Hydrometer Readings

[henrybeggs]

I'm supposed to be taking gravity readings of my skeeter pee, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to do that when my must is fizzling away. Thanks.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Do you need to take them during fermentation, or do you just need OG and FG readings?

 

[henrybeggs]

I am not sure if you're familiar with skeeter pee, but after Gravity drops from its OG of 1.070 to 1.050 then you are supposed to add in your last bottle of lemon juice and rack into a new vessel.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Ah, that's right. I've never made it, but I'm familiar with the recipe. I want to use it to make a half and half with hard tea sometime. Anyhow, you can still take readings, you just have to let the sample degas a bit. Just swirling it 'til the bubbles subside should do the trick and give you a fairly accurate reading. It would probably also be safe to assume that after a day or two of active fermentation, you're below 1.050. But if you want to be spot on, take a reading.

 

[henrybeggs]

Ah, that's right. I've never made it, but I'm familiar with the recipe. I want to use it to make a half and half with hard tea sometime. Anyhow, you can still take readings, you just have to let the sample degas a bit. Just swirling it 'til the bubbles subside should do the trick and give you a fairly accurate reading. It would probably also be safe to assume that after a day or two of active fermentation, you're below 1.050. But if you want to be spot on, take a reading.

Yeah, it's been going strong for a little over 40 hours now. I think the main concern is having a must that is resilient enough to handle the extra acidity, and if that's the case then mine should have no problem. Do you have any idea why I'm supposed to rack it after this step? Also should I use my racking cane or just pour it? I can't imagine racking at this step will add any clarity to the final product.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I was wondering the same thing about the racking, it sounds like typical winemaking steps. With wine you continue to rack after FG is reached until you have no yeast left falling out. That, combined with the K-sorbate will let you back sweeten at the end (the ~6 cups of sugar in the last stage) without another fermentation kicking off. I do this with fruit juice wines. You can pour, but I'd recommend actually racking with a cane or siphon.

 

[henrybeggs]

All right, so here's the plan.

1. Swirl my pee around
2. Add in the rest of my lemon juice
3. Rack into my bucket with a spigot
4. Wait for signs of Fermentation to cease
5. Add Sparkolloid, Kmeta, Sorbate
6. Wait For it to clear
7. Rack it again
8. Sweeten it
9. Bottle it
10. Enjoy my thriftiness with cronies

All jokes aside, is there anything I seem to be missing?