Hydrometer - Brewing Beginner Series

The first of hopefully a few short videos on the basic elements of good brewing. This one is about the proper handling of a hydrometer for gravity readings in your wort/beer.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• homebrew
• beer
• wort
• hydrometer
• OG
• SG
• FG
• gravity
• density
• ABV
• alcohol
• by
• volume
• points

[wabblewater]

say my readings at bottling will be 5% abv.After I add the priming sugar and wait two weeks or so ,how much more of a percent would it actually be as I'm starting the fermentation again.

[BobbyFromNJ]

@wabblewater

Typical priming of a 5 gallon batch is about 4oz of sugar. If that were to ferment out 100%, it would raise the ABV by .2%.

[nodnodwinkwinkV]

Heres a random question for you, i tested a homebrew cider for alcohol content with a hydrometer that came with a coopers hombrew starter pack. The result that came back was 1.020. This gives 2.84% alc. volume.

This was from nothing else that fermented apples, no sugar, no yeast etc.

Could this be correct?

[BobbyFromNJ]

@nodnodwinkwinkV

What this measured before fermentation or after? If it was after, you really have to know where it started to calculate ABV.

[Markohoppis]

1.051. What does this number mean? That there are 2 pounds of sugar in 1 gallon of water?

I know how do the math, but don't understand the theory behind it.

[BobbyFromNJ]

@Markohoppis

SG is a measure of how much heavier a liquid is than its pure water counterpart. 1.051 is 5.1% heavier than water.

A pound of table sugar in a gallon of water would yield 1.046.

[firebirdude2]

1:06 Your thermometer has a face! ..... and it doesn't look amused.

[snoopdogzify]

THANK YOU!..thanks for your time in explining this..last night got my calculator out and really helpfull in working out abv..

great vids

[DopeDivinity]

WellDone! I just got my Hydrometer. I've been doing 1 gallon batches of Ale without knowing the alcohol content - needles to say, I'm excited to get some ABV quotas!

[AnthonyJ69]

Really clear explanation - I've always struggled with the calculation and this has really helped - thank you!

[nodnodwinkwinkV]

@BobbyFromNJ Thanks for your reply, it was after fermentation. It was brewed by someone else so i dont know the OG... I was looking around since and because there was no reading taken before fermentation you cant know for sure what the ABV is without sending it to a lab.

[Frosttty]

@Markohoppis Look up specific gravity.