Hydrometer Advice Needed

[BrewingWisdom]

Hi fellow brewers
This is the first time I am going to use a hydrometer. So feeling confused on whether there are different hydrometers for different liquids.
Please visit the product link below and tell me is that hydrometer ok for beer and wine making?
https://www.daraz.pk/products/hydro...ge-0-70-1000-2000-i217205985-s1427466189.html

 

[Homebrew Harry]

There wasn't much info on that site, but looking at the pics I'd say the one on the left is a proof hydrometer for spirits like whisky. The one on the right looks like a hydrometer made to measure specific gravity=S.G. The one on the right (S.G.) is what you need to make wine and beer. Good luck.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

There wasn't much info on that site, but looking at the pics I'd say the one on the left is a proof hydrometer for spirits like whisky. The one on the right looks like a hydrometer made to measure specific gravity=S.G. The one on the right (S.G.) is what you need to make wine and beer. Good luck.

Well then it's risky what if I order and I get the hydrometer not suitable for me.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Well then it's risky what if I order and I get the hydrometer not suitable for me.

That does not look like a hydrometer for measuring beer (or cider, wine, etc.). From what I see, the first marks are 1.000, 1.100, and 1.200 and the readings max out at 2.000. The second reading (1.100) is what you would expect as the OG for a 11% beer. The scale for most beer hydrometers maxes out around 1.160.

Looking at that site, nothing jumped out to me as a suitable hydrometer. There are a few refractometers that might work.

 

[bracconiere]

i don't know what a Rs. feels like to you...but here you go....

https://www.daraz.pk/products/atc-0...a0e.searchlist.list.6.54e65eb4Nk50kI&search=1

 

[BrewingWisdom]

That does not look like a hydrometer for measuring beer (or cider, wine, etc.). From what I see, the first marks are 1.000, 1.100, and 1.200 and the readings max out at 2.000. The second reading (1.100) is what you would expect as the OG for a 11% beer. The scale for most beer hydrometers maxes out around 1.160.

Looking at that site, nothing jumped out to me as a suitable hydrometer. There are a few refractometers that might work.

i don't know what a Rs. feels like to you...but here you go....

https://www.daraz.pk/products/atc-0...a0e.searchlist.list.6.54e65eb4Nk50kI&search=1

I know there are plenty of refractometers on that site and they are not heavy on my pocket but as a beginner hydrometer suits me as it's easy and according to some more accurate. I have read that Refractometer after the fermentation gives inaccurate reading.
Anyway I ordered a three scale hydrometer for beer/wine from China in march. Still waiting to receive it .It sucks....

 

[bracconiere]

I have read that Refractometer after the fermentation gives inaccurate reading.

BRIX is plenty accurate....and as far as final gravity.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/pages/refractometer-calculator

 

[bracconiere]

well a salinity hydro looks close to what you want?

https://www.daraz.pk/products/2x-aq...0e.searchlist.list.57.787e42deBwry8Q&search=1
someone else would have to double check my thinking on this....

 

[BrewingWisdom]

well a salinity hydro looks close to what you want?

https://www.daraz.pk/products/2x-aq...0e.searchlist.list.57.787e42deBwry8Q&search=1
someone else would have to double check my thinking on this....

I don't think so.

 

[DBhomebrew]

well a salinity hydro looks close to what you want?

https://www.daraz.pk/products/2x-aq...0e.searchlist.list.57.787e42deBwry8Q&search=1
someone else would have to double check my thinking on this....

Maybe for gose?

 

[bracconiere]

Maybe for gose?

looks like it goes from 1.000-1.060? fine for most beers?

 

[IslandLizard]

[...] The scale for most beer hydrometers maxes out around 1.160.

That's my experience too. Some may go to 1.170 or even 1.180, but most ones used for Beer, Wine, Cider, Mead, and such stay under 1.200. You'll get about a 4" (~10 cm) long scale between 0.990 and 1.160, so you can easily get a reading with a precision of 0.001 or 0.002. That's important.

In beer brewing (or, wine, mead, cider, etc.) OG (=Original Gravity) is the gravity before fermentation starts and is usually between 1.040-1.080 with a few outliers on either end. E.g, Patersbiers and some Milds on the lower end with Barleywines and Imperial Stouts and such on the higher end.
FG (=Final Gravity) after fermentation has completed are typically in the 1.000 and 1.020 range. 0.001 or 0.002 is the precision you'd want.

The one on the right (S.G.) is what you need to make wine and beer.

When you zoom in, the one on the right reads along the scale "Hydrometer for heavy liquids."
Could well be a Brix scale, I see a "B" and something that looks like an "o" or "e" after that, on the top of the scale, underneath the 0 mark. It's definitely not SG, as that scale doesn't start with 0.
In short, that one is not suitable for beer, wine etc, either.

 

[faithie999]

this is what you want. in addition to amazon, any homebrew shop will carry a similar hydrometer. sometimes referred to as a "triple scale" hydrometer. this is what I have been using for 20 years.

https://www.amazon.com/Hydrometer-B...=1652700615&sprefix=beer+hydro,aps,198&sr=8-4

 

[BrewingWisdom]

this is what you want. in addition to amazon, any homebrew shop will carry a similar hydrometer. sometimes referred to as a "triple scale" hydrometer. this is what I have been using for 20 years.

https://www.amazon.com/Hydrometer-B...=1652700615&sprefix=beer+hydro,aps,198&sr=8-4

Amazon doesn't ship to my country. I can only count on Chinese suppliers.

 

[faithie999]

here's one on ebay, shipped from china

https://www.ebay.com/itm/354052478904?hash=item526f2c17b8:g:Jk0AAOSwiC9iejIS

 

[BrewingWisdom]

here's one on ebay, shipped from china

https://www.ebay.com/itm/354052478904?hash=item526f2c17b8:g:Jk0AAOSwiC9iejIS

Lol I mean Chinese sites.
And just wondering how in that green coloured liquid cylinder we can read a gravity reading ,isn't it supposed to be transparent?

 

[Bad DNA]

Lol I mean Chinese sites.
And just wondering how in that green coloured liquid cylinder we can read a gravity reading ,isn't it supposed to be transparent?

Use a beer bottle or glass instead, or buy a clear 50ml graduated cylinder from a chem supply shop -- improvise. Folks who use the shipping/storage tube will often not notice the hydrometer rubbing up against the tube, creating inaccurate readings. They'll also not take two or three measures from a wetted hygrometer to get a decent average. But what kind of precision are you seeking?

I can't imagine the challenges of homebrewing in an Islamic country - beyond the tsk-tsk of local authorities, sourcing your grains/hops and such. But I imagine you have chemical supply houses -- they would stock what you want. I'd suggest sourcing from India or SE Asia, but maybe that's geopolitically challenging. Are you allowed to trade with New Zealand or Australia?

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Use a beer bottle or glass instead, or buy a clear 50ml graduated cylinder from a chem supply shop -- improvise. Folks who use the shipping/storage tube will often not notice the hydrometer rubbing up against the tube, creating inaccurate readings. They'll also not take two or three measures from a wetted hygrometer to get a decent average. But what kind of precision are you seeking?

I can't imagine the challenges of homebrewing in an Islamic country - beyond the tsk-tsk of local authorities, sourcing your grains/hops and such. But I imagine you have chemical supply houses -- they would stock what you want. I'd suggest sourcing from India or SE Asia, but maybe that's geopolitically challenging. Are you allowed to trade with New Zealand or Australia?

Well so far no problems from authorities when it comes to sourcing equipment and materials. The only issue is the waiting time when you source things from abroad.
All funnels, measuring cylinders are easily available here online or in chemical stores.
Different hydrometers available as well.
It's just the hydrometer for alcohol measuring isn't available. Because no one here uses hydrometer for that particular purpose.
I can mostly count on china. Issues with India etc.

 

[Bad DNA]

Well so far no problems from authorities when it comes to sourcing equipment and materials. The only issue is the waiting time when you source things from abroad.
All funnels, measuring cylinders are easily available here online or in chemical stores.
Different hydrometers available as well.
It's just the hydrometer for alcohol measuring isn't available. Because no one here uses hydrometer for that particular purpose.
I can mostly count on china. Issues with India etc.

When I first started homebrewing, I was in grad school for Chemistry. We had one natural foods / homebrew supply store off of N Main St. As the drinking age had risen to 21, quite a few undergrads in Chemistry had figured out it was easier to homebrew in their dorm rooms than try to buy beer with a fake i.d. Most RAs (resident advisors, kind of dorm floor monitors) looked the other way for a bottle or so per batch. The campus still has a very active Homebrew club.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

When I first started homebrewing, I was in grad school for Chemistry. We had one natural foods / homebrew supply store off of N Main St. As the drinking age had risen to 21, quite a few undergrads in Chemistry had figured out it was easier to homebrew in their dorm rooms than try to buy beer with a fake i.d. Most RAs (resident advisors, kind of dorm floor monitors) looked the other way for a bottle or so per batch. The campus still has a very active Homebrew club.

Yeah necessity is the mother of invention.
Often in difficult times we learn the most. There is no learning if we take everything for granted.
My situation is even more difficult than you because locally most brewing equipment is not available.
Thanks there is a thing called internet today from where I can learn the craft or else it's a dead end. There is no brewing or distilling knowledge among people here. Or few people who make moonshine in our villages and die every year from methanol poisoning ,I don't need any knowledge from them lol because my life is precious to me.

 

[Bad DNA]

Yeah necessity is the mother of invention.
Often in difficult times we learn the most. There is no learning if we take everything for granted.
My situation is even more difficult than you because locally most brewing equipment is not available.
Thanks there is a thing called internet today from where I can learn the craft or else it's a dead end. There is no brewing or distilling knowledge among people here. Or few people who make moonshine in our villages and die every year from methanol poisoning ,I don't need any knowledge from them lol because my life is precious to me.

Well, you can make GREAT beer without measuring the ABV - so take heart. Historically, brewers just got a feel over time (or a taste). We're helping the yeasties make beer, not distilling paint stripper. If you put your kit together, it burps for a week or three, you bottle or keg it and let it mellow a few weeks, you'll be fine. Your batches to date have been tasty, no?

Yeah, OK, so I'm a trained/degreed scientist and can babble on endlessly about the marvels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or the enzymatic pathway to joy (pyruvate decarboxylase and ADH). In the end, precious little of that goes into making a good brew. The geek in me applauds you for wanting to quantify - but I bet your batches turn out just dandy without

 

[BrewingWisdom]

Well, you can make GREAT beer without measuring the ABV - so take heart. Historically, brewers just got a feel over time (or a taste). We're helping the yeasties make beer, not distilling paint stripper. If you put your kit together, it burps for a week or three, you bottle or keg it and let it mellow a few weeks, you'll be fine. Your batches to date have been tasty, no?

Yeah, OK, so I'm a trained/degreed scientist and can babble on endlessly about the marvels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or the enzymatic pathway to joy (pyruvate decarboxylase and ADH). In the end, precious little of that goes into making a good brew. The geek in me applauds you for wanting to quantify - but I bet your batches turn out just dandy without

I've made some alcohol last year without any hydrometer. The first sip was enough to told me how much abv it is and after a half glass I can assure it was between 7-10% abv. Because I've drank commercial wine as well with around same abv strength , so I can make a comparison.There was the same kind of intoxicated feeling after drinking the same amount. Though taste was different maybe because I used the bakers yeast.
But this time I am looking for more control and to fine tune my craft.

 

[Bad DNA]

I've made some alcohol last year without any hydrometer. The first sip was enough to told me how much abv it is and after a half glass I can assure it was between 7-10% abv. Because I've drank commercial wine as well with around same abv strength , so I can make a comparison.There was the same kind of intoxicated feeling after drinking the same amount. Though taste was different maybe because I used the bakers yeast.
But this time I am looking for more control and to fine tune my craft.

Cool. It really comes down to personal taste. Inputs -> time/temp -> Outputs. I've made a couple of 10%+ batches, and have to say I've backed off from adding in that extra kg or more of malt or extract. My favs now tend to be 5-8%. Standardized to a 19L (5gal, because here in the US, metric scares politicians).

More power to ya tuning things.

 

[bracconiere]

It's just the hydrometer for alcohol measuring isn't available

all the hydros that 'measure' ABV do is subtract Final Gravity from Original Gravity? you can use a calculator to do the same?

 

[yaakov]

I know there are plenty of refractometers on that site and they are not heavy on my pocket but as a beginner hydrometer suits me as it's easy and according to some more accurate. I have read that Refractometer after the fermentation gives inaccurate reading.
Anyway I ordered a three scale hydrometer for beer/wine from China in march. Still waiting to receive it .It sucks....

Yep, refractometers are great before fermentation, but can really be WAY off after fermentation. A hydrometer is your best bet IMO. I run across this all of the time. I use them both and compare. I quit ordering parts from places in China. Their shipping times are horrendous. The quality, from well known manufacturers, is excellent. I can’t see giving them money anymore unless I absolutely have to.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

all the hydros that 'measure' ABV do is subtract Final Gravity from Original Gravity? you can use a calculator to do the same?

Yeah but the reading on the meter is the real issue. As many pointed on this thread the ones available to me locally aren't suitable for beer and wine making.

 

[hotbeer]

The larger the range of your hydrometer the harder it'll be to read. Or at least the more you'll be wondering if it's saying x.xx2 or x.xx3 or even x.xx4.

So try to keep the range a close as you can to what you will be brewing. For me, I'm never going to brew a beer over 1.080. So I found one that goes to 1.100 and it's much easier to read than the one I started with that went to 1.160.

There are even some that are called finishing hydrometers to get your FG very accurately and have an even narrower range with about a 1.020 max reading.

Check with laboratory supply places locally or online.

 

[skeeterman]

Lol I mean Chinese sites.
And just wondering how in that green coloured liquid cylinder we can read a gravity reading ,isn't it supposed to be transparent?

Read what you can from the top of the liquid and add .002. Close enough unless one is a research chemist.

 

[bracconiere]

Yeah but the reading on the meter is the real issue. As many pointed on this thread the ones available to me locally aren't suitable for beer and wine making.

and as i said the one i posted a link too reads from 1.000, to 1.060...so perfect for most beers...

it even comes with two, so one doesn'
t get lonely!

 

[IslandLizard]

It's just the hydrometer for alcohol measuring isn't available.

When fermenting beer (or wine, cider, mead, etc.) we do NOT measure alcohol.*

Instead, we measure the change in gravity (in SG or Brix), which is an indication of its sugar content.
For that we use a hydrometer or a refractometer (for sugar, not salt, or other solutes such as antifreeze, etc.).

The OG (original gravity) is the gravity of the sugar solution (an indication of sugar content) before fermentation.
The FG (final gravity), the gravity after fermentation has completed.
With these 2 numbers (OG and FG), expressed in SG (e.g., 1.016) we can calculate alcohol content:

(OG - FG) * 131.25 = % Alcohol by volume (%ABV)​

Or even simpler, use a calculator such as this one:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/
The equations used and the theory behind those calculators is here:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/2011/06/16/alcohol-by-volume-calculator-updated/
On a side note...

I've made some alcohol last year [...]

Look around here, there are not many homebrewers who talk like that, and we tend to frown upon those who do...

We brew beer, make wine, cider, mead, etc. We are proud of the homebrew we make. Believe it or not, making alcohol is NOT the sole or even main reason we homebrew, I think I'm speaking for most of us.

For most homebrewers, alcohol is considered a byproduct of fermentation. Sure, alcohol helps carrying flavor, aroma, and such and it may give you a little buzz, comes with the territory, we don't shy away from it.
IOW, the majority of homebrewers enjoy the fermented products we make. We try perfecting our techniques to make our homebrew efforts better, such as flavor, aroma, color, foam, mouthfeel, sensation, etc., improving overall quality. Alcohol just comes with it, but we're not solely homebrewing for the buzz.

I understand, in countries where alcohol consumption is outlawed, making some for personal consumption can be the holy grail. Shhh, hush hush!
And yeah, without that one would also miss experiencing those awesome flavors, aromas, mouthfeel, and other sensations that come with fermented products. Heck, even a little buzz can be needed at times, or is just a welcome side effect.

* Those who distill do measure alcohol content directly in a similar way we measure sugar content (gravity).