Hi all

[DaveyG]

Newb here from the Pacific Northwest America. I recently got the crazy idea to try my hand at (very) small batch wine creation. My parents have a small Concord grape vine, and my sister made juice from them and gave me a handful of quart jars. I purchased some 71b-1122 yeast on eBay, as well as a couple cheap airlocks, and a hydrometer. My first attempt (with the homemade Concord grape juice) was quite a failure. I added some water and sugar, per a online suggestion I found, and the abv seemed ok once finished, and aged about 2 months, but the taste was awful (I taste tested a tiny amount each week for those 2 months, it was bad from the start and never got better) But I had the itch, so I went and purchased some unfiltered apple juice in a glass bottle at the grocer, poured a few small glasses for my kids, added 2 cups of standard granulated bleached cane sugar, and my yeast, and fermented. Aged one month now, and it’s made a lightly carbonated ‘cider’ that has a dry start, quite sweet aftertaste, and will definitely get ya drunk. But I’ve had difficulty testing it with my hydrometer. I didn’t have the hydrometer when I started it, so had no base test point, and now the hydrometer reads what I would call ‘negative 20%’ I assume it’s the carbonation that is making the hydrometer testing innefective? Is there any other method of testing for abv? Or should I just buy more juice and make a larger batch using the same proportions and just hope for the same end results? I suppose I could guess my recipe had over 40% sugar content before pitching, and the abv reached a level high enough to kill the yeast (approximately 15% I believe with 71b-1122) yet still had ample sugar to retain the sweet aftertaste? Anyone else have a similar experience? Could the lightly carbonated effect be similar to champagne where the yeast doesn’t completely die off, just becomes somewhat dormant beyond a certain abv and then continues releasing carbon dioxide? Sorry for the book, I just greatly enjoy this new hobby!

 

[sour_grapes]

Firstly, we do not discuss distillation in this forum. At all.

For a standard wine, at the end of fermentation, the hydrometer will indeed read a specific gravity that is less than 1.000, i.e., "negative." This is because alcohol has a density less than that of water. However, I do not know what you mean when you say "negative 20%." Many hydrometers have 3 scales on them: specific gravity, Brix, and Potential Alcohol. These, respectively, have ranges of (approximately, don't quote me here), 0.980 to 1.160; -2 to 32; -1% to 22%. Which scale were you reading?

 

[DaveyG]

I mean the hydrometer floats with the 0% line visible about 1.5cm above the height of the fluid. I can push it down, but it buoys back up to 1.5cm above the fluid. If I place the hydrometer in other liquids, say 80 proof liquor, it reads (close to) 40% on the hydrometer, with 0% below the surface of the fluid. What would cause these results? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks! I will edit my previous comment momentarily.

 

[sour_grapes]

Sounds like you have a hydrometer that is only meant to be used for distilled liquors. What happens if you try to use in in tap water?

 

[Trevor7]

Welcome to the forum DaveyG
As Sour_Grapes says, the hydrometer will be your best friend. There's a tutorial on using them here in the forum - https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/how-to-read-hydrometer.10346/
You'll find lots of good info here and a lot of folks willing to assist.
Where in the NorthWest re you? I'm in SE Wash State.

 

[DaveyG]

I’m in SE Idaho. Yeah I did some more reading elsewhere and it seems I need a wine/beer hydrometer I think.