# Buy A Frickin' Hydrometer!



## arcticsid (Nov 29, 2011)

This is not meant to be a bashing to someone who doesnt have one!!! But............. 

I am surprised by the number 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 tool, 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


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## Rocky (Nov 29, 2011)

Absolutely, Troy. I have two; one that I use daily and one "just in case" I drop my daily. Very inexpensive and their "rate of return" is huge.


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## JordanPond (Nov 29, 2011)

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


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## Angelina (Nov 29, 2011)

I have 1, and 1 on my list of things to get next time I am at the wine supply store. This tool rules!


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## Redtrk (Nov 29, 2011)

Not only buy one but LEARN HOW to use it.


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## Micah (Nov 29, 2011)

Redtrk said:


> Not only buy one but LEARN HOW to use it.



This was probably one of the harder things for me to figure out as a new guy to the hobby. I'd take a reading and mark it down but have no idea what it was telling me.


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## Sammyk (Nov 29, 2011)

In my defense.....

We went to a wine supply with a a copy of the muscadine recipe. Not once did the shop owner mention a hydrometer. The only thing he said was we did not tanin that the recipe called for.

It was not until I found this forum, did we hear the word hydrometer.

Then when we went back to buy one and I asked how to use it, he said it is self explanatory. (You may re-call we had a hard time figuring it out)

Now we have 2.


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## Sammyk (Nov 29, 2011)

One other thing. I found a recipe on the Internet for Muscadine. I did not realize it was not for a beginner and the recipe assumes that one knows how to make wine.

So hell yes, we had a lot of problems - added sugar right to the must and then later when it tasted bad we called the wine supply shop and he told me to throw in some more sugar. The problems worked out though with help from here.


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## cpfan (Nov 29, 2011)

Redtrk said:


> Not only buy one but LEARN HOW to use it.


and quote the reading as three decimal places.

Does 1.08 mean 1.080 or 1.008? And f it means 1.080, are you sure it wasn't 1.082 or 1.084 or maybe 1.078?

Steve


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## djrockinsteve (Nov 29, 2011)

BINGO! I mentioned the other day not all employees are knowledgable in these supply stores. If I worked there we would talk so much about the process the must would be done before you left the store. 

Here is a fabulous idea to anyone. Print on the juice buckets "How to ferment juice". With directions. We all know it's not rocket science but not knowing 1 small thing can drive you crazy then panic sets in. 

Big round of applause to TexBrew Wade Julie Grapeman RunningWolf etc. for all the help and information and guidance. Hats off to Articsid for the great stories.


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## Runningwolf (Nov 29, 2011)

Thanks Steve for all your how to's. Walkers is good about giving fermentation instructions with juice pails.


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## non-grapenut (Nov 29, 2011)

Sometime it's fun to make a batch without a hydrometer just to keep it real. I do it at least once a year to challenge myself and the end result is just fine. Take the challenge and start a thread, if need be.


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## mmadmikes1 (Nov 29, 2011)

With some stuff I dont need a hydrometer. Mead I have to have one at end but never both at start. Berry wine I always need one at start but never both at end because if you are bulk aging for a year, you can be sure it has finished fermenting. Experience makes all the difference here and if you are new, you have to have a hydrometer. Start to finish. Grape wines from fruit I always use one start to finish. Grapes cost to much to mess up. If Wade had a buck for every new person who didn't have a hydrometer he would have already retired


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## Larryh86GT (Nov 29, 2011)

Buy A Frickin' Hydrometer! 

Quit pussyfooting around Troy and just say what you mean. 

It took me a couple of batches before I took the plunge and got one. Initially making a batch is complicated enough without having to be a darn chemist I thought.


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## arcticsid (Nov 29, 2011)

Okay Larry, you got me.

What I meant to say is that I wanted to see our old buddy Wade retire in style, and I just figured this could be a sure fire way!!!!

LMAO!


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## Runningwolf (Nov 29, 2011)

Good topic and interesting comments. Reading the comments we need to remember something we talk about all the time a newbie is reading for the first time or doesn't even know what a hydrometer is for several reasons. That is where we come in to help folks out where there supply stores failed to do so. If I owned a store I would make sure a new person not only had one but show them how and why to read it. This is what sets us apart from some other forums (wine or others) because we take the time and patience to educate folks. As experienced as some people are on this forum we are all still learning something new from each other.


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## winemaker_3352 (Nov 29, 2011)

I totally agree Dan.

Folks who have sparked an interest in wine making and don't have the first clue on what to get or how to use it.

I have noticed from the new folks that a lot of the LHBS's don't offer that information to them.

Just need to keep that in mind.


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## Wade E (Nov 29, 2011)

It may be that the brew place you went to presumed that you had a hydrometer, at least I hope so. I disagree with anyone who doesnt usea hydro at beginning and at end of fermentation unless you are going to fortify this batch of wine or mead or IMO you are playing with dynamite in a bottle!


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## Sammyk (Nov 29, 2011)

If you are talking to me, the answer is he knew we were "new" because we told him so and that is was our first wine. We found another shop that is a little farther away and they get all of our business now. And they have been a wealth of help.


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## Wiz (Nov 29, 2011)

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.


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## Runningwolf (Nov 29, 2011)

Wiz said:


> 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!


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## Wiz (Nov 29, 2011)

Darn, now everyone knows why, Runningwolf.


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## Randoneur (Nov 29, 2011)

arcticsid said:


> 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!
> 
> ...



Wade is already getting rich as a forum administrator.


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## Randoneur (Nov 29, 2011)

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.


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## Wade E (Nov 29, 2011)

Randoneur said:


> 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.


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## algo (Nov 29, 2011)

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.


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## LJPelletier (Nov 29, 2011)

algo said:


> *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


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## Charlietuna (Nov 29, 2011)

JordanPond said:


> 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


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## jtstar (Nov 30, 2011)

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


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## Runningwolf (Nov 30, 2011)

algo said:


> 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.


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## djrockinsteve (Nov 30, 2011)

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.


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## loumik (Nov 30, 2011)

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


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## Pauly2275 (Nov 30, 2011)

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 



loumik said:


> 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


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## jdrum (Dec 1, 2011)

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.


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## arcticsid (Dec 1, 2011)

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


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## jdrum (Dec 1, 2011)

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


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## Wade E (Dec 1, 2011)

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


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## Wiz (Dec 1, 2011)

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


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## Wade E (Dec 1, 2011)

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


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## arcticsid (Dec 1, 2011)

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......


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## jdrum (Dec 1, 2011)

will soon put it all to rest. did experiment today and a fresh egg will float at
1.080 sg will have pics as soon as i can get it sorted out. 

jim


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## jdrum (Dec 1, 2011)

ok lets try this.


started with 2 cups of water, sg1.001
egg lay flat on the bottom


added 3 tbs sugar, sg 1.028
egg was slightly boyant


added 3 more tbs sugar sg 1.051
egg stood up on the small end


added 2 tbs sugar sg1.080
egg floated and broke the surface


next post for the rest

jim


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## SarahRides (Dec 1, 2011)

I went through 3 hydrometers my first few months of wine-making (I never said I was very graceful), so on Amazon bought 4 of them (after buying one for immediate use at the LHBS)..........That was about 9 months ago........I still haven't even had to open the box they were shipped in yet!


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## jdrum (Dec 1, 2011)

then i added 1 1/2 tbs more and went to sg 1.090




egg floated a little higher. 

sooo there is a correrlation , and some truth about the egg in the must. so if an impatient newbie dose not have a hydrometer he could float an egg and make wine. true it won't tell him when it finishes, but it can get them started, and give them time to get a hydrometer. 

that stink thing came from a c/p from earlier in the thread. lol i left it in for a chuckle.

i made three batches of wine before i got my first hydrometer, and they all turned out pretty good. but i read a lot about any thing i plan to try. and i still have volumes to learn.

jim


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## cpfan (Dec 2, 2011)

One tip about hydrometers. I used to run a Ferment on Premises, so was constantly using hydrometers. I'd break at least one a month it seemed. Some simple drops, others unknown reason - just broken.

I read a suggestion that hot water might be making the glass more sensitive to breakage. After I became more careful with water temp when cleaning and rinsing the hydrometer, I had a LOT less breakage. Still dropped them occasionally though.

Steve


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## arcticsid (Dec 2, 2011)

LOL, thats pretty cool jim, gotta give it to ya, but, can you pull a chicken out of a hat? LOL


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## MadCow (Dec 2, 2011)

I have a hydrometer but my problem is I have no idea what the information it gives means, or what to do about it.

Is there a tutorial somewhere that explains this?

I tested my hips and haws yesterday after 2nd racking and it seemed to say 9800 but it was difficult to see. It was on the line between the green bit and the yellow bit.

What does it all mean I wonder?


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## jdrum (Dec 2, 2011)

ya i could, IF i could catch the chicken to put in the hat. and i sure wouldn't wear the hat after.
this is only a way to check if there is enough sugar to make a keepable wine, not to replace a hydrometer. 
the next thing to address is how to read and interpret what it tells you. a lot of newbies get hydrometers and don't know how to use them. another thing is the difference between different hydrometers. mine are all the same make so i can explain them but the ones that are marked with colered segments seem to confuse a lot of people. we need to get them to understand the numbers.

it would help me if someone could post pics of different brands of hydrometers
to compare and i would star a thread devoted to using hydrometers,

jim


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## cpfan (Dec 2, 2011)

MadCow...

Have a look at this page. Hope it will help.

BTW, specific gravity readings generally range from .990 to 1.150.

Steve


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## MadCow (Dec 2, 2011)

cpfan said:


> MadCow...
> 
> Have a look at this page. Hope it will help.
> 
> ...



Thanks - er, which page ?


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## arcticsid (Dec 2, 2011)

Which chicken?


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## Oracus (Dec 3, 2011)

I think this should be a sticky!


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## North_Ga_Jug-Or-Not (Dec 13, 2011)

Well, I may be wrong here but im gonna try. If the egg sinks to begin with, at 1.000, and it floats when its at 1.080. Then it stands to reason that when you get the egg to float, then your sugar is good to go to make the wine. Going right along with this logic, wouldnt the wine be ready when the egg once again sinks? Meaning that you are back to 1.000 or lower presumably?

And to further add to the discussion, I know ill probably get hammered here, but I still dont own a hydrometer. lol Been meaning to get one, but have done beautifully without it as I know many people that make wine and probably have never even seen a hydrometer. Matter of fact, most cant even read or write(old timers, staying alive and farming were more important than those books haha).

I was gonna get one for S&G's(no pun haha), and as yet another tool to perfect my art. But at the same time, it seems like maybe that would take away from perfecting the "art" if you have a tool doing what your instincts should learn over time..? Kinda like a calculator is a very useful tool, but how many folks out of school for twenty years now are very good at math without one since thats what they use all the time. Just a thought.


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## MadCow (Dec 13, 2011)

Still struggling with the hydrometer - reading it and deciphering what the reading means.

What are the stages between 1.000 to 0.990 ?

Does it go :

1.010
1.008
1.006
1.004
1.002
1.000
0.998
0.996
0.994
0.992
0.990


And if I have a reading of 0.992- 0.994 is it too dry? Tastes as if it is. (Elderberry)


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## UBB (Dec 13, 2011)

0.992 is very dry. If it's to dry you can back sweeten to your tastes.


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## MadCow (Dec 13, 2011)

Right - well I must be making progress if I can figure that out!

Did I let it go on fermenting too long or maybe not sweet enough to start with?


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## jdrum (Dec 13, 2011)

madcow your right where you what to be, as long as you are below 1.000 your dry. that means the yeast has converted all the sugar into alcohol,(good)
now let it set a while so the sediment starts to settle out. you will see the solids settle in layers when you have good layer in the bottom of your carboy rack to a clean carboy andadd k-met (1/8 tsp per gal) OR 1 camden tablet per gal. and p-sorbate. this will stabilize the wine. then wait 2 wks and back sweeten to taste.


north ga; yes the egg sinking tells you the sugar has been converted to alcohol butyou could still have a sg reading of 1.020 and thats still not dry. it takes about 1.035 before the egg starts to lift the big end up (thats the end that has an air pocket in it).
ART think about it painters use brushes, and anything else they can lay their hands on to express their feelings. mucisions use all kinds of instruments to do their thing. all these thing are just tools, the art comes in HOW WELL THEY USE THE TOOLS. i can swing a brush and play a piano but i am no artist.

jim


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## GrandpasFootsteps (Dec 13, 2011)

JordanPond said:


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



I did the exact same thing a few months ago. Too easy to break. Mine was broken inside the capped plastic tube they come in.


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## North_Ga_Jug-Or-Not (Dec 14, 2011)

@JDrum

Yeah, I guess I see what your saying. I play guitar and drums, guess It'd be hard without the instruments. lol But I was just meaning getting the "feel" for it, if you would. Like these old guys around here that take one smell and a taste and know all they need to know cause they've done it for 60 years. 

Getting back to the egg, kind of a funny story. I left work yesterday and stopped by my grandparents to drop off some bowls id taken some food home with. Well me and ole pawpaw get to shootin, and he was telling me an old story about some wine he made and mentioned sugar. I asked him, curiously enough, if he knew what a hydrometer was. After explaining to him what I was talking about, he did in fact know but only because hed used one later on cause as a butcher he needed it to get his sugar cure right. They called it something else, but before that hed had no idea. 

Before I could even say nething else, he said "You know how we always knew how much sugar to put in our must?". I laughed a little and said, "I dont know, drop and egg into it". And he looked suprised as hell and said yeah. After a simple explaination, its pretty much what was said earlier here. Ironic as it was, it was also informative because at least we know its not just some old greek but people right here around us that used to do it. Lost art I suppose. He also said if they were ever using a corn mash, or in other words making corn liquor and not wine, theyd use an apple instead of an egg. I never quite gathered why, only assumed the density had sumthing to do with a slightly different reaction? as in more sugar to float it maybe?

Not sure, ill be going back by later today and hanging out with him some more prolly seeing as how we live 2 minutes apart(That perk I like about my new home, close to my paw). But any information I miay learn from him thats not mainstream knowledge today Id love to share with you folks, may be sumthin to talk about over a glass or maybe you can apply it but it'll be there regardless. lol


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## jdrum (Dec 14, 2011)

most distillation mashes use a lower sugar content to give 5 to 7% alcohol, so an apple is less dense than an egg so it floats sooner than an egg providing a lower sg. i don't know the reason distillers use 5 to7% mashes but i think it is to do with the amount of unwanted compounds that the higher % mashes give. 

using the hydrometer give a standard baseline, that everybody can relate to when coming to a fourm, so much of the ART is personel preference, what is sweet to you may be sour to me. when you say the must is 1.025 then we all know how much sugar is in the must. it just makes it easier to relate data. and it tells you just where you stand in your fermentation. in time you will get the feel or taste of where you are. it would take years of working with the oldtimers, to learn what took them years to learn from there teachers, and there is always the things that they take for granted and never tell you.

jim


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## North_Ga_Jug-Or-Not (Dec 14, 2011)

Yes, one reason for the low % would prolly be to cut back on headaches. He said if you used to much corn malt(which it takes more of than sugar) it would still be strong, but that's where that burn ur throat sensation(not smooth) and the next day headache comes from. That's the diff between good and great spirit inthat particluar field. Well that and if you know how to build a proper still and not just one that works.

And yes I agree with you 100%, the ability to easily communicate data through universal standard is key to teaching and learning process. Good point on the apple theory as well, that's what I assumed I just try to never let my assumptions cross the finish line before my wits when possible.

.


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