BeerBrewBob
Active Member
A very common issue for beginner wine makers is perfecting the sugar levels for gravity and taste...Most already understand that a hydrometer is essential but there is one solid calculation I have used for years that really helps in combination with a hydrometer to get the sugar(brix) level perfect.
**This yields liters and kilograms so conversion will be necessary if desired.
M = V x SG x (Bf-Bi) / (100-Bf)
M=Sugar. V=Volume. SG=Specific Gravity. Bf=Desired Brix level.
Bi=Current Brix level.
I prefer using real fruit for a mash but sometimes exotic fruits are hard to get and organic natural juice is just as good. Recently, I had several 1 gallon jugs of organic Mango juice that had been sitting around unopened. I decided to give it a run for making a 6 gal batch of Mango Wine. FYI..6 Gal = 22.7 L
The first thing you do is take your triple scale hydrometer and see how much sugar is in the juice by itself. In my case, the current SG was 1.060 or 15%(Bi) sugar. I want this stuff to kick so my target SG is 1.134 or 32%(Bf) sugar. On a triple scale hydrometer, it will show you that with a SG of 1.134, the capable ABV will be around 18%. Boom
M=22.7 x 1.06 x (32-15) / (100-32) = 6.015Kg or 6,015g
2.2 pounds per kilogram so 2.2 x 6.015 = 13.23lbs of sugar will need to be added to a 6 gallon mix in order to obtain the 18% ABV.
Most Lager / Ale or wine yeast for that matter won't make it to 18% and will choke way before getting close. I recommend using a turbo yeast such as Still Spirits Classic, which is designed for high alcohol fermenting. Option B....after 2 weeks or until FG has been reached, pour into a Keggle Still with 7 gallons of water... distill, filter, cut, and bottle. Viola! 2 Gal of 120 proof Mango Vodka.
On another note, probably not a good idea to use Turbo Yeast as I have noticed it puts off a weird after taste. Stick to the 12% ABV Wine Yeast...Better product for sure.
Cheers!
**This yields liters and kilograms so conversion will be necessary if desired.
M = V x SG x (Bf-Bi) / (100-Bf)
M=Sugar. V=Volume. SG=Specific Gravity. Bf=Desired Brix level.
Bi=Current Brix level.
I prefer using real fruit for a mash but sometimes exotic fruits are hard to get and organic natural juice is just as good. Recently, I had several 1 gallon jugs of organic Mango juice that had been sitting around unopened. I decided to give it a run for making a 6 gal batch of Mango Wine. FYI..6 Gal = 22.7 L
The first thing you do is take your triple scale hydrometer and see how much sugar is in the juice by itself. In my case, the current SG was 1.060 or 15%(Bi) sugar. I want this stuff to kick so my target SG is 1.134 or 32%(Bf) sugar. On a triple scale hydrometer, it will show you that with a SG of 1.134, the capable ABV will be around 18%. Boom
M=22.7 x 1.06 x (32-15) / (100-32) = 6.015Kg or 6,015g
2.2 pounds per kilogram so 2.2 x 6.015 = 13.23lbs of sugar will need to be added to a 6 gallon mix in order to obtain the 18% ABV.
Most Lager / Ale or wine yeast for that matter won't make it to 18% and will choke way before getting close. I recommend using a turbo yeast such as Still Spirits Classic, which is designed for high alcohol fermenting. Option B....after 2 weeks or until FG has been reached, pour into a Keggle Still with 7 gallons of water... distill, filter, cut, and bottle. Viola! 2 Gal of 120 proof Mango Vodka.
On another note, probably not a good idea to use Turbo Yeast as I have noticed it puts off a weird after taste. Stick to the 12% ABV Wine Yeast...Better product for sure.
Cheers!
