What’s the final proof.

[Wayne Gwynne]

As a newly to this I was wondering how to tell the final %...... I know about the hydrometer and measuring before and after but as I tend to experiment a lot and have double fermented sometimes so loose track and other times I am guessing the potential as it’s lower than the hydrometer goes. Is there a spirit hydrometer? Is there a simple way of finding out the final %? Currently brewing rhubarb mead and also some sugar water. Just made some plum jam and thought this would be an excellent wine base ....all are currently running at around 20% or more....
Really I’m just stumbling about experimenting lots not quite knowing what I’m doing. Any help appreciate!

 

[Vale71]

There's a simple but expensive way and a complicated but comparatively cheaper way.

The simple way is to give out tens of thousand of $$ and by yourself an electronic alcoholmeter which will give you an alcohol measurement in a matter of seconds using a small sample that besides filtering to remove impurities such as yeast will not require any pre-treatmet.

The cheaper way is to get distillation equipment, perform a standardized distillation of the (again filtered) product and then measure the alcohol content with a simple hydrometer (one that has a scale for alcohol instead of SG).

Needless to say most homebrewers don't bother with either one of them and just use the formula.

 

[Wayne Gwynne]

I get your point thanks ....maybe I should stick to educational guessing..... but I was wondering how it was don’t long back in the day when the man would come round to the inn to check all was tick a ty boo ....may be I should just drink it when get breathalysed ....get the police to work it out for me.

 

[Wayne Gwynne]

A digital home breathalyser is is only £15 so you would think it’s only a small jump to come up with what I’m after.....lol

 

[RPh_Guy]

Another [complicated] method is to boil off the alcohol from a sample, replace with distilled water, and measure the difference in s.g. with a high resolution hydrometer.


However if you just keep track of all your gravities and volumes, you should be able to determine the effective OG with a blend calculation and plug that into any standard ABV calculator issuing the actual FG.

 

[Qhrumphf]

There are indeed spirit hydrometers. However, in lower alcohol levels I'd doubt the accuracy, and the ones I've seen say they are not usable with *any* residual sugars. So with a 20% mead/wine/sugar wash fermented to complete dryness, it might do the trick. But won't work for beer, or anything with residual sugars.

 

[bobeer]

What is it you're trying to do? What is the end game to this experimentation?

 

[Wayne Gwynne]

What is it you're trying to do? What is the end game to this experimentation?

Mmmm this is the question.....and I’m not sure to be honest...mess around and stumble on something great I think but I wanted to be a little more accurate with the %. Like I say I’m just stumbling around I’m just full of weird ideas and want to keep trying....

 

[dmtaylor]

Why not stick a label of masking tape to your fermenter with the OG so you can't forget what it was? Cheap and effective.

 

[bleme]

Couldn't you measure 1 liter exactly, sous-vide it at 180F for a while, then measure how much the volume changed?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Couldn't you measure 1 liter exactly, sous-vide it at 180F for a while, then measure how much the volume changed?

Water evaporates.

 

[bleme]

Water evaporates.

True, but there shouldn't be that much evaporation in 30 minutes or so...

 

[RPh_Guy]

More than enough to throw off an accurate ABV determination though.