn it upside down to read like a thermometer. It’s easier on the brain when the numbers follow gravity.
love the save ferris tshirt link
Dude, love the video but really love the shirt. LOL
Can you explain how you get the 135 amount vs the 131.25 amount to multiply by for the ABV?
czcams.com/video/NpBZctKaPis/video.html
czcams.com/video/7gsujXbzbww/video.html
Do you recommend the glass test jar or the plastic? I noticed you use the plastic a lot and I was not sure if you used the glass for the demonstration. Glass on glass makes me nervous which is why I asked.
We recently got the glass one like we have linked in the description and love it. Easier to read and just a little larger.
If you’re nervous about glass on glass, here’s a simple trick: tilt the cylinder until it’s at least halfway between straight up and flat with its opening to the side. Slide in the hydrometer. Set your cylinder on the table upright. As you slid the hydrometer in all the way to the bottom (or almost) it won’t break as it won’t hot the bottom from high up.
Or: fill the cylinder halfway up with the liquid you want to measure. Add the hydrometer and let go gently. The buoyancy of that half-filled cylinder will prevent your hydrometer from hitting the bottom and breaking.
Method 3: fill your cylinder with water all the way to the top. Do this in a lasagna dish or a sink. Pop in the hydrometer. The cylinder will overflow. Take out the hydrometer. Mark the level the water is at. Now you know what maximum level of mead/wine/cider you need to prevent your cylinder from overflowing. Again, the natural buoyancy will prevent your hydrometer from hitting the bottom of your cylinder.
I broke two hydrometers using a glass cylinder, then I broke the cylinder. I loved it, but I have butterfingers and the two are incompatible. The only upside is that when the hydrometers break in the cylinder at least the mess is contained.
I can't wait.. tommorrow i get to rack off my crabapple "cider?" And take a reading. It'll be the first time I've bothered taking readings. (Everything is usually bound for the still.. 😂)
I suggest taking the reading before you rack... czcams.com/video/-HFqEL5rCK0/video.htmlsi=f1Qp4tjDb_4pNSot
I was planning on sticking the hydrometer straight into my big container, measuring the whole batch at once, instead of using a smaller sample - would this be an issue? Thanks, love you channel, great stuff!
It's only an issue if you don't sanitize it or can't have it float or... can't get it back out!
@@CitySteadingBrews So, my hydrometer touches the bottom... Is this when I give in and buy a cylinder to put a sample of my mead into?
Love your videos. Tried your Dry Mead recipe and it’s brilliant.
Question: is it possible to estimate ABV from the OG reading?
You need og and fg.
In your opinion what is the best gravity reading to start my brew at ?
There is no one answer here. It depends on what you want, what yeast, what the recipe is, etc. We do try for 1.100 for most wine and mead though.
There is a more basic way of measuring gravity that might come in handy when dealing with stuff that does not float like malt or raisins, and thus do not really help the hydrometer float.
You use a scale and a beer bottle (preferably 500ml). Place the bottle on your scale, zero, and fill with water until the middle of the neck. Record the weight of the water and mark the water level on the bottle neck.
Dump the water and repeat the process with your starter or brew in it's various state. Yet this time you fill the bottle up to the marked level and the result is the weight of the liquid.
Density will be your brew weight divided by your recorded water weight.
Of course it is not easy to get the less floating stuff into the bottle raisins especially, but it will be better then them not contributing to your reading at all.
Cheers!
While that does work, when you add in the density of things with no sugars you're not getting an accurate reading anyway. Most fruits have far less sugar than their weight so it's going to give very skewed results.
I feel like this is a stupid question but I have not seen it addressed anywhere:
After you take your reading, do you pour the tested bit back with the rest or do you discard it? I can see arguments either way for it around potential contamination or excessive waste.
We always sanitize everything so we pour it back in.
Hi y’all, if we’re trying to match a recipe you post and our honey has different sugar levels which throws off the sp. gr. when we use the same mass of honey as you, what is a decent general error of measurement from your sp. gr.? For example, say you call out a starting gravity of 1.109, what would be an okay range above and below that reading for us to reach so that our brew should be in roughly the same ballpark (minus the usual differences of location, temp., etc.)?
Side question, have you ever looked into using mayhaw berries? I know they’re harder to come by, but they make a delicious jelly. Thank you so much for all of these videos! They’re wonderful!
Never had mayhaws…
Margin of error? Stay within 10-20 points? It’s not crucial and honey shouldn’t vary that much.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks! Sorry for the long winded question. I like to make sure I thoroughly get my points across. 😅
I’ve never had the berries, but the jelly is a lovely light pink color if the fruit is picked in early season and turns darker the later you pick them. At least, my cousin’s berries do that. The jelly is lightly sweet, but I can’t describe the rest of the taste from memory. It’s a very precious commodity in our family! If I can find a hidden stash I may send a small jar for inspiration and thanks. Can’t promise though. My family members don’t part with their homemade jars of it easily!
I live in Albuquerque , over 5k feet in altitude, will this slow my brew, or is temperature the most important factor?
I don't really know the effects of elevation on brewing.
Hi both, new to the channel and want to say thanks for getting me hooked on homebrew, bought my first kit and started with your Ginger Beer recipe! I managed to figure out the Hydrometer thing before coming here, but happy I confirmed I wasn't barking up the wrong tree.
I think I've messed up the conversions a little though, as my SP/GR after adding yeast came out at 1.046 and I'm not convinced it's gonna turn out great, can i just keep adding sugar now (if I have neck space left) or should I just live with it? Also the airlock started bubbling after only 30mins and now 3 hours later it's going crazy, is it doing ok?!
Keep up the good work, your videos have been great to watch and learn from!
Seems fine. Might just end up a touch less sweet than ours.
Hey guys! Love the channel! I Just racked my first mead following one of your recipes! I’m excited to finally age!
I started a second Bree about 9 or 10 days ago and noticed I had no airlock activity so I took a reading. My initial reading was 1.125 and currently it’s below 1.000. I’m not sure if this brew is done or stalled. I feel like 10 days was kind of a short fermentation time for a mead. Thoughts?
If you are at 1.000 it’s likely done. czcams.com/video/2FqCLcYDlo8/video.html
Ii am making a batch of wine and I pitched the yeast yesterday. The hydrometer showed up today is my reading 1 day into fermentation useful for anything? Looks like it is around 1.090. Bubbling like crazy. I love listening to it
It's probably a little off of the original but you know you're not out of the range of normality 👍
@@CitySteadingBrews I was just curious if it would change rapidly in the first day while the yeast is freshly activating or if
It changes pretty steadily throughout?
It might start a little sooner is all.
Question that might not be relevant to this video, but here goes.
Is there a way to permanently stop fermentation at a given hydro reading? I've read a bit about the campden tablets and I'm not sure how those work. Do I have to wait for brew to completely stop fermentation, back sweeten and then add the campden tablets, then rack/bottle? Or can I throw the tablets in right when I hit my desired hydro reading, rack and bottle?
I don’t use chemical stabilization. We pasteurize. I suppose you could stop fermentation that way. Might get messy.
Ahh man.. Knew I remembered the 60.. Pitched a cyser and the SpGr went off the scale.. 🤔 🤣 But.. The scale ended 1100. Well that's not fun.. Best look for a new hydrometer. Didn't notice first ones as they were 1042 and 1062. This video confirms my hydrometers lack of function.
There are lots of different ranges.
@@CitySteadingBrews research says I have a proof and tralle ( liquor) hydrometer. Some say not to use for wine. More research needed.. Thanks 🙏🏻🧡
when some friends and I made mead, we put way too much honey in, 6.7Kg or something instead of the 4Kg we were supposed to use. When we then tried to measure it, the sugar content was so high that the entire meter was lifted out of the liquid. It ends at 1.122. Now, 6 weeks later, we emptied bout half of the 15 liter bucket, then filled it with water up to 10 liter. 5 days later and the Hydrometer says 1.024. I think i'll just use that as my initial measurement.
I wouldn't call that your initial sg. More like your ending sg... glad you diluted it though, or it wouldn't be drinkable 👍
Can you talk about how you do the ABV calculation when the finished brew is below 1.000?
Same as usual.
czcams.com/video/xNwNZgeTtIE/video.html
I would like to try and brew my own apple cider/wine I would like an abv around 10 12 and was wondering if you could give me some advise on what type of yeast to use and what sugar content I'm going to need. And any other pointers you may have. I have used one of the brew your own beer kits before and was successful ish it did make beer but it wasn't very good. Hopefully this will be better. Thanks
Please take a look at our video library, we have hundreds of videos explaining every step of the process and various recipes. czcams.com/channels/qgnJOZ4ity3nQL_xe_hGYg.html
Just brewing my first two batches of mead one blueberry one just regular honey. My question is when you test with the hydrometer can you pour your test sample back in the carboy? Or do I just toss the test amount. Since I'm only doing one gallon batches I'm worried about wasting that amount to test the ABV
We out it back but ONLY if everything was sanitized.
Hello. I know it's been a whole year atfer You posted this video, but I'd like to ask a (probably dumb) question; if you were (for example) taking 4 readings, that summs up to a small amount of mead. What do you do with it? I live in Poland and on mine it says not to: a) drink the liquid after reading
b) don't pour it into the batch again.
Its my first mead and I've made 20 liters of it, so I'd like to know.
I really appreciate your channel.
Have a nice day
As we show in all our videos, everything is sanitized so we put it back in. Never been a problem in hundreds of brews!
@@CitySteadingBrews much thanks for the fast response. Very helpful.
I made a 1 gallon jug of juice from wild black cherries and 2 cups of white granulated sugar. Added a ginger bug started of 1/4 cup ginger bug. The wort was sitting 5 days. I just tested it with the same brand hydrometer that you use and it read 1.062. Did I wait too long to bottle it? Seems high? Temperature in my house is 71°F.
Sounds like it’s not finished.
@@CitySteadingBrews ok. I harvested the wild black cherries from a local black cherry tree. I mashed them up in purified water and boiled, then added sugar. Then I strained out the skin and pits. The wort tasted sweet, delicious. But I wanted to ferment it for the beneficial bacteria so after the wort cooled down to room temperature, I added the live culture from my ginger bug. I understand that it will increase alcohol level the longer it ferments. I was just trying to figure out how much alcohol. Because I don't want much. I am only fermenting for the beneficial gut bacteria. I'll test again in a few days and try to figure it out.
@postscript123 you would calculate just like any other brew. Figure out potential sugars per volume in your must and convert to SG then take a hydrometer reading at the end and do the formula.
1.062 is very very sweet. It’s higher than most beers starting gravity.
Just a guess at alcohol level is hard since it doesn’t seem like your starting gravity was high enough to give that ending gravity.
You mentioned the terms dry and semi sweet. What does it actually mean?
Also, I've seen people "predict" the alcohol % of the finished mead in this case, but I'm confused as to how, when you need the batch to be done fermenting first to get the final gravity?
Dry and sweet mean how much sugar is left. Dry means very little. As for estimating abv. Most assume it will end dry when they do this calculation.
@@CitySteadingBrews Ah I see, makes sense. Thanks alot for the reply!
I'm just beginning home brewing and Ive loved your videos. I've started 3 other brews that are doing fantastic, but last night, I tried to start a lemon wine and couldn't get the hydrometer to even get to the chart. The liquid level was at the very bottom where the black line is that starts the chart 🤦🏼♀️. I had no idea what I needed to add. More water? More sugar? Is it too late to save?
Are you saying it was above 1.160 or below 0.990?
@CitySteadingBrews The whole chart on the hydrometer was floating above my liquid. My water line didn't even make it to the chart. Below the 1.170 line, I think. I had put in about over 3 1/2 lbs of sugar in a gallon carboy
Ok, so you're saying it sank in below the chart. Gotcha. 3.5 lbs of sugar... that is WAAAY too much. That's a starting gravity of something like 1.160 or more depending on water level. I'd dilute that down to under 1.120. Your yeast are going to stress at that gravity, especially for lemon.@@shaunawhite5017
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you! I'll try diluting it. I definitely have a lot to learn. Appreciate the help! 👍
Hello. I'm new to brewing and have only just found your channel. Currently making a cherry mead, but didn't take an original hydrometer reading( I wasn't aware that a start reading was required.) I have nearly reached the point where the cherries need to be removed. Would taking a reading when the fruit is removed help with finding out when the fermentation is complete, or should i wait until the bubbler has slowed down, and then do two hydrometer reading one week apart. Thanks you
Taking ending readings are actually more important than beginning ones. Once the airlock activity slows, two identical readings a week apart show it's done.
My SPG is 3.14. I am making a Pi mead. :)
Ha
before yest black berry strawberry honey mead 1.065 what should it read when its done and about what % is it going to be dry? its my first time making mead
I would highly suggest using known recipes in the beginning. We teach all of the things you asked throughout our videos.
Without knowing all the details of your brew, it most likely should end at 1.000 or lower. It should be around 7-8%.
Have you ever used a digital hydrometer like the tilt?
Nope. I don’t really need 24/7 gravity readings :).
Hey.....
I have a question! If I were too use unflavored gelatin as a clearing agent do I add it during fermentation or after?
I've never worried about clarity as I consume my wines young. But my Apple pie wine I will be sharing on Thanksgiving.
We did it after.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks
I get really confused by the readings at the top before 0.990 and I have had multiple brews go there. Can you clarify those numbers? Martin Pessink
Ethanol is lower than 1.000, so when mixed with water, the reading can be below 1.000.
Actually a short question: If I read, for example a 1.020 in specific gravity, that corresponds to roughly 5% on the potential alcohol scale. But when I calculate (1.020-1.000)*135, it only comes out to 2.7%. Where does the difference come from?
The potential scale isn’t really useful imho.
The bottom line of my Hydrometer is 1.150 and my Must was reading the same. Is it possible that my Specific Gravity could of be higher? Or would the Hydrometer have push past the bottom mark if it was actually 1.160+
The hydrometer will go past the markings. Even still, 1.150 is too high for a safe OG. You're likely to have issues with fermentation at that number. We aim for 1.100ish give or take 10 points.
I wanted a sweeter mead but I over did it mine is coming out 1.035 ish . Ill let it go another week hopefully it comes down . Can you add more water to “thin “ it out? 😅
You can.
I love your work I love the channel sometimes I have a little trouble following and getting to the links but my question today is I started the brew on March 14 are used Lavin de 47. I got a original gravity of 1.111. I use the entire package of yeast I’m getting active bubbles is it too late to split the Meade?
Why would you want to split it?
@@CitySteadingBrews I was watching the videos on stalling, and I thought I understood that a 1.1 1 1 would be too high for my yeast
@@CitySteadingBrews I made a second brew that day, and it was a 1.130 seem Lavin di 47 with an orange honey.
1.111 should be about 15% abv.
1.130 might be a little high or just leave some sweetness.
What happens if you didn’t take a beginning reading? How can you tell abv?
You can't with full accuracy, but sometimes this method works: czcams.com/video/H_qQWHnIvy4/video.html
If I've sanitized all equipment, After testing the mead with the hydrometer, can I pour it back into the fermenter? Or could that cause the batch to spoil?
If it's all sanitized it should be fine.
What about the dashe between the number dose it only go up to 4?
Dash? 4?
Why not youse a Refractometer is it not as good? im trying to decide witch would be easier to use
You can use either, we did a video or two on the differences: czcams.com/video/MgRY9bUUVZE/video.html
Is there a way to check abv if you forgot to measure at the start of fermentation 😅
Only estimation based on recipe really.
Google search says to multiplY by
131.25
In your vid, you say multiply by 135.
Why is there a diffrence in multiplying numbers.
Does this have ta do with diffrent temps, ?
It's due to the fact it's not a straight scale. As ABV goes up, the amount of ethanol goes up and ethanol has a different gravity than water, so as the volumes change, the accuracy of that coefficient changes. I tested, and did some math, and found that 131.25 is fine for lower abv, like below 9% or so, and 135 is more accurate at higher ABV's. Here's a video explaining: czcams.com/video/NpBZctKaPis/video.htmlsi=wkRNob5Dn2qf92pf
I didnt take my first reading when i started but after 2 weeks of fermentation and it started to slow i added some more honey back in and got it mixed around to backsweeten. my hydrometer finaly came in, took the reading and im at 1.012. How can i tell what abv its at
You really can't at this point. Best you can do is estimate based on measurements and your recipe.
When you use honny !! Do you need to ad sugar??
No.
Ive been using 250 ml and i fill it to there THEN put the hydrometer in, does that make a difference and does the amount of liquid matter after a certain amount?
Nope. Volume doesn’t really matter except that it could make reading it easier if you have a larger volume.
Hi there! Awesome vids. Question about my reading. I didn't have a hydrometer to take a first reading so I can't give you that number, but I have been fermenting your simple grape juice recipe for three weeks and my reading today was 1.012. That's kinda crappy isn't it? the only time I shook the "Bejezzus" out of it was at the beginning. After that I just threw on an airlock, but it in the dark, and forgot about it. Did I do something wrong?
Readings go down as it ferments.
@@CitySteadingBrews Should I shake it again or rack? Does it become dryer as i let it sit? I prefer sweet. Thanks again.
As we always say, wait a week, take another reading.
Then if they are the same, you can rack it. Once it clears, taste it. If it is too dry, add sweetener and pasteurize it. We show all these steps in most of our videos to help you out :)
Hello! So for the first reading, do you still multiply the number by 135 or leave it as is and wait for the second reading??
Original Reading minus final reading then multiply by 135 gives you the ABV %.
@@CitySteadingBrews Gotcha! Ok. Thanks very much!
Hi! I have a question. I've been brewing mead at home. When measuring the OG, before fermenting, the sugars in the must are well-mixed and definitely gives more density to the must. But after the fermentation settles and is done, the residue of the yeast and sugars sink to the bottom. So when measuring the FG of the "clear" mead is there an offset in the density change due to the residue laying at the bottom? I don't really know how much the density changes solely because of the residue leaving the liquid, but I'm worried about how inaccurate my reading of FG will be when not blending and just measuring the clear mead. Should I blend/swirl the finished mead to mix the residue at the bottom with the rest of the mead for more accurate reading?
The reasoning behind the question is that I don't really want to re-blend the finished mead with the residue when it's ready for bottling, cause I want the finished product to be as clear as possible. And therefore I'm wondering if this method will give me inaccurate density readings and therefore inaccurate calculations of ABV.
Have you given this any thought?
Best regards, Jonathan
The sediment is not really in the must when you take the OG. Most of that is compounds formed during fermentation. They fall out and really don't have an effect on the gravity.
@@CitySteadingBrews Okay, makes sense. This thought has been bugging me for quite some time. Thanks for the quick answer, I appreciate it! :)
QUESTION: So, if you back sweet then are you subtracting that number by the original number and multiplying by 135?
Sweetening doesn't add or remove alcohol.
So, it doesn’t matter if you take a reading after sweetening then?
Taking a reading after sweetening just tells you what you sweetened it to. It won't help with alcohol calculation.
Is it ok if I did take a gravity reading the day I made it?
Do you mean didn't take one?
If you didn't take one... it's fine, you just won't know how much alcohol is made. If you followed our recipe closely you should have a rough idea though.
I made two meads and wonder what you think of my measurements.
One was 2.5 lbs Wegmans honey (typical mid grade unfiltered honey) with .5 lbs orange blossom OG 1.098 one month later 1.010 (juniper berries and hibiscus in primary)
The other was 2 1/4 lbs Wegmans with 3/4lb orange blossom OG 1.142 one month later 1.026 (cadmium ginger orange peel and cinnamon in primary)
Both fermenting with 1tsp Fleischman's and 3 tsp Fermaid O.
The yeast chewed real aggressively in the 2nd mead. Whatcha all think?
I think the first one isn't finished and the second one I can't see how the gravity started that high.
@@CitySteadingBrews that's what I was thinking. I might have misread the meter. I'm in the "take a reading every week" point now. Thanks
There's no need to. Take a reading at creation then another when it looks like there is no activity. Then another a week later to verify fermentation is done.
Hey love the vids started my first mead from one of your recipes. And im a month down the line and got two readings. First one was 1.030 and the second is 1.024. Wonder what the sweet spot for a mead would be? Also i had a taste and its a little bit fizzy is that normal?
You sure the first was 1.030? What was the recipe?
@@CitySteadingBrews ye. It was 3 pounds of honey, 2oz of raisins, teaspoon of yeast and some orange peel
@@CitySteadingBrews the original gravity to start with was 1.100
That makes more sense. Final gravity vs sweetness is very subjective. Essentially anything higher than 1.000 is varying levels of sweet. Sometimes I prefer 1.020ish, sometimes higher or lower.@@gruffyddjones5913
@@CitySteadingBrews ok so the readings i got for the recipe make sense do they? And what about the slight fizzyness is that normal?
I used the home winemaking video to make some wine from store bought grape juice and then this to figure out the hydrometer. After three weeks, with still a few bubbles I transferred it to another container to see if relaxing it would help. But the wine came out about 10% alcohol and a little Manischewitzy. I used 2 1/4 cups of sugar instead of 2.5 to see if that would make it less sweet. Used a 1 gallon jar just like your video. I took pictures of the hydrometer readings like one of the other subscribers suggested. 1.112 at the start and 1.038 at the finish. Any ideas to make it less grapy using the store bought grape juice? Maybe adding some skins/stems from real grapes?
It’s not done fermenting. You may have stalled it by racking early… let it sit and see how it goes.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you. I went three weeks. The video said 2-3. My son gave me the kit and your link for my birthday so I was hoping to bring some down when we see each other next weekend. So I will let it sit for a while longer. I kept it in my wine cellar so it was a constant temperature and not a lot of light.
We always say to take readings. Never rely on a calendar, yeast can’t read. :)
I've been making wine for a few years. I have a hydrometer but I've been intimidated by it. One of my questions is how high should it read for high abv outcome? Do I just add sugar to get to "1.100"? What's to much sugar to the point that the yeast won't eat it? I'm trying to learn to improve my wine.
Define HIGH ABV?
I generally shoot for 11-14%, so that's an OG of around 1.100ish. Going past that makes it more difficult (depending on many factors) for yeast. At some point, they just refuse to ferment any further.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you
BTW, thank you for the very informative jocular videos that you release. I have learned quite a bit about wine and has given me new directions on my wine making.
Is it possible to get an abv% if you didnt take a reading at the start?
You can estimate.
Hi, I know this is a pretty old video so I'm not sure you guys are still checking questions on here, but if you are! Greetings, I am brand new to this and made some hard cider this past season. It's finally ready and I got a hydrometer a couple days ago... but I had no idea I was supposed to measure at the *start* of the fermentation. is there any way to figure out the abv at this point? I know for a fact that it's stronger than a typical hard cider, and I want to know how strong so that I can serve people *roughly one drink*. Don't wanna pour a glass-of-beer's worth if it's as strong as wine... Thanks!
You would have to have all your original measurements then you can estimate it.
My hydrometer reads below the 60 at the very bottom. Vikings Blood juice only 3 LBS honey 1 cup of BLK TEA 3 week later it is even further below the 60. Advice?
Answered in another of your posts.