TheDemonSlick
Well-Known Member
Hi all - I'm new around here, so forgive me if I'm repeating things you already know, I looked a bit and couldn't find it.
Anyways, there are times when you need your Original Specific Gravity reading, but perhaps you were drinking and brewing and forgot to take it, or perhaps you wrote it down on a matchcover and lost it, whatever.
All is not Lost!
Use a glass test jar or measuring cup and select a testable amount. You know, enough to float your hydrometer.
THIS AMOUNT WILL NOT BE COMPLETELY RECOVERABLE! Be stingy as you can.
Fill it to the necessary level, mark the fill level well. Very very well.
Measure with your hydrometer. This your current reading.
Now pour it into a pan, or if you feel like getting fancy, do a water bath.
You need to raise the temperature of the liquid to about 174-178F and keep it for about 10 minutes. Don't worry if it boils, as it might, depending on what stage of the ferment you are at, and what the alcohol level is. If it does, you are only losing steam in addition to the ethanol evaporating, and we can take care of that in a minute ....Now let it cool.
Don't be stupid like me and blow up your nice test glass trying to crash cool it
Once it's cool, put it into your same test vessel. If done properly, it should not come back up all the way to the original fill level.
Now, fill it to EXACTLY the original fill level with distilled water, or whatever you have.
Measure. That's your OG.
:rockin:
I hope I explained that properly, and I hope it helps.
Cheers!
Anyways, there are times when you need your Original Specific Gravity reading, but perhaps you were drinking and brewing and forgot to take it, or perhaps you wrote it down on a matchcover and lost it, whatever.
All is not Lost!
Use a glass test jar or measuring cup and select a testable amount. You know, enough to float your hydrometer.
THIS AMOUNT WILL NOT BE COMPLETELY RECOVERABLE! Be stingy as you can.
Fill it to the necessary level, mark the fill level well. Very very well.
Measure with your hydrometer. This your current reading.
Now pour it into a pan, or if you feel like getting fancy, do a water bath.
You need to raise the temperature of the liquid to about 174-178F and keep it for about 10 minutes. Don't worry if it boils, as it might, depending on what stage of the ferment you are at, and what the alcohol level is. If it does, you are only losing steam in addition to the ethanol evaporating, and we can take care of that in a minute ....Now let it cool.
Don't be stupid like me and blow up your nice test glass trying to crash cool it
Once it's cool, put it into your same test vessel. If done properly, it should not come back up all the way to the original fill level.
Now, fill it to EXACTLY the original fill level with distilled water, or whatever you have.
Measure. That's your OG.
:rockin:
I hope I explained that properly, and I hope it helps.
Cheers!