What is my alcohol?
- Thread starter karrlot
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seth8530
The Atomic Wine Maker
Your alcohol content is impossible to know for sure because we do not know how much juice you added into the must. If we knew how much you added in as well as your original volume we could get very close to knowing what it is for sure.
cedarswamp
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I think I agree with Seth, once you add the juice you no longer have 10.611% you have a higher volume with lower ABV when you measured the 1.022 SG.
Technically true, but you are splitting hairs, as they say.
One has the same problem anytime additional sugar (diluted in water or juice) is added after fermentation starts. This is the case with the WineXpert Chocolate Raspberry port.
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cedarswamp
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If your starting volume was 1 gallon and you added a gallon of juice thats a 5% abv hair. The OP didn't give us the volumes so technically we're both just guessing.
seth8530
The Atomic Wine Maker
The issue is when you sweeten with juice vs when you sweeten with sugar is that the volumetric dilution is much greater with the juice... You need to account for that and it does indeed make quite a difference in the final abv... If you are interested I made a thread that discusses how you account for volumetric dilution and even included an easy to use formula that I derived.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/seths-correction-equation-32839/
Total alcohol=1.25{[OG1-FG1]*vol1+[OG2-FG2]*Vol2+[OG3-FG3]*vol3}
To get ABV Divide this by your total volume. and multiply by 100
You only need to use as many steps as you need. This can be expanded outward infinitely.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/seths-correction-equation-32839/
Total alcohol=1.25{[OG1-FG1]*vol1+[OG2-FG2]*Vol2+[OG3-FG3]*vol3}
To get ABV Divide this by your total volume. and multiply by 100
You only need to use as many steps as you need. This can be expanded outward infinitely.
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cedarswamp
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Not arguing, we're allowed to respectfully disagree.
Arne
Senior Member
LOL, I've been out of school for over 40 years. Back when I got out of school if I had any idea how to figure the ABV. I probably would of. Now I figure just gotta watch how much of it you drink. Most of my wines will put you in the cellar iffn ya ain't careful. Don't put a ABV on my bottles but most who are drinkin off them know to take care. I know most of mine run 10 to 13 % and that is close enough. Take care, enjoyin this post. Arne.
On 8/10 I started at SG 1.085 at Temp is 78°.
On 8/25 sg was 1.004. Volume was 3 15/16 gallons*.
I added 9 cups of juice that had an SG of 1.04.
I added 4 cups of sugar disolved in 2 quarts of water with an SG of 1.13
After addition the volume was 5 gallons at SG 1.022.
The final SG after fermentation was 1.000 (5 gallons).
Does this help in figuring the final alcohol?
* I didn't measure the volume before adding the juice and sugar water, but I guess it would be 5 gallons - (1 gallon 1 cup) = 3 15/16 gallons.
On 8/25 sg was 1.004. Volume was 3 15/16 gallons*.
I added 9 cups of juice that had an SG of 1.04.
I added 4 cups of sugar disolved in 2 quarts of water with an SG of 1.13
After addition the volume was 5 gallons at SG 1.022.
The final SG after fermentation was 1.000 (5 gallons).
Does this help in figuring the final alcohol?
* I didn't measure the volume before adding the juice and sugar water, but I guess it would be 5 gallons - (1 gallon 1 cup) = 3 15/16 gallons.
seth8530
The Atomic Wine Maker
If I am understanding the situation properly you started out with 3 15/16 =45/16 gallons of wine at 1.085 correct? So vol1=45/16, OG1=1.085 FG1=1.004 Vol2=5 gallons OG2=1.022 FG2=1
so we get 125*[(1.085-1.004)*(45/16)+(1.022-1)*5]/5
I get your abv to be 8.44%
Versus 12.875% if you just used the overall drop in gravity.
So quite a big difference. The reason why the ABV is so low is because you added nearly a gallon of liquid into your wine.
Good news! 3 15/16 = 63/16 not 45/16!
I did the calculation with that number and came up with 10.77!
So my question is still- is this alcohol content high enough for wine? I think I have read that it should be over 12%.
Thanks everyone for your help!
I did the calculation with that number and came up with 10.77!
So my question is still- is this alcohol content high enough for wine? I think I have read that it should be over 12%.
Thanks everyone for your help!
seth8530
The Atomic Wine Maker
Good catch! You are correct on that one. If it was me I would try and step feed it up some more until you hit about 12 abv at least for stability!
You might try this. Google "fermcalc" and select alcohol content measurements. Use the Honneyman method. I have used this and compared it with commercial wines. Very close.
No complex formulas. Just SG and a conversion table. 20-25 minutes start to finish when you use a refrigerator to cool the sample.
Tip: I use 3/4 cup wine. And as long as the reconstituted sample is close to the ambient temp of the original sample, I don't use a temperature conversion.
Good luck.
No complex formulas. Just SG and a conversion table. 20-25 minutes start to finish when you use a refrigerator to cool the sample.
Tip: I use 3/4 cup wine. And as long as the reconstituted sample is close to the ambient temp of the original sample, I don't use a temperature conversion.
Good luck.
seth8530
The Atomic Wine Maker
Yes, I have posted an example using my equation as well as an excel spreadsheet that does the calculations for you.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f71/my-step-feeding-calculator-new-improved-34497/
seth8530
The Atomic Wine Maker
Where on the website did you see that? I only saw a calculator.
