Refractometer question.

[Jokester]

I just used a refractometer on a few drinks I have. This refractometer has alcohol listed not brix etc, but fundamentally a refractometer reads refractive index. Will need to repeat the test for sugar water, but read on, I have an interesting observation.
Water was 0 - Indexed to it.
40% abv vodka, on the nose at 40, 43% whiskey also hit 43, 46.5% spiced rum seemed to read almost 50 but that near the top of the scale, likely higher errors at the extremes I think.
Will have to check it again. But its got spices like cinnamon and other stuff in that rum.
I unfortunately did it to cold freeze concentrated beer. That was one error. Will try in a bit when warm. It read 30%. I'm theoretically maxing that beer at 34 - The total max possible was just about 34, assuming I fermented the Jai Alai dry in 5 weeks using amg - another near impossibility IMHO, and I achieved perfect melt off - another near impossibility, then I concentrated 10.7 abv beer to 3.25 fold (I melted out just under 4 liters to 1.2 liters) making for under 34%. So I read that as 30, now I put the sediment I removed after the cold crash and it was at room temp, so I tried that, 25% - as in the carbs in the sediment lowered it. If the clear liquid was 30, sediment of 25 seems to make sense.

Now sugar and digestible carbs increase the RI, ethanol, methanol and fusels lower it. How in the world am I getting 30. If I am getting 33%+ and enough carbs to make it look super dark, then yes. Else ???

Thanks.
Srinath.

 

[Jokester]

Oh never mind ethanol, propanol and sugar both raise the refractive index while methanol lowers it.
Thanks.
Srinath.

 

[Jokester]

Specific gravity is .994 or so and RI is 30% I'll calculate it from there - if I have to create the formula LOL.

 

[kh54s10]

I am not sure you will get much response. That is not the type of refractometer that probably 99% of homebrewers use. And most of us are not measuring what you are doing.

 

[Jokester]

Yea figured that, also that boil off the alcohol method - essentially take a known quantity and sit it in 190 degree water for 20 mins etc - I would do that - eventually, this 1qt I have of Jai alai is just too freaking delish for me to want to give up 10%. LOL.

Oh wait a sec, delish is the carbs etc left in it, not the alcohol, cos I got plenty of vodka to toss in if the alcohol mattered. Whooo whoooo, will do and post back.

Cool.
Srinath.

 

[rburrelli]

Srinath. I have often wondered why you do the things you do. What is your reason for this process?

 

[Jokester]

I don't even know, But I consider myself 50% biologist, 50% mathematician, 50% chemist, 50% physicist, 50% software engineer, 50% motorcycle mechanic, 50% life hacker, 50% non conformist etc.
My wife has psycho analyzed all of us, and she's concluded I am extremely intelligent but not creative. So I don't make anything, I make a lot of things made by other people better LOL BASF has that as their slogan back in the 90's didn't they.
Anyway, this specific process is to determine how much alcohol is there in a freeze distilled beer.

BTW I managed to get 50% of it by weight evaporated out. So I got 62.5% abv out of what could at best be 34% - aka I burnt the duck out of it and burnt off all the water as well.

So much for that, sadly I sat it in a boiling water bath and left the house to run a few errands. Came back to find a beautiful oil like substance that smelled delish, but I had to throw it in the quart to add flavor, cos it has no booze.

Cool.
Srinath.

 

[rburrelli]

I don't even know, But I consider myself 50% biologist, 50% mathematician, 50% chemist, 50% physicist, 50% software engineer, 50% motorcycle mechanic, 50% life hacker, 50% non conformist etc.
My wife has psycho analyzed all of us, and she's concluded I am extremely intelligent but not creative. So I don't make anything, I make a lot of things made by other people better LOL BASF has that as their slogan back in the 90's didn't they.
Anyway, this specific process is to determine how much alcohol is there in a freeze distilled beer.

BTW I managed to get 50% of it by weight evaporated out. So I got 62.5% abv out of what could at best be 34% - aka I burnt the duck out of it and burnt off all the water as well.

So much for that, sadly I sat it in a boiling water bath and left the house to run a few errands. Came back to find a beautiful oil like substance that smelled delish, but I had to throw it in the quart to add flavor, cos it has no booze.

Cool.
Srinath.

Thanks for the background info.