Question about taking Hydrometer readings

[timm747]

Last night I kegged my beer after 10 days fermentation. I took a reading after it was kegged and the hydrometer sat around 1.000 which under the ABV column is 0% alcohol.

Am I reading this incorrectly, or have I just made beer with no alcohol by not letting it sit long enough or something?

Thanks!

Tim

 

[IFMracin]

Reading incorrectly.
A hydrometer does not measure alcohol content.

Need to know starting gravity to be able to calculate alc content.

 

[timm747]

I have it written down at home but I believe it was 1.055 or so after the boil.

 

[Dan]

1.055 to 1.000 is around 7.3% ABV if taken at 60 degrees F.

 

[TyTanium]

which under the ABV column is 0% alcohol...

If reading the ABV column, you still need the differential. So at 1.055, you'd be ~7.2 in the ABV column, minus 0% = 7.2%.

 

[timm747]

Thanks guys, I understand now.

Edit: Actually maybe I don't. So lets say it started at 1.055 and ended at 1.025. I subtract 1.025 from 1.055 and get 1.035. What do I do with that number? Would that mean it has 4.3% alcohol?

Tim

 

[brycelarson]

I'm a bit suspect about a 1.000 beer. What temperature was the beer for your reading?

 

[Dan]

Edit: I'm kinda with brycelarson.

The yeast you used sounds ferocious. Did you make a big starter?

What kind of yeast were you using and temp did you mash at?

 

[timm747]

I didn't make a starter. I used safale US-05. I mashed at around 153-154 for an hour then rose the temp to 168 for mash out and batch sparged.

The krausen wasn't as thick on top or bottom as I was expecting either, so could the yeast have just failed?

 

[brycelarson]

I didn't make a starter. I used safale US-05. I mashed at around 153-154 for an hour then rose the temp to 168 for mash out and batch sparged.

The krausen wasn't as thick on top or bottom as I was expecting either, so could the yeast have just failed?

Quite the opposite - we're suggesting that based on the numbers you're providing your yeast vastly over-performed.

That yeast normally should stop well before you reach 1.000 - with your moderate/high mash temp I would have guessed a final gravity in the high teens - maybe 1014-1018.

 

[Dan]

It's just a little strange to see US-05 that mashed at 153-154 drop from 1.055 to 1.000. Don't get me wrong, if it did that is great but it's just a little suspect. The lowest I've ever seen gravity drop to is around 1.006 and that was with a large chunk of Nottingham yeast cake, it's pretty much a beast.

If the OG and FG were taken at the correct temperature or temperature compensated for and you have checked the calibration of the hydrometer in distilled water and it reads 1.000; then Yeast did great.

Attached is a link with various brewing calculators, they could be helpful if you are not using any brewing software at the time. http://www.rooftopbrew.net/abv.php

 

[timm747]

Thanks. I put it in the keg, purged the o2 and put it down in the basement and will put it in the kegerator in a month. I'll let you guys know how it turned out.

Hopefully its as good as the last batch I made.

Tim