Hydrometer readings

[Goslin]

On the potential alc. scale we know that you subtract the last reading from the first to get the final result, but what if your final reading is negative. Right now I'm at negative 1 what do I do there add 1 instead?


This must is really strong the first readingindicated 19.5% ABV but just before transfer to the secondary I added a half gallon of apple juice, The sugar equivalent is about a half a cup, I neglected to take a reading after I added the juice so I have no idea what the % ABV will be. It must be at least 19.5% since it minus 1 and with the addition of the juice maybe another .5 %.


I never expected it to go this far I was looking to make a sweet wine the yeast should have stopped at 18%. It tastes pretty good but weak on flavor, that's why I added the juice. This stuff is like drinking a screw drive. And I'm anxious to make another batch only with more fruit this time for added flavor.


Any way what do you do when the hydrometer is reading negative on the alc. scale?


Add?

 

[Hippie]

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/


Goslin, read the entire website at the link above. Do you have any winemaking books? You should be using the Specific Gravity scale on your hydrometer. Here is a formula for determining abv......


abv% = original gravity - final gravity X 1000 X .129


You might also look around for some good books to read. There are several good ones out there. I hope this helps.

 

[Goslin]

It sure does, I like your equation better than using the pa. scale
because there is no mention anywhere about adding or subtracting when
it goes below zero.

I've been reading over at Jacks place for a while now. Couple of months maybe.

Thanks for the info.

I've discovered some errors I made as well that I won't be making
again. So the %ABV is really around 17 %. No wonder it's still bubbling.

 

[Hippie]

What strain yeast did you use?

 

[Goslin]

I'm using Lavlin 1118 champagne yeast, it should ferment up to 18% if there's enough sugar.



The mistake I made was in adding to adjust for temp. instead of just
adding to only the sg.and carrying it around, I added to each scale
indvidually. But since I did get the correct sg to begin with I also
know what the others where as well.

1.106 - .990 = .116 * 1000 = 116 * .129 = 14.964 Plus the addition of the juice brings it up to around 17% +

I Know this isn't completely accurate since I didn't take a reading
after adding the juice but I think it's fairly close. Hummm actually I
could add some more sugar

as with this one I'm really not concerned with flavor, it was a bad recipe to start off with.

 

[Hippie]

This wine will probably need sweetening a tad for balance and will require and can handle years of aging. Use good corks, George has the best.

 

[Goslin]

Years of aging?

Why is that?

I did add more sugar today that brought it up six points on the pa
scale so when complete it should have plenty of sweetness to it since
it was already at "around" 17%

Any way like I said it was a bad recipe so I'm not to concerned about
taste with this one. I chalk it up as a learning experience.

I had to make room to add the simple syrup, the 8 oz made for a nice mellow buzz

not to much on taste for sure as it's not finished or cleared yet but all the same not to bad really.

 

[RAMROD]

I can relate to that!

 

[Goslin]

Heh heh,

opps, also meant to say six points in SG. not pa. that makes a big difference.

 

[Goslin]

This wine will probably need sweetening a tad for balance and will require and can handle years of aging. Use good corks, George has the best.

I see what you mean now, about ageing.





HISTORY<?amespace prefix = o />


Having learned how to create wine from dried grapes from inhabitants of Asia Minor, the ancient Greeks went on to perfect these vinification techniques in the 8th century BC. The stems of grape clusters were twisted to prevent sap from reaching the grapes, causing them to shrivel. Another technique was to pick grapes and dry them out in the sun on racks. Depending on the varietal, the grapes would lose between 40-60% of their water. Wines produced from these grapes were rich, larger-than-life, benefiting from years of maturation, and were prized by ancient writers such as Homer, Cato, Pliny and Virgil. The early robustness of raisin wines – the need to “loose their teeth” -- is indicative of their longevity, critical in an era before the invention of stoppered bottles.


Like the Greeks, Roman explorers planted vineyards wherever they went. As a result, dried grape winemaking techniques became embedded into the complex fabric of vinification traditions in France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, and England. These wines flourished from the 13th to 17th centuries, especially in Italy and France, but today the practice survives only in isolated European enclaves. Italy alone appears to have an unbroken tradition of raisin wine, often produced at only the best estates around Tuscany, Trentino and Umbria.