ABV Calculation

[pbertelli]

Hi all,

I made a batch of Corn Whiskey Wine using EC118. Original gravity was 1.3, and I am getting final reading as 0.996. Assuming these measurements are accurate, what is the final ABV? The calculation I am coming up with doesn't seem feasible from what I understand about yeast alcohol tolerance capacity.

Thanks!

 

[1d10t]

Distilling is generally not a permissible topic on this forum. You may need to ask that question elsewhere.

 

[wpt-me]

I am wondering if your start reading was 1.130 , that would come out around 17.5 ?? a.b.v.

Bill

 

[pbertelli]

Distilling is generally not a permissible topic on this forum. You may need to ask that question elsewhere.

I don't have a still. I talking about a wine I made that is called "Corn Whiskey Wine", but it is just a homemade wine with no distilling process.

 

[pbertelli]

I am wondering if your start reading was 1.130 , that would come out around 17.5 ?? a.b.v.

Bill

Hi Bill,

I questioned this too, but I am fairly confident we raised the initial to 1.3 with the intention of requiring less back sweetening.

 

[BernardSmith]

Sorry pbertelli, Cannot assume your starting gravity figures are accurate. A solution with a gravity of 1.300 has about 7.5 lbs of sugar in each gallon. Is that what there was? That's a syrup that you would mistake for honey. Was it really that dense?

Your "nominal" abv would be about 40% if the final gravity was .996 No yeast I know can handle that amount of sugar. You would have created what is called osmotic shock as the yeast tried to transport this syrup through their cell walls. That's one reason why honey has a shelf life that you can measure in decades. At that density your substrate would pull moisture from the yeast.

 

[pbertelli]

Sorry pbertelli, Cannot assume your starting gravity figures are accurate. A solution with a gravity of 1.300 has about 7.5 lbs of sugar in each gallon. Is that what there was? That's a syrup that you would mistake for honey. Was it really that dense?

Your "nominal" abv would be about 40% if the final gravity was .996 No yeast I know can handle that amount of sugar. You would have created what is called osmotic shock as the yeast tried to transport this syrup through their cell walls. That's one reason why honey has a shelf life that you can measure in decades. At that density your substrate would pull moisture from the yeast.

Hi BernardSmith,

I agree, something isn't right. Good point - no, it certainly wasn't syrup consistency for the overall must, however, I now wondering if the sugar could settled to the bottom causing the sample to be 1.3 whereas it wasn't representative of the total volume. Does this seem plausible?

Is there any other way to check the ABV if the original gravity was not recorded accurately?

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi BernardSmith,

I agree, something isn't right. Good point - no, it certainly wasn't syrup consistency for the overall must, however, I now wondering if the sugar could settled to the bottom causing the sample to be 1.3 whereas it wasn't representative of the total volume. Does this seem plausible?

Is there any other way to check the ABV if the original gravity was not recorded accurately?

Yup... I am sure many of us here can guess-timate the starting SG if we know the total volume and the kinds and amounts of fermentables dissolved in that liquid. In other words, if you provide us with the recipe you used we can give you a reasonable estimate of the starting gravity.

 

[sour_grapes]

however, I now wondering if the sugar could settled to the bottom causing the sample to be 1.3 whereas it wasn't representative of the total volume. Does this seem plausible?

No, it is not plausible. That scenario would result in a falsely low reading, not falsely high.

As far as I know, hydrometers never go to 1.300. Could you take a look at this video and then let us know if you revise your reading?

 

[pbertelli]

No, it is not plausible. That scenario would result in a falsely low reading, not falsely high.

As far as I know, hydrometers never go to 1.300. Could you take a look at this video and then let us know if you revise your reading?

Just looked at my hydrometer, it doesn't go that high. Had to have been 1.13. Thank you all for talking it through with me!!