VODKA KIT HELP 0 reading on hydrometer

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matt3360

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hello guys have made me a vodka home kit and all went well bubbling away nicley and did all the stages inclding the many cyphons drink tates dry but now tested it with hydrometer it reads zero alchol how can it bubble and all go well then hydro read zero

any help would be great this has taken me 4 weeks
 
matt3360 said:
hello guys have made me a vodka home kit and all went well bubbling away nicley and did all the stages inclding the many cyphons drink tates dry but now tested it with hydrometer it reads zero alchol how can it bubble and all go well then hydro read zero

any help would be great this has taken me 4 weeks
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I have no idea how a vodka kit works, but if it is anything like a beer or wine kit, you can't just take a hydro reading at the end and determine alcohol. You have to take hydro at the beginning and the end and compare the two to discover the ABV. To take a finished product and know the ABV, you need a different tool, with which I'm not familiar.

If it is reading 1.000 on the hydrometer, that means it has about the density of water. I would expect vodka to dip lower than that, but like I said, I don't really know how a "vodka kit" works - Does it require distillation?

RDWHAHV
 
Where did you get this "vodka kit" from? What came with it? Sounds a little suspect to me...
 
hey nop it dont it work on high power yeast to around 18% i have a hydormeter that has the abv marking on it only when i float it goes straight to zero what do u think can this reader be wrong cuase it was bubbling for 2 and a hlf weeks

then cyphon liquor from yeast sediment
 
Aye. All, if not most hydrometers have the "ABV" marking. You're supposed to take the reading when you INITIALLY do your batch, then at the end, and take the difference of the two "percentages". That'll give you the ABV. It's just a simple way of looking at it. At least that's my take. And, if it's at 1.000, it's probably still fermenting...because I think that stuff tends to go a bit lower.
 
its a phorbition high vodka kit i have made one before got abv of 18 this one did all the same came out at zero there all on the web phobition high alchol kit i have spoke to them on the phone before all real
 
it has fermeted for 2 and half weeks just like the one before that one at the end read 18% theres no other markign part from ABV at start they were 0 the first 1 made it to 18 this one is at 0 any ideas
 
matt3360 said:
hey nop it dont it work on high power yeast to around 18% i have a hydormeter that has the abv marking on it only when i float it goes straight to zero what do u think can this reader be wrong cuase it was bubbling for 2 and a hlf weeks

then cyphon liquor from yeast sediment
Click to expand...


Have you been drinking some of this "home vodka"? You are a bit hard to understand. Read my post above - you can't just take a reading at the end. That is a relative ABV % - you have to compare to a pre-ferment reading. Most people don't use that set of markings on the hydrometer, they use the Gravity readings, subtract the "original gravity" (pre-ferment reading) from the "final gravity" (post-ferment reading) and then do a calculation to determine ABW or ABV.

I'm sure there is a similar post on this site, but check this out: Realbeer.com: Beer Break - Calculating Alcohol Content
 
I can hardly understand you...but do understand I'm pretty sure if you're in the states the legality of this all...isn't there. Since it's not legal (from my understanding) here, most people probably don't readily engage in it compared to other, easier things to brew. Plus, you're asking this in the beer brewing forum. Anyways, once again...read what has been said. Do a little research...
 
matt3360 said:
it has fermeted for 2 and half weeks just like the one before that one at the end read 18% theres no other markign part from ABV at start they were 0 the first 1 made it to 18 this one is at 0 any ideas
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It is supposed to go down over time, not up. I think if you take a reading at the beginning and it says 18% and then you let it finish out and it reads 0%, then that means it is done, but I use gravities and don't really know for sure.

It sounds like your first batch didn't finish properly, and maybe you did a bit better this time around.
 
And, if I understand this right, you had a hydrometer go from 0 to 18%? I'm pretty sure hydrometers shouldn't be going up after fermentation :p
 
Distillation is illegal in the States, and no one can understand what the hell this thread is about. Any mods out there?
 
KayaBrew said:
Distillation is illegal in the States, and no one can understand what the hell this thread is about. Any mods out there?
Click to expand...

While point 2 is wholeheartedly valid, he could just as easily be out of the states. His english isn't the greatest, after all. :p
 
ok ok

let me start again easer

i have purchased from a uk shop a phribiton high alochol vodka kit using yeast fermentation.... in the beggining i have a reader that has NO specific gravity readings just ABV when u add all the ingredients it reads 0

i have made one of these before the end result was 18%

this time the kit worked in the same way and it eneded up on 0! i was wondering if even though u can cleary see fermentation going why would it read zero

theese kits are legal u can buy them on any home brew shop when they are done u add vodka flovring to the mixture which is sugar water yeast persavtive and yeast nutrient

this is my second batch and has a read out of 0%

just to make the point this reader has no speicifc gravity on it just ABV which reads zero when i started and zero now and fermtaion cleary took place!

hope this helps


this kit does not involve distillation its is made using yeast fermentation

distilling in the UK is against the law i am in the UK but i am rushing this sorry guys just annoyed its not worked
 
I'm not sure what you're talking about, but you are of legal age in your country. If you can post a link to your "vodka kit", that would help. I don't think any of us have seen the kit you're talking about.
 
im sorry i dont come across well please basically what im saying is the ABV reading has not changed so basically even tho it looks like it has fermented the ABV has not moved
 
i am a novice so it may not be a hydrometer u drop it in the brew it floats on what abv it is on u do it tiwce begging and bottleing both times zero all though fermtation has happened
 
Well, do you have a hydrometer? One with a scale on it?

If you add all the ingredients, there is NO way it should be 0. It should be like 1.130 or so on the "SG" scale when you add all the ingredients. It should finish at about 0 or a bit below (since alcohol is lighter than water).

If you don't have a specific gravity scale, the hydrometer should read about 18% on the potential alcohol scale at the beginning, and 0 at the end of the scale. At least this is the case in all of the "triple scale" hydrometers I've ever seen.

Can you also post a link to your hydrometer so we can see where the 0 is? If it's been bubbling a couple of weeks, it's hard to believe that no fermentation took place. Did you taste it? Does it taste a bit "hot"? That's not very scientific, I know, but if it's very sweet and yeasty without hotness, it's not fermented. If it's not sweet, and a bit hot, it's about finished.
 
ok ok i can can call to the usa or msn to chat this out i am nto very good at comming across well i have all the stuff in front of me call or msn and i can explain the whole thign in 5 mins
 
anyone who has five mins to sort this out please its taken me 4 and a half weeks
 
I think he is using the hydrometer on the link he sent, which they are calling an alcometer, and which doesn't have gravity, only some percentages. I'm not sure if they move up or down during fermentation, the scale could be inverted, the photo is bad.. At any rate, just taste the stuff and see if tastes good. What temperature is it? Put your alcometer in some water and see what it does. Put it in some sugar water and see what it does. What were the readings you took before/after for both batches?


this stuff sounds like the mike's hard lemonade type of "brewing" ... after this mate, you should make a real beer. Or at least some Apfelwein. It's cheaper and easier and will taste better.
 
yeah i am making a beer kit now as i say i am a novice it tates like siprit its just wierd ill try the water
 
yeah ok

batch one started at ABV reading 0 ended on 18
batch two started at ABV reading 0 ended on 0

the drink brew the same same time for fermenting then clearign and etc all the same i dont see how it can bubble and end on zero try water has the same ABV reading of 0

this is so wierd can a alco meter be confused by nutirents etc
 
matt3360 said:
yeah ok

batch one started at ABV reading 0 ended on 18
batch two started at ABV reading 0 ended on 0

the drink brew the same same time for fermenting then clearign and etc all the same i dont see how it can bubble and end on zero try water has the same ABV reading of 0

this is so wierd can a alco meter be confused by nutirents etc
Click to expand...

If your meter reads 0 on water and 0 at the start of both of your batches, that is pretty weird. With hydrometers, fermentation ends at readings that are similar to water, and you get a higher reading than water before fermentation. So if your scale was inverted (0 pre-fermentation), then I would expect water to read 18 or at least something above 0. So I am a bit confused about what is going on here. It might be that your alcometer is broken or that the way you are doing the readings is not correct. Are you floating it in a decent amount of liquid in a cylinder of some sort? Got any photos?? If you are convinced it is done , then why don't you just drink it and relax. Next time around, get a hydrometer that has gravity readings on it, they are about $8 in the US.
 
Hey gang helping this guy...Aren't the hydrometers used in spirit production different from the ones we use for beer and wine...I thought they used a different scale or something...that might be where some of the confusion in numbers lie....I have nothing else to offer...but it just occured to me that that might be why some confusion is going on here..

That is all I can offer....Carry one!

:mug:
 
If you want to be taken seriously, stop apologizing for your poor grammar and spelling. Start using capital letters, punctuation, and a spell checker.

These kits will never make any kind of spirit. Spirits are distilled after fermentation. They appear to be "hooch" kits that aren't likely to make a very drinkable end product.

Lastly, if you can post some pictures of your readings, we may be able to help you make sense of them. Regardless of the readings, you have not created vodka, you have fermented some sugar "wine."
 
yeah they are different i am floating it in a tube it come with and the first batch it sunk to 18% this one doesnt even drop
 
matt3360 said:
yeah they are different i am floating it in a tube it come with and the first batch it sunk to 18% this one doesnt even drop
Click to expand...

Does it taste like it has alcohol in it or not? how do the two compare? At this point, given our unfamiliarity with fermenting hooch, I don't know what to tell you. If it tastes like the vodka kit you made before, perhaps its fine and there is just something else awry (did you add sugar to it just now?), otherwise, if it tastes very sweet and unlike spirits, it probably didn't ferment. In either case, regardless of the readings, after tasting it, don't you know what you want to do with it?

Worst case you dump it out and move on to the beer kit. This hooch isn't good drinking even if it did ferment properly.
 
well it tates ok bit sweeter but its def not sugar water gues ill just drink it thanks for your help anyway i am going to steer well clear of these and just use beer

cheers guys
 
I have two possible answers:

1. Your fermentation isn't complete or stuck

2. Your ALCOMETER is broken.

* The Alcometer is floated in the spirit to measure the alcohol content. As alcohol is thinner than water, the higher in strength the alcohol is, the further down the hydrometer floats. The reading is taken where the surface of the spirit cuts the scale of the hydrometer.


It is weighted to measure the difference in alcohol and water, beer hydrometers are weighted to measure the difference in sugar levels. Hydrometers are more accurate at low alcohol %, but Alcometers are typically measuring alcohol levels in the 20% or more.

To test if your alcometer is broken put it in some cheap wine of known alcohol percentage and see if you are close. To test your "vodka" buy a hydrometer and measure it and if it is reading close to 1.00 you have your "hooch".

Hope the helps!!!!
 
matt3360 said:
well it tates ok bit sweeter but its def not sugar water gues ill just drink it thanks for your help anyway i am going to steer well clear of these and just use beer

cheers guys
Click to expand...


Well, you can wait a bit longer, and keep it at fermentation temperatures and it may well finish up for you. Yeast are living creatures, and susceptible to environmental changes and other things. I know it's been 4 weeks, but sometimes the yeast just take longer than expected. Instead of going by a time frame, go by when the yeast are done working. Check it again in a few days (or a week) to see if there are any changes. You may have had a temperature drop or something that affected the yeast, so keep it at room temperature and try to keep waiting it out.
 
yeah i floted hydro was like 1.100 but i drained the yeast away after the 2 and a half weeks

but it did buble and thigs gues it may have failed as i am a noob i am doing a nice lager beer kit for bennginers as i am only 20 i am def into this as a hooby and hope ot prgress further once again thanks guys sorry for my poor typing and the way i cam across

happy brewing to u all
 

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