Hello All, meet Beersie

[beersie]

Hello Everyone
Beersie here...new member to the forum. Like many, I imagine, got into home wine-making when a young adult, got the gear and for several years enjoyed the 'fruits' of my labours. Then a family came along and priorities altered, understandably! Years later, I inherited all my late mother's stuff, too, and it all stayed in the loft, sadly, for a long time.
Then.......we got the loft insulated and it all had to come out.....and.....I sold it!!! WHAT!
Mmmm.....that was just a few years ago. Then, I retired! Suddenly, lots of time for home-brewing....and no equipment! Old college mate to the rescue...change of circumstances necessitated him off-loading a fantastic range of stuff...to me....YAY!
So, I'm back brewing after all these years...and loving it.
Picked our own elderberries and have two gallons of wine on the go. And recently started off a Pear Cider kit...then discovered a number of not-too-complimentary comments on here and elsewhere about the kit I was trying..Magnum's.
So, there we are...and here I am...introduction done.
And, just in case anyone out there gets to read this far...a couple of questions I could do with some swift advice on:-
- how accurate are the £3 vinometers I see on ebay?
- are there any other ways of finding a wine/cider/beer's ABV % once it's basically made(*)?
- anyone tried the Kenridge 30 bottle kits?
- I can obtain locally some cider-apple freshly squeezed juice, perhaps 10 gals. What's the best way forward with it?
Any suggestions welcome?
(*) I didn't have a hydrometer when I started off my elderberry wine so have nothing to relate the later readings to. It's showing about 992 right now, so I'm guessing it's probably fermented well enough.
Thanks in anticipation
Beersie

 

[pittsy]

welcome , i don't do wine but abv% is simple , pop your readings of the start and the finish in the forum calculators (top left of any page ) and it will tell you .

 

[Papa G]

Hi, welcome to the forum :

 

[dennisking]

Hi and welcome.

 

[beersie]

Hi Pittsy, Papa, Dennis

Dennis, in your moderator role, can you tell me what the reference to "1000 Water Boy2 means...top left under the Online button of my initial post. Is it something I should know about?

 

[nook6]

Hi

Welcome to the forum

Dave

 

[beersie]

OOps!
Forget last post....er...if I was blonde, or indeed had very much hair at all, I could refer to it as ablonde moment...I think I concocted the 1000 Water Boy thing meself, didn't I!!?? I've slept since then, that's the problem...oh dear!

 

[joe1002]

Welcome to the forum :

Hi Pittsy, Papa, Dennis

Dennis, in your moderator role, can you tell me what the reference to "1000 Water Boy2 means...top left under the Online button of my initial post. Is it something I should know about?

It's an avatar rank and changes depending on how many posts you have made. When you reach 1,000 posts you can have what you want, within reason :thumb:

 

[beersie]

Thanks Joe...appreciated.

 

[bobsbeer]

Welcome : I'm sure you already guessed that 1.000 is the sg of water. :grin:

 

[beersie]

Hi Bob
and thankyou
People are really friendly and helpful here, eh!?

Just hope to get some answers to my intro questions.
I've ordered up a vinometer anyway.

 

[bobsbeer]

Forgot to answer the question on the vinometer. At best it is a party piece and at worst a very inaccurate way of testing for alcohol content. The only real way is via sg readings. You could get a rough readings by trying to work out the original sugar content. .992 is as you say probably a sign it's finished. As for Kenridge kits. They are good and can be recommended. I've only made the red ones but the results have been good.

 

[beersie]

Thank you again Bob.
I'm learning a lot, fast...it's all moved on so much from the early days when I was younger...like so many things.
I've a feeling this elderberry I have on the go is going to be rich and lovely...tehe, always the optimist.
Cheers