Hydrometer Reading

[BrewWoo]

Just wanted to double check things are ok, I'm making up a WOW variant and I've used 1L Purple Grape Juice, 1L Apple Juice, 1KG sugar, total sugar 1,235g.

Wanted to double check the hydrometer wasn't wrong, and if I let it ferment out what the ABV% will likely be. Cheers

 

[Robbo]

What kind of yeast are you using, because most yeasts will tolerate an ABV of up to 14%.

That's quite a lot of sugar to use in the primary fermentation, so you may need to use a high alcohol used like gervin 4

 

[BrewWoo]

Was going to use some youngs suger wine yeast.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If you aim for a total sugar content of 1100g (including cartons) you'll always end up with around 13%, this is what I do.

 

[oldbloke]

In a standard demi, about 4.8l, with racking losses call it 5, I reckon that sugar will give 12 to 13% (gms/100 rule of thumb))
The hydrometer ought to be about 1092 but it appears to be at 1160 (or is that 1116?) - are you trying to take a reading before adding the water?

 

[BrewWoo]

Water has been added up to about 4.2/4.5L mark, I like to leave a fair amount of headspace as I don't want it coming out the airlock and all over the towels and bedding that's in the airing cuboard.

The 2L of juice about 500/600ml of water was added to boil the sugar in, then cold water was added topping it up to around the 4.5L mark.

 

[oldbloke]

Even allowing for that I reckon that hydrometer is off - check it in plain water.
I rarely bother with mine, because of the problems with topping-up making the readings invalid (or requiring a lot of back-of-envelope math). I generally work off known sugars. I did compare hydrometer vs known sugars vs refractometer once, and concluded my hydrometer is optimistic (even though it seems fine in plain water)
I do use it to check for finished though, or to do calcs on stuff that finishes sweet

 

[BrewWoo]

Just water.

 

[oldbloke]

oh it was reading 1116 in the juice
which ought to be about 310g/l sugar
about right at 4l with the sugars you quoted but you said you had more than 4l
could just want temperature correction
you quoted 1235g? I make it 1276 from those packs
somewhere between 12.5 and 14.8% depending how dry it finishes

 

[BrewWoo]

oh it was reading 1116 in the juice
which ought to be about 310g/l sugar
about right at 4l with the sugars you quoted but you said you had more than 4l
could just want temperature correction
you quoted 1235g? I make it 1276 from those packs
somewhere between 12.5 and 14.8% depending how dry it finishes

Just double checked and the carton of Purple Grape Juice is only 750ml not a litre..

Will report back once it's finished. :)

Thanks for all fast response and help!

 

[Moley]

165g sugar in the grape juice + 111g in the apple juice + 1000g = 1276g total.

Currently in 4.2 litres = 304g / litre

100g/l = 36 points

304/100 x 36 = 109

Expected SG = 1.109 which is about what you've got :thumb:

If you top that up with water to 4.5 litres then actual OG = 1.100

If that ferments out to 0.990, drop = 110 points / 7.36 = 14.9% abv

But that reduces again if you top up after racking.

 

[Moley]

If 750ml red grape, net OG 1.098

Potential drop still 108 points = 14.7% abv

If 4.0 litres after racking and topped up to 4.5l with water,

14.7 / 4.5 x 4 =13% abv

 

[oldbloke]

The 120 I could see below the juice level was just confusing me into misreading it!

 

[BrewWoo]

Rather than make another thread for kind of the same thing, I thought I'd ask here.

Made a WOW using Apple & Rasberry & RGJ, plus a KG of sugar topped up to 4L with water. (With the addition of the usuals)

Taken a gravity reading and it's showing exactly one the line of sweet (1.30? or is it 1.030?)

Exactly where the blue line is.

Is this right? Any idea on the ABV%

I really should read up how to read a hydrometer.

 

[Berk]

That reading is 1.030. I made the same mistake on my first brew as the new hydrometer is similar to yours in that it only shows the last two numbers, my other hydrometer shows the fist 0.

I'm not much help to you with your other questions though, sorry.

 

[oldbloke]

Rather than make another thread for kind of the same thing, I thought I'd ask here.

Made a WOW using Apple & Rasberry & RGJ, plus a KG of sugar topped up to 4L with water. (With the addition of the usuals)

Taken a gravity reading and it's showing exactly one the line of sweet (1.30? or is it 1.030?)

Exactly where the blue line is.

Is this right? Any idea on the ABV%

I really should read up how to read a hydrometer.

It's finished at 1030? I'd try to get it going again...

Your kilo + juice ought to give you nearly 16% (in 4l), but there's still nearly 5% worth of sugar left in there, so something like 11%.

 

[BrewWoo]

Rather than make another thread for kind of the same thing, I thought I'd ask here.

Made a WOW using Apple & Rasberry & RGJ, plus a KG of sugar topped up to 4L with water. (With the addition of the usuals)

Taken a gravity reading and it's showing exactly one the line of sweet (1.30? or is it 1.030?)

Exactly where the blue line is.

Is this right? Any idea on the ABV%

I really should read up how to read a hydrometer.

It's finished at 1030? I'd try to get it going again...

Your kilo + juice ought to give you nearly 16% (in 4l), but there's still nearly 5% worth of sugar left in there, so something like 11%.

Too late to get it going again, it's been stabilized and finings added. There hadn't been anything out the airlock for 6 nearly 7 days thus I assumed it had fermented out.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Did you use the super wine yeast compound?
I have never had a wow finish early and I use it, I make the total sugar to 1100g for 13%.

 

[BrewWoo]

Yes, used youngs super wine yeast.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

All I can suggest is knock the total sugar down to 1100g then it will finish. :thumb: