Buy A Frickin' Hydrometer!

[Runningwolf]

I think I have you all beat. If I break one it is not a simple chore to just go to the LBS for another as they don't exist here in Costa Rica. I have my everyday one plus 3 more backups.

Thats why they call you the Wiz!

 

[Wiz]

Darn, now everyone knows why, Runningwolf.

 

[Randoneur]

I am surprised by the numer of posts I have seen the last couple of years from people new to the wine making hobby who dont have a hydrometer!

This is probably the single most important toool, and maybe the most inexpensive!

You HAVE to have this. Not only to measure the specific gravity(potential finishing alcohol content), but also to monitor temperature and progress!.

Personally, anyone who enters this forum without one should be required to toss a dollar into the jar at the door. These funds will be used for Wades retirement!

LOL

Wade is already getting rich as a forum administrator.

 

[Randoneur]

I looked on the tutorial and could not find one for reading/using a hydrometer. Maybe it would be a good idea to have one there for beginners to use.

 

[Wade E]

Wade is already getting rich as a forum administrator.

Bwaaa haaahaaaaaa!!!! I do get a little for the few advertisers we have but thats it.

 

[algo]

I get it that this thing is a usefull tool but what did the people use back in the day befor they invented them?
I have a friend that has made wine for the past 3 years and does not know what a hydrometer is. Her wine is great. I just learned what one was yesterday while reading "101 Recipes For Making Wild Wine" Still have not really figured out how to use it from what I have read and dreading the shipping to get one since there are no local shops around here that sell them.

 

[LJPelletier]

I get it that this thing is a usefull tool but what did the people use back in the day befor they invented them?
I have a friend that has made wine for the past 3 years and does not know what a hydrometer is. Her wine is great. I just learned what one was yesterday while reading "101 Recipes For Making Wild Wine" Still have not really figured out how to use it from what I have read and dreading the shipping to get one since there are no local shops around here that sell them.

Steevw in Greece talks about his neighbors family putting an egg in the must and waiting to see how long it takes to stink, as being an appropriate way to know how much sugar to add. Maybe if you find some 90 yr old greek wine maker, he can share the secret.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16457

 

[Charlietuna]

Yep, got 2. Had 1, dropped it and discovered that it does not work as a pile of glass. Bought 2 for insurance.

Exactly what I did

Brian

 

[jtstar]

I just hate putting a post on this one but I have not brought one yet and I have been making wine going on three years now but the one I do have was given to me by my brother in law the one that got me started in this hobby so I take very good care of it

 

[Runningwolf]

I get it that this thing is a usefull tool but what did the people use back in the day befor they invented them?
I have a friend that has made wine for the past 3 years and does not know what a hydrometer is. Her wine is great. I just learned what one was yesterday while reading "101 Recipes For Making Wild Wine" Still have not really figured out how to use it from what I have read and dreading the shipping to get one since there are no local shops around here that sell them.

You can make wine without one if you have a lot of patience and don't rush it but why take the risk for a 6.oo instrument. There are people making wine without chemicals also that make good wine. We are teaching you the modern, safe way to make wine and how to be succesful. There's nothing worse than putting all the time and money into a batch and have it go bad. Damn even with these tools we still mess up sometimes.

 

[djrockinsteve]

This would be a great article if anyone finds it. How did they make wine, in large quantity a long long time ago. I'm sure ours is better nowadays.

 

[loumik]

Based on what I've read here over the past 2+ years you shouldn't have limited your criticism to not using hydrometers. The response to many of the emails you get here should have been "go to the tutorials and start reading before you start your first wine making effort." I am amazed at the number of people who throw some juice and yeast into a container and expect to get wine. Before I made my first attempt I read everthing I could find on wine making. Since I found this site I have made an effort to log on nearly every day even when I didn't have a question. Advice to the new wine makers: READ,READ,READ, then ask questions with a better understanding of what your talking about and what the responders mean.

LOUMIK

 

[Pauly2275]

I can see where you're coming from, but what I have learned from making wine is that you don't klnow how little you know until you start learning and then sometimes it's too late

I made kits for years and then recently decided to try juice buckets. terms like; mlf, p.h.,sorbate, backsweeten, nutrient, energizer and many more started to pop up and it quite frankly became a little intimidating. I am starting to learn alot in a very short time, but ya I thought it was more or less as easy as throwing the right yeast in the right grape juice and keeping it sanitary, so let's not be too hard on us newbies as any great teachings have two things; great teachers and eager pupils

Based on what I've read here over the past 2+ years you shouldn't have limited your criticism to not using hydrometers. The response to many of the emails you get here should have been "go to the tutorials and start reading before you start your first wine making effort." I am amazed at the number of people who throw some juice and yeast into a container and expect to get wine. Before I made my first attempt I read everthing I could find on wine making. Since I found this site I have made an effort to log on nearly every day even when I didn't have a question. Advice to the new wine makers: READ,READ,READ, then ask questions with a better understanding of what your talking about and what the responders mean.

LOUMIK

 

[jdrum]

the old winemakers, knew what they were doing.

Steevw in Greece talks about his neighbors family putting an egg in the must and waiting to see how long it takes to stink, as being an appropriate way to know how much sugar to add. Maybe if you find some 90 yr old greek wine maker, he can share the secret.

Steevw in Greece wrote: As I am in Greece. maybe I should adopt the Greek approach to measuring gravity - place a fresh egg in the wine, see how quickly it sinks, and then argue with my neighbours about how much sugar to add ...

now think about it, an egg will sink in plain water. sg 1.000 add sugar and raise th sg to 1.090 and the egg floats not exzact sience but close. i have seen recipies that called to add sugar to float an egg. ill see if i can find them,

i plan to try this tomrrow with a cup of water and check with a hydrometer. ill let you know how it turns out.

jim

my bad!!!, the recipies i was thinking of was for pickel brine. but the principal remains the same, adding salt to h2o raises sg the same as sugar. still going to try it.

 

[arcticsid]

When I first started this thread, I didn't mean to sound so critical.

It is just that a hydrometer can tell you alot of different things on what is going on with a wine.

As Dan mentioned, some batches of wine can cost quite a bit to start and why not be sure with that investment(thats what it is for ingredients etc), when something as simple as a hydrometer(and your notes and logs) can help diagnose problems and concerns.

Even if you are new to wine making, with some of the readings from the worlds most fragile device, those who HAVE made wine can more easily help you figure out whats going on.

In the old days, many pilots flew airplanes without modern instruments and electronics. Many died because they had nothing to indicate where they were, or what was going on. They were literally flying blind!

We all want successes in our wine making, and a hydrometer can sometimes keep us from "flying into the side of a carboy" LOL
!

Thats all I meant to say by starting this thread, I hope I didn't sound too harsh or have insulted anyone.


Cheers

 

[jdrum]

i agree with you fully, i have 3 that i use faithfully, i just think we should look at alternative methods to get newbies started that will get them in the ballpark untill they get all there equipment.
50+ years ago i made cider and wine with nothing more then fruit water and bakers yeast, some was good some was bad, with the knowlege we have available to us today we can all make good wine,
the problem comes when people get hyped up and want to get started right away, then they get the cart before the horse and want to know what to do to save their efforts.
my sugestions are:
read all the tutorials you can find and understand what you have read, ask questions about the why's and wherefores.
get the right equipment
then start making wine

untill then lets find some alternative methods to help the impatient future wine makers.

jim

 

[Wade E]

jdrum, did you mean to "see how long it took for the egg to sink" instead of stink? I sure hope thats a type "O"!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

 

[Wiz]

I caught that also, Wade. Then I thought, well, as wierd as some of us wine makers are, maybe he did mean "stink".

 

[Wade E]

I agree but that wouldnt be to sanitary for the wine. I would imagine the must would go south before you had your reading and knew how much sugar to add. LOL

 

[arcticsid]

as a side note.

I pickle lots of fish, and recently ham hocks.

The initial brine calls for salt dissolved in enough water to float a raw egg.

This has ALWAYS worked for me.

Just wondering if there is any correlation. Probably not.

Just wanted to say......