Hydrometer - how to work it?

[CiderUK]

Brewing up my hopefully first successful batch of apfelwein and am wondering when to do OG and FG readings? Also, how to calculate final ABV?

Cheers.

 

[divrack]

og before adding yeast.
fg after fermentation stops
abv calculator online. brewers friend etc.

 

[Pkrd]

Pointy end goes up.

 

[divrack]

Pointy end goes up.

up where?

 

[Justwingnit]

Simple ABV very close I have found in Google.. ABV=(OG-FG)×131.25 long formula can b found too mainly for more accurate higher gravity products is. ((76.08×(og-fg)÷(1.775-og))×(fg÷.794))

 

[bernardsmith]

For ball park figures - and if you are using an hydrometer and measuring volumes then ball park is what you get no matter how precisely you think your tools can measure - simply multiply the difference between the starting gravity and the final gravity by 131 and round up/down to the nearest whole number. A home brewer who talks about an ABV of 10.35 % has no real idea how such calculations are "measured" when their hydrometer has 5 marks between every 10 points of gravity and they measure volume by "filling" a container whose volume has not been established by any standards organization using any instrument at a known and specific temperature.

 

[DoctorCAD]

My wine will be around 13%.

If you simply state this fact, you will be correct 87% of the time.

Its wine, not cancer medicine.

 

[Justwingnit]

My wine will be around 13%.

If you simply state this fact, you will be correct 87% of the time.

Its wine, not cancer medicine.

[emoji122] [emoji106] [emoji106]

 

[PapaGanj]

Brewing up my hopefully first successful batch of apfelwein and am wondering when to do OG and FG readings? Also, how to calculate final ABV?

Cheers.

You pretty much got your answers here, but let me clarify some things for you just in case.

As stated, the formula used to get a BALLPARK reading of your wines ABV is:
ABV=(OG-FG)×131.25.

Now let me get to the part of your question that I dont feel was answered very directly already.

When to take hydrometer readings:
Your OG, (original gravity) also some times called SG (your specific gravity) reading will be taken before you start your fermentation. Youll want to syphon off a small sample to test before you add yeast or anything. You should just have your base musk brewed up with all the fermentable sugars mixed in well.

A typical OG for starting point of a fruit wine is anywhere between 1.060 and 1.110 depending on the exact flavors your going for, and depending on how long you plan to let your brew, well just brew.

Your Final Gravity reading, as it states should be the reading you take when you think your wine is (or close to) finished. This is usually around 0.996 1.006, again depending on the type of wine, and how dry of a wine you're going for.

Many people, my self included will periodically check their FG to watch it's progression before the wine is finished, but only after fermentation is well on its way. (You dont wanna poke around more than you have to, or you may contaminate your wine)

Now, i hope it has been made clear that eyeballing these figures off of a floating piece of glass and rounding your final answers off, is only going to be as accurate as that all sounds.

Hope this was helpful, and also check and see if your hydrometer came with any small charts or whatnot, which sometimes do all the ballpark math work for you.

[emoji485] [emoji485]

 

[divrack]

My wine will be around 13%.

If you simply state this fact, you will be correct 87% of the time.

Its wine, not cancer medicine.

Tell that to Steve jobs, oh wait you can't...

Probably too soon eh?