Determining Alcohol Content w/o OG

I was assured that all I 'Needed' to start brewing was a fermenter, air lock and yeast. So that's what I bought. Then I started a batch of cider. Only after bubbles started, did I find this wonderful forum!

I now have a hydrometer but am clueless of what to do with it at this point. From what I have read, it seems as if it's impossible to estimate the actual alcohol content without an Original Gravity reading.

Is this true?

Also, because I don't have an OG, I'm guessing that using the hydrometer to see if fermentation is done is impossible given there is no Control number....?

Help! & Thank You

While it's true that all you needed was a fermenter, air lock, and yeast...you would never be able to repeat a batch without knowing the numbers.

Unforunately, there's no was to know exactly what your ABV is now...so all you can do is guess.

But...you can still find out when it's done fermenting. As long as the gravity stays the same for 3 days (at least 2 readings), your cider is done.

How much juice, sugar, and what yeast?

Thanks for the tip Suthrncomfrt, I'll do that for sure.

Gila: 3 gal of juice, 3 lbs sugar (about 2 lbs brown and 1 lb cane) and Red Star 'Pasteur Champagne' yeast. I just read about using Nottingham and am thinking about doing that for the next batch.

pstohs said:

Thanks for the tip Suthrncomfrt, I'll do that for sure.

Gila: 3 gal of juice, 3 lbs sugar (about 2 lbs brown and 1 lb cane) and Red Star 'Pasteur Champagne' yeast. I just read about using Nottingham and am thinking about doing that for the next batch.

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Est OG 1.062
Est ABV 6.2%

Awesome! Thanks for that. Did you use a software for that or another recipe?

GilaMinumBeer said:

Est OG 1.062
Est ABV 6.2%

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What Juice did you use? The 6.2 % calc would be higher if the juice contained sugar

I used Organic 365 Apple Juice from Whole Foods, no sugar added, but that stuff was SWEET. I then added sugar as well at the ratio of 1lb to 1 gallon.

The 365 I had had a gravity of 1.050. Add sugar at 45 points/lb = 1.095 for 3 gallons. Assuming you ferment down to 1.000, abv is approx = 9.5 x 1.3 = 12.5%.

If you use Nottingham, cut back on the sugar; it will not get you to that abv and will not carbonate in the bottle if that is what you want.

Calder is correct about the alcohol and gravity estimates.

Thank You Calder, that information is priceless! I'm going to take a gravity reading tonight. It's been a full 10 days and it's still bubbling about every 10 seconds, sometimes faster.

I'm totally new at this; should I could crash the cider? I'm under the impression that it will stop fermenting once it's done with the sugar, right? Or maybe not. Once again I used Pasteur Champagne yeast. I'm not sure if that's a yeast that flocculates or not. Everything I've read says the cider takes 7-10 days tops, but I know there's a ton of sugar in there...

Thanks for confirming Fletch. I really appreciate all the help I'm getting and hope to be knowledgeable enough in the future to return the favor to someone else.

P.S. I'm pretty excited about the ABV now! I was happy with 6.5

Current Gravity is 1.031. Looks like it still has a lot of work to do.... Smelt like vodka, strong fumes. Tasted pretty darn good.

I get 1.092 OG. Really depends on what the gravity of the juice was, and that varies (I go with 1.046). With a wine yeast, and 90% attenuation (easy), It could go to 11% ABV.

Yech (IMO).

The attenuation can be 100%, all of the sugar is fermentable and your yeast strain can go to 18% without blinking.

The alcohol fume vodka character is a result of you fermenting it in the 70's. It will mellow out with age and break down those alcohols into smoother molecular chains. It will take time, a year or more. The sweeter it is, the more drinkable it will be, sooner.

Thanks for the advice. I plan on keeping a majority of each batch to try at different stages of time to see the difference.

I cold crashed the gravity sample from last night and got to see first hand how the yeast sank and the clarity changed. I'm enjoying this steep learning curve!

Calder said:

The 365 I had had a gravity of 1.050. Add sugar at 45 points/lb = 1.095 for 3 gallons. Assuming you ferment down to 1.000, abv is approx = 9.5 x 1.3 = 12.5%.

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Is 1.3 what you always multiply the gravity by?

GilaMinumBeer said:

Est OG 1.062
Est ABV 6.2%

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What would you say for 2 gallons of juice, 3/4 cup of maple syrup, 1 cup of brown sugar?