how to use a hydrometer for newbies

[barryjo]

LOL, not many know where Wright, WY is! Thanks, barryjo, this is only my second batch of wine. Compared to my dad's way of making wine, this is rocket science! We'll just have to see how it goes and if I need to "fix" it down the road I'm sure I'll have more questions! Just racked my choke cherry for the second time this morning. Didn't have the correct hydrometer during my initial making....but now it reads 1.040. It is still working, but the way I understand it, I should rack it about once a month....until????
My experience with chokecherry is that you let it stop fermenting without racking. I have found that this wine is very hard to clear to the point where you get no sediment. I racked a batch 3 times, used Superclear and it still had "stuff" in the bottom. After 1 1/2 years!


After I syphoned it into the carboy I sat and watched for a few minutes and was glad to see it still working! It is pretty clear, but probably not clear enough. Will that 1.040 number go down as it continues to work?

It will continue to go down. Unless you put in excess sugar, it should get close to 1.000.

Also how much "space" at the top of the carboy is acceptable? I made what I thought was 7 1/2 gal....but when racked it fits into 1) 5 gallon and 2) one gallons...and the one gallons have more than a couple of inches of head room. should I get marbles to fill the space?

I am going to go out on a limb here with headspace. If you rack while some fermentation is occuring, CO2 forms on the surface. No problem. When you rack later, add 1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfate to the carboy. Only rack every 3 months or so. I am coming to the conclusion that the issue of headspace is a bit over-rated. Once the wine has been racked, you need to keep "outside" air from entering. Therefore an airlock. But the changes in barometric pressure cause the carboy to "inhale and exhale". The airlocks we use are OK for headspace of 1-2". If the airlock has a bigger capacity, no air will enter, even with greater headspace. So I take a 2-piece airlock, slip a piece of vinyl tubing over the inside part and put the other end in a larger jar. Add sulfite water, vodka or maybe glycerine.
Hope this doesn't confuse you.
I presently have 2 chokecherries, 2 pomegranate/cherry and a moscoto working. My winery smells SSSOOOOO good!

 

[srcorndog]

Great job! I have used a similar idea to understand but you had the courage to publish! Kudos to you!

 

[BonnieLynn]

Haven't even had my hydrometer for a month and it slipped out of my hands while washing tonight! Grrrrrr Glass everywhere!

 

[sour_grapes]

Standard advice: Don't buy 1 to replace it; instead, buy two. Then you will have a spare.

Since I did that, I have not broken another! (Knock on wood.)

 

[sunlandwines]

hey all, I'm about to take the SG of my lemon wine, which has been bubbling away for 13 days now. I still hear a bubbling sound when I listen, sort of akin to after you've poured a coke into a glass. Question is: do I stir the cap into the wine before I take the reading? or do I sort of just push it aside? (This is my first batch of wine -- lemons from a tree on the property).

 

[grapeman]

It makes it easier to take a reading if you have a long cylinder and put just some of the wine in it. You can strain it through a sieve or something similar so you don't get a lot of the pulp. Next time it will be easier if you put the lemon pulp into a strainer or fruit bag. If you don't have cylinder you can try to push it aside, but it will keep coming back and interfering with the reading.

 

[PostToastee]

I am new. I'm only gong to be making merlots, cabernets and chardonnays. I'm a little confused about this post because it appears a lot of people are making something other than a traditional wine. That does not have any bearing on how to read and interpret the hydrometer. Is that correct?

 

[barryjo]

The hydrometer doesn't have any idea what it is sitting in. The hydrometers job is to compare the Specific Gravity of the liquid to that of plain water. Undissolved solids don't really affect it. However, the amount of alcohol is what changes the reading. Also, the amount of other dissolved solids (sugar for instance) will affect the reading.
And I don't advise getting too persnickity with the use of the hydrometer. They are calibrated under special conditions. Such as 60 degrees, distilled water). For instance, testing wine at 70 degrees will affect the reading by about .001. Unless you are a research chemist, I wouldn't get too carried away.
Later, if you want to get into the precision side, go ahead. For now, have fun. Make wine. Good luck.

 

[addseo1115]

Nice

You have one a great job. Thanks for sharing your photos.

 

[Chuck-crisler]

Follow on question

If you are starting on the skins/pulp/stems, how do you get an accurate initial reading? Mine gave me just about any value I wanted because the must was so thick.

Chuck Crisler

 

[sour_grapes]

One way is to sink a strainer into the must, and pull out liquid from the "well" that forms using a wine thief. Transfer the wine to a testing cylinder, and use the hydrometer as usual.

Another way is to buy a refractometer, which only needs a small volume of must.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Very same principles as Paul stated above - but you can take your Baster and push it below the skins and suck up some juice and then put it in the appropriate cylinder and test your readings as well.

 

[Cydersyd]

Is this normal?

Hi. My first wine kit brew of Pinot Grigio has stopped fermenting after 8 days. It was fairly aggressive at the start but reduced after about 5 days.
Today it has stopped! I have taken an hydrometer reading which is 991.
Question, is this OK after such a short time?
I failed to take a hydrometer reading at the beginning, what would that have been?
I will take two more daily readings to confirm it's finished. Can I then add the finings and stabiliser to complete the process.

Looking forward to your responses.

Cheers from the UK.

 

[sour_grapes]

Hi. My first wine kit brew of Pinot Grigio has stopped fermenting after 8 days. It was fairly aggressive at the start but reduced after about 5 days.
Today it has stopped! I have taken an hydrometer reading which is 991.
Question, is this OK after such a short time?
I failed to take a hydrometer reading at the beginning, what would that have been?
I will take two more daily readings to confirm it's finished. Can I then add the finings and stabiliser to complete the process.

Looking forward to your responses.

Cheers from the UK.

Yes, it would be not abnormal for your specific gravity (SG) to reduce to 0.991 in 8 days. (It seems a bit quick, but within normal range.)

We don't know what it was to start. If this is a kit, as you stated, then it was likely in the range of 1.080 to 1.095 or so. What kind of kit was it?

Yes, after you determine it is finished (and it likely is), you can then add the finings and stabilizer. At this point, the wine should be in a glass carboy or demijohn with an airlock.

 

[Cydersyd]

Thanks for your quick reply Paul it has set my mind at rest and saved the brew going down the drain.
I will give a couple of days to ensure that the SG remains static and then continue with the process.

Regards.

 

[japaisley1]

Hello there! I am having trouble with my hydrometer. I'm new at this. I got a reading of just under 2. It is my 6th day in from pitching and fermentation started on day 2. It is a chiraz wine. A kit.
Thanks guys!!

 

[heatherd]

Hello there! I am having trouble with my hydrometer. I'm new at this. I got a reading of just under 2. It is my 6th day in from pitching and fermentation started on day 2. It is a chiraz wine. A kit.
Thanks guys!!

@japaisley1

What you need is a triple scale hydrometer. When you get one, it will have specific gravity as one of the scales, and that measurement will allow you to know when you're at 0.090-ish and your wine is done fermenting.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21RGBiBfzhL.jpg

http://www.2daydeliver.com/product_detail.php?id=SKUB000E60U6Y#.VprkEK_SmUk

 

[sour_grapes]

I agree with heather, but just pointing out that she really means 0.990. Actually, I would call anything below 0.994 or 0.995 or so finished.

 

[Bowmag]

Need help

I am in the process of making blueberry wine my starting specific gravity of 1.110 @ 75*F I though that it would give about 12% but my final reading was 1.060 @75*F so I believe that gives about 6.5 % how can I get it up to about 12%

 

[sour_grapes]

I am in the process of making blueberry wine my starting specific gravity of 1.110 @ 75*F I though that it would give about 12% but my final reading was 1.060 @75*F so I believe that gives about 6.5 % how can I get it up to about 12%

It sounds like your fermentation has stalled. How long ago did you start? What yeast did you use? Did you use any yeast nutrient? How long has it been sitting at 1.060?

Without knowing the details, my suggestion would be to make a yeast starter with a yeast like EC-1118 and try to restart the fermentation.

And welcome to the forum!