How many wine makers do we have here?

[kuntrygirl]

Hydrometers don't measure alcohol - most comonly used measre eith % sugar, degrees brix or degrees balling. They can be considered equivalent. The alcohol content in wine will be approximately half or slightly more than the starting sugar content, except that yeasts can only go up to about 15-16 percent alcohol. There are really few yeasts that can go to 17-18 % . The high alcohol level actually kills the yeast. To get higher alcohol content you would have to fortify the wine.

Well I better go to the wine supply store and get my money back and return the one that I have because it's labeled to read alcohol content.

There are many reasons why a winemaker might want to use a hydrometer:

To measure the specific gravity (SG) of must or wine
To determine progress of fermentation
To estimate potential alcohol percentage at time of yeast pitching
To calculate percentage of alcohol (using "before" and "after" readings)
To measure the amount of sugar present in wine or must
To allow the winemaker to determine when fermentation is finished or should be stopped

 

[Totalcolour]

You are Right! The alcohol content is very often on a second scale on the hydrometer, but it's an "estimate" of alcohol content based on starting brix or % or degrees balling. As the sugar is consumed, the sugar content on the hydrometer will drop as the alcohol reading will go up. Remember though, that not all measurements will be accurate - some hydrometers are calibrated to 60f and others to 68F so you will need to adjust accordingly. I use both a refractometer and hydrometer when I start the must, then switch to hydrometers. I have several different hydrometers that become more accurate as the sugar is converted.

Of course, the most accurate way to measure would be with an ebulliometer, but it's time consuming so I don't bother. It's not like I'm selling my wine.

I have a whole library of wine books, some by professors at the leading universities. There are many wine books out there, and many websites written by amateurs, so I always go to the books by the professionals.

Don't take your instrument back - it's just a misleading name on it. They work well when they are used properly and I'm assuming you are doing it right.

Of course, there is the other school of thought that says just dump everything in a carboy, go away for a month then come back and drink it

(I'm sure the folks that do it that way don't care how good the resulting wine is)

 

[Kassaundra]

I got my basic stuff today, so I'll start my wine probably on Friday.

 

[Totalcolour]

I got my basic stuff today, so I'll start my wine probably on Friday.

Super cool! If you are anything like the rest of us, you'll get as addicted as one gets to having chickens.

And, there's also wine math involved, just like chicken math!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I got my basic stuff today, so I'll start my wine probably on Friday.

YEA !!!!!!! Congrats. I'm so excited!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

I got my basic stuff today, so I'll start my wine probably on Friday.

Super cool! If you are anything like the rest of us, you'll get as addicted as one gets to having chickens.

And, there's also wine math involved, just like chicken math!

Wine math? Who knew. LOL. Would wine math be having 5 batches going at one time? LOL

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote: Wine math? Who knew. LOL. Would wine math be having 5 batches going at one time? LOL

You got it! And then next time, you have 10 batches going! My idea is to make every kind of wine that it's possible to make. Kind of like the movie "Julie Julia" where she cooks everything in the cookbook. I reckon, if it can be fermented, I'm going to try it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I got my basic stuff today, so I'll start my wine probably on Friday.

Super cool! If you are anything like the rest of us, you'll get as addicted as one gets to having chickens.


And, there's also wine math involved, just like chicken math!

Wine math? Who knew. LOL. Would wine math be having 5 batches going at one time? LOL

You got it! And then next time, you have [COLOR=FF0000]10[/COLOR] batches going! My idea is to make every kind of wine that it's possible to make. Kind of like the movie "Julie Julia" where she cooks everything in the cookbook. I reckon, if it can be fermented, I'm going to try it.

I'm working on finding a wine rack that holds at least 100 bottles of wine.

 

[Kassaundra]

Cucumbers, lemons, and oranges w/ all ingredients except yeast are in bucket and campden is killing all the yeast preparing it for the good yeast, pectic enzyme is happily (hopefully) destroying all the pectin in the fruits. I will add the yeast Sund morning when I come home from work.

 

[DavidH]

My first batch of Mead will be done tomorrow. I hope it is delicious.