Another "What did I do???"

[AkTom]

I've been brewing beer for 3 almost 4 years. I know how to read my hydrometer. I made a DB blueberry/cranberry. I know I got a wee bit impatient and racked to carboy at 1.000. I didn't add anything, just wanted to rack off the fruit and lees. I figured it might go ahead and drop a few more points. That was on1-11. By the way, I used my Allinonewinepump. I also put on a headspace eliminator. There was co2 coming out. Yesterday and this morning I had to vacuum it out as the ball was inflated. Tonight when I get home, inflated again. This time im smart enough to check at. 1.040!!! How did it go from 1.000 to 1.040? I'm sure I didn't misread my hydrometer. And yes, I put an airlock back on.
Thanks,
Tom

 

[Johny99]

Did you check and compensate for temperature? That's all I can think of.

 

[hounddawg]

WHEN RACKING DID YOUSWEET TALK THEWINE,








QUOTE=AkTom;634996]I've been brewing beer for 3 almost 4 years. I know how to read my hydrometer. I made a DB blueberry/cranberry. I know I got a wee bit impatient and racked to carboy at 1.000. I didn't add anything, just wanted to rack off the fruit and lees. I figured it might go ahead and drop a few more points. That was on1-11. By the way, I used my Allinonewinepump. I also put on a headspace eliminator. There was co2 coming out. Yesterday and this morning I had to vacuum it out as the ball was inflated. Tonight when I get home, inflated again. This time im smart enough to check at. 1.040!!! How did it go from 1.000 to 1.040? I'm sure I didn't misread my hydrometer. And yes, I put an airlock back on.
Thanks,
Tom[/QUOTE]

 

[hounddawg]

JOSHING aside, are you sure your sugarwas tottaly desolved, if not raciing could of stired your sugars and caused them to desolve into your must raising your SG,, no clue by me just a feeble thought, and if your not fermented dry why the head space elemtor yet, aslong as fermentation continues say down to .990 or lower your must needs oxygen and stirred once to twice daily, i whiup as much oxygen into my must daily untill my ferment is completely dry or stalled by alcohol, yet i lie semi-sweet andsweet winesso i sorbateandK-META then back sweeten to my taste,,, then i airlock forawhile, if and when i get to much head spack then andonly then at that time i useallinonewinepump.com,, by STEVE for my long term bulk aging when i have no more of the orignal wine to top off with, OBTW another A+ for STEVE... way to go vacuumpumpman...... love your headspaceelemanator along with your entire line ofproducts, you saveabroken down cripple tons of time, tons of lifting and mega tons ofpain for products at really decent prices, i still wonder if your bewtter half will rent you out, but you'll have to take out the trash, wash windowsandwash dishes just for startersmy friend,, BAHWAAA
Dawg

 

[AkTom]

I was stirring daily with my drill. Who knows?? I'm really not in a hurry, it just surprised me. The sg sample... oh my. I think this is going to be good.

 

[Julie]

Was the fruit just laying in the primary or was it in a bag? If the fruit was just laying in the primary, the must may have been too thick to allow the hydrometer to float freely.

 

[cmason1957]

Here's a guess and purely a guess. It wasn't done fermenting, since the sg was only 1.000. With a Headspace eliminator on at that point in time, the CO2 can't escape, so it went into the wine and was read as an increase in sg.

Whether that makes good science sense or not, you should have an airlock in place so that the CO2 can be spelled Headspace isn't an issue at this point in time.

 

[Stressbaby]

It is very unlikely that the true SG went from 1.000 to 1.040 in two days, especially with DB. That difference is far more than what can be accounted for by temperature, sugars trapped in the fruit, undissolved sugar, etc.

I hope I don't come off disrespectful, I don't mean it that way. But it is far more likely that either you got in a hurry and misread (you yourself used the word ("impatient"), or that there was an unnoticed technical reason that the hydrometer did not read correctly one time or the other (CO2 bubbles clinging to the hydrometer, hydrometer not free floating, etc).

To be clear, I'm not saying you don't know how to read a hydrometer. I'm saying there are multiple possible sources of human error and with a gap as wide as 1.000 to 1.040, one of those is more likely to be in play here.

As to your wine, it would be important to know whether it is still fermenting. Is the SG still dropping? DB is usually pretty bullet-proof.

 

[AkTom]

@Julie the fruit was in a bag. I would squeeze and stir daily. Then take a sg reading.

 

[Julie]

@Julie the fruit was in a bag. I would squeeze and stir daily. Then take a sg reading.

I'm thinking it might be an co2?

 

[AkTom]

@Stressbaby in my squeaky voice "Inconceivable". Just very strange. The impatient part was in wanting to start another wine. I've made several Skeeter Pees and this is my fourth DB. I'll go down and get another sg this morning. And no worries about me thinking you being disrespectful. This is a most respectful and friendly group. I appreciate you taking time to help.
After I finish my coffee I think a sg sample sounds mighty good.
Cheers

 

[Stressbaby]

@AkTom, sounds good, please do post back and let us know!

 

[AkTom]

I'm thinking it might be an co2?

I'm thinking you are right. I just Took a sample. It read 1010. I poured it into a glass. Poured it back into the sample tube... .096. I didn't know co2 could cause readings to be that far off. I have a bit of sediment in the carboy. I rack/degass and see. All in all, this is cheap (not necessarily inexpensive) entertainment.
I've had breakfast, now for that sample

 

[drainsurgeon]

I think Stressbaby hit the nail on the head with the Co2 bubbles hanging onto the hydrometer idea. When the ferment is still in progress I have to be sure to give my hydrometer a good spin to shake off the bubbles and then take a quick reading. If you let it float you can watch it rise out of the must as the Co2 bubbles cling to the hydrometer. This would give you an erroneously high reading. Good call.

 

[Scooter68]

Most definitely Drain Surgeon. I have 2 fresh batches started and when I drew my first sample for SG testing I was carefull not to get any foam off the top of the batch but by the time I got ready to put my hydrometer in the testing tube I already had a1/4 inch of foam from the ACTIVE fermentation going on. AND as I tried to get a reading - I looked, decided to get my reading glasses on and in the meantime the hydrometer tube rose up about .008

Everyone remembers that straw in the soda pop that just started rising up like "magic" from the carbonation bubbles. Granted the amount mentioned is extreme but not impossible with a few other contributing factors.

That's why I always spin the hydrometer after I have it in my testing tube to clear the bubbles off of it.