James Burton
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- Oct 25, 2023
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Mathematics aside, as far as possible, how to square the sugar-to-alcohol question Here goes...
CJJ Berry* in his calculations seems to throw up some sugar related discrepancies. I know it’s an old book and it’s table seems contrary to my recipe’s instructions but surely not this wildly off the mark? Any help sorting through this web of confusion will be gratefully acknowledged.
Using a Magnum wine Kit volumes as instructed (3.5 Kg sugar plus 1.7 L concentrate grape juice) in total volume of 22.5 Litres i.e. 5 Gallons, my hydrometer is reading precisely 1075 SG. This equates, the CJJB table says, to finished ABV of a measly 9.9% - that assumes a finished SG of 100. Calculated math presuming a more realistic final SG of 998 - a drop of 77 divided by 7.36 = 10.46% - slightly bigger but still well short of a typical 12 – 13% of commercial white wine. Clearly I need to add more sugar or decrease water.
Here’s where CJJB’s table gets confusing – it says 1075 is equal to 870g of sugar IN 4.5 Litres equating to 4.35 Kgs in 5 gallons (22.5.L). But I have only added 3.5 Kgs IN 5 UK gallons – so how come I have ended up with an SG reading equivalent to (870g x 5) 4.35Kgs? Again, according to CJJB’s table, for a final ABV of, say, 13.4%, I need 1.18Kgs per gallon – in my case five times that – i.e. 5.9KGs – this is nearly twice as much as the Manufacturer (Magnum) recommends in their instructions for 5 gallons. They can’t both be right, or am I missing something here?
(*Author, 1960, First Steps in Winemaking)
CJJ Berry* in his calculations seems to throw up some sugar related discrepancies. I know it’s an old book and it’s table seems contrary to my recipe’s instructions but surely not this wildly off the mark? Any help sorting through this web of confusion will be gratefully acknowledged.
Using a Magnum wine Kit volumes as instructed (3.5 Kg sugar plus 1.7 L concentrate grape juice) in total volume of 22.5 Litres i.e. 5 Gallons, my hydrometer is reading precisely 1075 SG. This equates, the CJJB table says, to finished ABV of a measly 9.9% - that assumes a finished SG of 100. Calculated math presuming a more realistic final SG of 998 - a drop of 77 divided by 7.36 = 10.46% - slightly bigger but still well short of a typical 12 – 13% of commercial white wine. Clearly I need to add more sugar or decrease water.
Here’s where CJJB’s table gets confusing – it says 1075 is equal to 870g of sugar IN 4.5 Litres equating to 4.35 Kgs in 5 gallons (22.5.L). But I have only added 3.5 Kgs IN 5 UK gallons – so how come I have ended up with an SG reading equivalent to (870g x 5) 4.35Kgs? Again, according to CJJB’s table, for a final ABV of, say, 13.4%, I need 1.18Kgs per gallon – in my case five times that – i.e. 5.9KGs – this is nearly twice as much as the Manufacturer (Magnum) recommends in their instructions for 5 gallons. They can’t both be right, or am I missing something here?
(*Author, 1960, First Steps in Winemaking)