Finding alcohol content

[Bobp]

How would you go about figuring alcohol content percentage if you did not have or lost the beginning,SG reading?

i bought an Vinometer, but am really unsure i am using it corectly....

My peach, wh grape, raisen batch is in the secondary and has a current reading of 0.0994....it was a JK recipes i modified a bit... but had to order a new hydrometer, due to breakage of my old one...so missed the initial SG reading....

I am just worrying that it finished safely??

 

[Midwest Vintner]

vinometer is only worth the material it was made out of. It is not accurate.

You are basically guessing now. There are ways to do it, but you need expensive equipment.

 

[robie]

Hi Bob,

I have never used a vinometer, but from all I have read about it, it is not very reliable and they are not worth their cost. About all you can do is guess at the starting SG. It should be in some ballpark range for the wine you are making. However, the actual finished ABV is not normally that important unless you are selling the wine to the public.

You will need that new hydrometer to tell when the wine is finished. When SG has not changed 3 days in a row, it is finished.

Do like many of us, buy 2 hydrometers so you always can have a standby.

 

[buddy]

Use this site to calculate your alcohol %.
http://web2.airmail.net/sgross/fermcalc/fermcalc_alcohol.html
Click on "alcohol content" then go to the "boiling off method" and follow the procedure.

 

[Bobp]

Alcohol content

I knew i needed the SG at the beginning, and went to my local brew shop, but they didn't have one in that showed SG... they had 2 kinds for beer or were labled for beer, and i was unsure about them... i have one now... but guessing is tough to do... my last peach wine was along time ago and i have no records.... my main concern is the alcohol content is if high enough to prevent simple spoilage..

thanks i'll check the site out... and i am keeping records now...

 

[Bobp]

Link from Buddy

Wow now thats an informative site...thanks for the link... lot's of good information...the boil off method seems relativly easy.... beats a guess... and gives a good approximation...

 

[buddy]

Wow now thats an informative site...thanks for the link... lot's of good information...the boil off method seems relativly easy.... beats a guess... and gives a good approximation...

To really do justice using this method requires a hydrometer with micro graduations but if you have a good eye, a regular wine hydrometer will give you a pretty good idea.