Confused...(again)

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Old Philosopher

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I have read a half-dozen places where the simple formula for calculating alcohol percentage is:
Starting SG - Ending SG x (????) = % alcohol by weight.

The (????) figure ranges from 105 to 130 to 135.

What is the correct factor by which to multiply, in this simple formula???

I also heard that multiplying the a.b.w. figure by 1.25 would yield the a.b.v. percentage. True?

:a1
 
I had the same problem recently. The discussion can be found here:


http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4495



Hope it helps.


.............................................................

From one philosopher to another...

"I drink therefore I am."

:)


[Having re-read Luc's post his conclusion reminds me of the Aristotelian foundation of epistemology, though some may disagree.]
 
Last edited:
I had the same problem recently. The discussion can be found here:


http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4495



Hope it helps.


.............................................................

From one philosopher to another...

"I drink therefore I am."

:)


[Having re-read Luc's post his conclusion reminds me of the Aristotelian foundation of epistemology, though some may disagree.]
Thanks, Becks! I searched, but didn't find that thread.
Actually, (as usual) Luc's explanation cleared up a lot of questions for me. I guess a person just has to be in the right frame of mind to assimilate it. :dg

All I can say to the philosophical ramifications of vinting is, In Vino Veritas! :b
 
Ive always used ssg - fsg x 131.4 and thats close enough for me.
 
I use ssg - fsg x 133.

BTW dividing by 7.36 is the same as multiplying by 135.86. It gives a higher alcohol number than the factors that Wade and I use.

Sometime ago, somebody said that they enjoyed the higher alcohol wine more, so they use the 7.36 factor.

Steve
 
O.P., you're not alone on the confusion. I thought it was "ab(t)=abv/(p)2x2c-7.:D

And I wondered why I failed chemistry and 3 algebra classes at UAF?:d

Good thing the flying lessons didn't confuse me as much!!!LOL:b


Troy
 
Okay, we determined that we were going to use anywhere between 131.4 to 135, depending upon how strong we want to say our wine is. That's a.b.w.

What about that x1.25 to get a.b.v.?
 
Who really cares with wine? If your starting SG = 1.000 your alcohol level normally runs 12-13%. Higher SG gives you higher alcohol if you use high tolerance yeasts like Champagne Yeast which goes as high as 18%. Stay with the same SG levels you like and you will get the same alcohol level 99% of the time. Most people wouldn't taste the difference if it were 12% or 18%.
 
I started at 1.100, and I'll stabilize it somewhere around .990-.995, so it should be in the ball park of what I want.
 
Awhile back, I thought my keyboard keys were sticking...until I realized it was my fingers that weren't working....
 
Who really cares with wine? Most people wouldn't taste the difference if it were 12% or 18%.

I think most people would notice the difference between a 12% and an 18% abv.. A lot of the flavours are masked by a higher alc content.. Higher abv hits the back of your throat harsher too. ( that's often why it is referred to as rocket fuel)

It's a balancing act, you choose more flavour and sacrifice higher alc, or you choose higher alc and sacrifice flavour.

Personally if I was heading for a higher alc around 18% to 20%.. I'd achieve it by fortifying with brandy or vodka.. and try to keep as much of the flavour as possible. Of course this then becomes a port-style wine..

Allie
 
I am by no means a wine connoisseur. I got into this because I had 25 gallons of plums I was getting tired of turning into prunes.
I just want people to know they're drinking wine, and not prune juice. :h Now that I'm on the right track, I'll be trying other concoctions in the future. I'm still curious about dandelion wine.
My big push right now is turning 8 bushels of apples into cider.
 
My big push right now is turning 8 bushels of apples into cider.



Lucky you.. my apple trees have just finished flowering and the fruit set looks good so far. Cider is the tipple of choice in my house..Last years harvest is gone already..I'm not doing apple wine this year, still have plenty from last year. It's all going into cider this time. The hard pears have got a great fruit set too.

Allie
 
Lucky you.. my apple trees have just finished flowering and the fruit set looks good so far. Cider is the tipple of choice in my house..Last years harvest is gone already..I'm not doing apple wine this year, still have plenty from last year. It's all going into cider this time. The hard pears have got a great fruit set too.

Allie
I got 21 pears off one of the two trees we planted a year and a half ago.
I tried an experiment this year, after 5 years of sharing 80% of the crop with apple maggots. I hung three red balls total in the two trees. Coated the balls with Tanglefoot, and crossed my fingers. I don't spray anything if I can avoid it. This year 90% of the apples were worm-free! Next year, it'll be 6 traps!
The traps need to go up as soon as the blossoms drop.
 

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