I'm glad I bought mine when I started my mead making. Your blog cleared up how to use it. 4 years and counting. Still use my original hydrometer. You rock.
Thank you so much for making a new video about hydrometers! I always go back and reference your old hydrometer video when I get confused about how to read the tiny stick of knowledge.
You guys are awesome! I just bottled my first batch of apple cider from your recipe and it turned out amazing. I'm shocked that I already enjoy the taste with how young it is. Completely zeroed out in 7 days.
Love the channel have gone through and watch almost all of your videos and it has inspired me to make my own brew currently trying out a traditional mead
For some of us the problem is not reading the hydrometer, but the problem is accurately seeing the numbers as they are so tiny. My solution is to snap a picture and zoom in on the hydrometer. I hope this helps someone. Another benefit is you keep the photo and it becomes useful to heathens like myself who are poor journalists... Date, time, measurement, Etc.
This!! I started my first mead on Saturday and I had to turn to my boyfriend and say "I can't read this". I probably should have elaborated that I understood the markings but was having difficulty reading the numbers.
Thanks this actually help clarify my disbelief in the extra numbers on the hydrometer.. I got it right first time but was very confused, thanks for clarification!
@@CitySteadingBrews This was better. I would like to point out that some of them, like mine, show 90 instead of .990 on them. That has led to confusion for some people in the past, including me.
Thank you for posting an updated version. A little word of caution to all home brewers who have a ‘hydropeter’ and find themselves ordering a new one: some times suppliers change and therefore the scale you’re used to might look different and lead you to making mistakes in your readings. Been there, done that… didn’t drop mine, but got one in a kit I won. Used it and … yeah. Blush… cringe…
My close up vision is not what it used to be after Cataract surgery. Have trouble reading the numbers so I started looking at where it floats in relation to the different colors on the scale, then getting a better look at that when I remove it. Most of my grape juice to wines end up between 10 to 11%. Welch's 100% Grape juice with 1 added cup sugar and 1/2 tsp wine yeast seem to work out the best. Thanks for the video explanation.
A while ago I had mentioned oaking your table wine recipe. Well I went and did just that and the odd thing i noticed was that it started cloudy before soaking, but is now crystal cleat. It tastes amazing and I HIGHLY recommend it. It fills the blanks so to speak. Incidentally I oaked several others, including your morat recipe. Also turned out insanely good. My findings show (at least for me) oaking is a good band-aid for an otherwise "meh" mead.
If it's not too much trouble can you all please do a video on the specific gravity of a dry wine, a semi sweet wine, a sweet wine & a dessert wine and if those reading will be the same for a mead... thank you!
Hydrometers are one of the best diagnostic tools you can have in your home brew arsenal. It can help you decide on where your brew might head, where it stopped, how much alcohol is in it and if it went bone dry, how much more fermentables you should add.
Brilliant! Love you guys! I recently started getting into home brewing, as in about a month ago, and found you guys when searching for methods, recipes, ideas, pretty much everything you do. But, you encouraged me to drag my wife into this new hobby with me, and we just put up 3 1 gallon carboys, a Coffee Mead, basically your “first mead,” and a blackberry cider. You need to do a video for me, us, your community of viewers! Please, take about 6-10 commonly used yeasts and discuss their pros, cons, flavors, best uses, how much they would be expected to ferment out, etc. maybe even throw up a handy-dandy chart on your website? This is my biggest question mark right now as I consider potential recipes. Thanks again, guys. You’re great!
Sorry, I would send a link but on mobile that is more complicated! It’s Yeast we use and why or something similar. Search from our channel page should find it.
@@CitySteadingBrews well, I found it, and I watched. I read the article and reviewed the chart. Would you believe that I am a professional middle school teacher? I literally just asked you for instructions you’ve already given, which is every teachers greatest patience test! At any rate, thank you for providing exactly what I asked for way before I ever asked for it. Keep being awesome!
I am a avid viewer of your videos. I am reasonably experienced in brewing, however, looking through my eyes of a few years ago, this was a great video to explain hydrometers and their use. Keep up the good work. P.S. like the more generic look Brian.🤔
I actually believe the Potential Alcohol section is actually the easiest to read once you get it. Say your original P.A. is 15%. Write down the number 15. Upon taking a second reading it shows 3%. Write down the number 3 under the 15 like a subtraction problem. 15 minus 3 is 12. You have 12% alcohol. Its not as accurate but much easier to do the math.
Yeah, but, it gets more inaccurate the smaller the difference, and it's less mad scientist sounding. :) It works, sure but also gets more confusing when you step feed or add more fermentables.
gonna do something fun I'm gonna comment before I watch the vid and my comment is I read my hydropper right. now I wonder if I really read it right. :p I'll edit after watching if I do or don't read my hydropper right :) * Edit: I do read them right although I'm always confused when it goes below 1.000 I tend to read them as 0.090 or 0.099 (don't ask me why its just my brain being silly) anyway even though it is a silly video for some people its really informative and can help a lot :) thx again for a light haerted but informative video. I have a suggestion/question though will you make a top 10 rooky mistakes or make a video on what you do differently now vs when you made your first brews? also a second suggestion is would it be possible for you to get a guest to make a mead that never made a mead in his/her life before? they can ask you questions but you aren't allowed to do anything except talk them trough it. (I think it would be informative to see some rooky mistakes and you explaining what is going wrong and how to fix it or what to keep in mind) although now that I think about it every brew video you guys make is a step by step how to and in every video you tell us what to look out for...
Thank you for helping me understand my hydropeter better. I do need help on a brew. I've Dragon's Breath mead after a successful batch. This new batch has done something weird. I know you need specifics but I think you may know the answer. I removed the bagged fruit that was always wet and returned the berry liquid to the mead. Sample was of course dry with lovely berry/jalapeno nose. It had sour and tartness finish even after backsweetening. Is the batch bad?
It’s bad if your senses say don’t drink it. Tart and sour, can be normal depending on recipe. Sour can be a brett, which is what they use to make sours. It happens rarely and is harmless.
Greetings Brian and Derica, Have you seen this on Amazon? "Herculometer Polycarbonate Shatterproof Triple Scale Hydrometer" . I recently tried one and it seems to work as well as the glass model. I have not as yet subjected it to danger so can not comment on its actual being "shatterproof".
About the Brix measurement, "Big Book of Mead Recipes" by Robert Ratliff tried to explain how to convert the numbers. For me, it was like trying to use the NFL quarterback's rating equation. Think I'll just stay with Specific Gravity.
What size graduated cylinder do you use. I bought a kit and the cylinder is quite large. 250 ml. Yours looks smaller but may just be the magic of video. Can I use a different cylinder as long as it floats freely?
It does affect the reading to some extent, but not a lot. A few gravity points over a wide sweep of 20-30 degrees. Something to keep in mind, but not uber huge in the grand scheme of things.
I believe I read somewhere that the side that has the "potential" alcohol on it works like this .. say it reads 15% and then your final reading is 5%, that means you have 10% abv .. 15-5. I may be wrong...
@@elainehall6155 I'm talking about the side of the hydrometer that has potential alcohol, not SpGr. You start out with 15% it goes to 5%, the result is 10% final ABV.
@@ghoppr71 Correct. But 5% PA remaining is approx. 100g per litre of residual sugar that failed to ferment out. Given most yeast strains have an alcohol tolerance above 10% ABV then fermentation has stuck and is a devil to get going again by pinching a new yeast starter..!
I took your advice and ordered three hydrometers, one was broken during shipping, the other broke after one use because it rolled off the table lol. I got two Herculometers though, measured them against the one I had and they were the same.
Ohhh first time I get here kind of early! I was wondering what the impact is when you have a must that has a lot of fruit particles in it like skins, flesh, etc. I made a Vikings blood mead a while back where I had to pulverize the cherries a bit (to fit the thin neck of a 5 liter fermenter), which means that the fluid of which I took the first reading had a lot of particles in it. Will that impact the OG negatively of positively (make it lower or higher)?
Any reason you couldn't drop the hydrometer straight into a 1 gallon carboy? It might be harder to read but it would avoid having to transfer the liquid and buying/storing a test jar
That alcohol hydrometer you talked about. Iv seen guys make shine get a sample while running and bam instantly know their proof. Is that actually that easy and would that work in wine/beer making?
Thank you for your content! I'm brand new to the hobby and have started my first gallon of mead about a week ago! I was hoping you could link to a good hydrometer. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed reading product descriptions and I don't want to buy the wrong thing. Any help you'd be appreciated. Thank you kindly.
So I've taken your suggestions to heart and started doing readings on my home fermentations. Using 71b, I frequently get readings starting in the 1.15 range and at the 'end' readings are less than 0.9 - sometimes I can't even get it to float/it's off-scale. I'm assuming that means that the 'final' abv alcohol content is pretty high since alcohol has lower specific gravity than water (pure mixtures should be
I believe you may have an off reading somewhere. 1.150 is waaay high for 71b and is potentially 20%. 71b has a max of 16% abv ill even say it might hit 17 or 18 in a perfect fermentation. For this to be testing Dry and 20%abv seems nearly impossible but i have seen crazy things happen before lol. My brain wants to believe your Original Gravity is 1.050. Not 1.150. This is where the Potential Alcohol section can help us. When you read 1.150. What is the same reading on the Potential side?
When you say 1.15.... do you mean 1.150 as a starting gravity? That's rather high, as in ... really high. If you are going from 1.150 to .990 (it's impossible to be at 0.900), then, yes, you are making higher ABV, something in the 21.6% range which is FAR beyond 71B, so I think there's something up with your numbers. My guess is you were more like 1.105 and went to 0.990, which is 15.5%, still high, but certainly doable for 71B. Any idea what your recipe was?
@@CitySteadingBrews Actually did a tester with a 32oz Knudson's Cherry Juice (not from concentrate, lots of sediment), added 125g sugar, added 1/2tsp nutrient (I know, I know), and half a pack of 71b. My primary mistake I think was not taking a reading on the juice itself so I might have overshot with the sugar - just did a scaled modification of your 'sweet red wine' recipe. But the fermentation was quite vigorous so I just rode it out to see what would happen. The end product is actually quite nice but is certainly dry. Is it possible very fine particulates (it was loaded) in the juice gave me a larger original gravity than sugars alone would indicate? Ever seen anything like that? Might be some newbie-reaching there...
You stated something about a spreadsheet? Do you have a spreadsheet for calculating things that you would be willing to share? Also...or...do you have an app that you use to store recipes, enter gravity reading, stuff like that. So far, calculating abv by using original and finishing seems easy. I am getting confused when adding sugars during fermentation and trying to calculate things out. (BTW, stared out first batch of apple pie wine 3 weeks ago. Still fermenting).
Soooo, my first S/G on my first batch of Apple "Cider" is 1.072, so I'm thinking a final of maybe around 9% ABV, is that accurate? (Using the City Steading Recipe Of Success..dan tatata dah!)
It depends on the yeast you used tbh. Some go as high as 18%, some as low as like 11%. If that went dry (1.000), your estimation is right but if you backsweetened it and bottled it without pasteurizing, it could start up fermentation again and create bottle bombs. As fun as the name sounds, ive heard its quite dangerous.
What hydrometer do you recommend? How do you determine alcohol content after 2 reading? Are the two readings to determine if it’s done fermenting or is it to determine alcohol content?
They hydro is linked in the description and here's how to calculate abv: Easily Calculate ABV of Homebrew Mead, Wine, Cider and Beer (how much alcohol did you make?) ua-cam.com/video/xNwNZgeTtIE/v-deo.html
Questions... 1. Why not just drop it in ur big jar of brew? Why is a cylinder necessary? 2. Why not just take your reading at the end? What's the point of doing it at the beginning? 3. How does this translate into ABV? 4. If I didn't have a hydrometer at the beginning to get a reading is there still a way to calculate abv just using an end reading?
If it can float and you can get it out again, you don't need a cylinder, but.. ours doesn't. The one at the beginning gives you an idea of how much alcohol and a target to work toward for next time, and one at the end together with that can calculate ABV. (Original Gravity-Final Gravity)X135=ABV% No, you need both. We have a playlist just for new brewers that might answer a lot of questions for you: www.newbrew.city-steading.com
Hello there! I just started watching your channel a couple of days ago, I've been binge watching it in fact. You guys are fantastic. You two have inspired me to finally purchase equipment to finally start brewing my own mead! I want to make a blueberry mead. Should I use blueberry juice and blueberries together or should I just use blueberries alone and vice versa?
After the breaking of my 2nd glass hydrometer, I switched to the Herculometer (Northern Brewer). It's far more durable and nearly as costly as the glass one. The only problem has been that it's slightly taller than the glass one so my 100ml cylinder is a bit small.
@@CitySteadingBrews I bought 3. One for myself and 2 as gifts for fellow dropsy brewers. Side by side physical comparison: they are all different lengths (by almost an 1/8 inch). But the scale seemed to match up very closely. Additionally, I noticed that the cap on the scale end is just glued in place and frankly not very well. If I were to submerge it completely, liquid would get in to the chamber and mess with the readings. I tested all three in naked spring water(1.000), a fresh batch of must(1.135), and a sweet wine I had made with a known SpGr(1.026) and the readings from all three Herculometers were +/- .001 of each other (or just my eyes interpretation of where the level was) Worryingly, I had my old glass hydrometer along for the tests that I had foolishly left in my truck on a hot day and it was reading inconsistently lower than actual. It thought water was .994, the sweet wine (it had originally tested at 1.026) was at 1.016, and the new must was 1.076 instead of 1.135. I think I turned my glass hydrometer into a liar by letting it get super hot for an extended period of time (and I think it has a couple of hairline fratures)
@@trojanman8835 that really depends on your climate. It's not a good idea to leave in direct sunlight, and temps over 80F or so aren't suggested, but below 65F or so isn't good either. So, honestly, I don't think leaving them outside is a good idea.
@@CitySteadingBrews the porch gets shade but its been in the 50s at night the last 2 nights which is odd. Climate change has thrown this year out of wack. Anyways, thanks for the advice and God bless you.
Sorry I’m a new home brewer. Where is the step between reading the hydrometer and knowing what alcohol content you’re either looking at and/or why it will be? Can you break this down?
You forgot to mention the fine print that says "at 60°F". Minor temperature variations won't affect density but I used to live in Arizona and that is way different than my current PA home.
It's true but if you read at the same temp all the time, it doesn't matter really. But, yes, there can be some difference if you don't calibrate for 60F. A 1.100 reading at 100f is more like 1.106 in reality on a 60F calibrated hydrometer.
@@qdmc12 well, distilling is completely illegal for us without an expensive license and a separate building so, we won't be doing it anytime soon. To use an alcohol hydrometer, you just put it in and read the numbers. They only work on 20% or higher ABV normally.
@@CitySteadingBrews I understand your reasoning, however, it's not illagal to buy everclear and make your own spirits from that. Just saying but I understand where you're coming from. Hell hath no fury like the ATF.
as I understand it, this number suggests fluid density. 1,000 means 1000g per liter of liquid. 1,070 means 1070g per liter of liquid. 0.990 means 990g of liquid per liter of liquid. I thought for a long time about the deeper meaning of these numbers and came to such a conclusion. correct if I'm wrong.
SG is a measurement (ratio, actually) of relative density and does not necessarily imply any unit of measure. With respect to water, at its most dense it just happens to have a mass of almost exactly 1,000 kg per cubic meter, or one gram per ml, so I believe a sugar solution with an SG of 1.115 could be said to represent a mass of 1.115 grams per milliliter compared to an equal volume of water (the reference standard in this case) which is 1.000 g/ml. However, SG in general is still just a ratio of sample to a standard and reference materials such as alcohol or gases don't enjoy the happy coincidence of math that the water standard does.
No, that means your brew has .011 more density than water. To calculate abv you need a starting gravity and ending gravity. ua-cam.com/video/NpBZctKaPis/v-deo.html
my first time i seen the bright red on mine and was like OH NO!!! then i was like wait its in the numbers i hear them talk about so im going with it lol.
Take your original gravity reading subtract your final gravity reading and multiply that number by 135. An example would be if you have a starting gravity of 1.090 and your final gravity is 1.010. 1.090-1.010= 0.08 0.08 multiplied by 135 is 10.8 alcohol by volume.
So, math always confused me. So I started with 1.06 and F.G. is 1.024. I do this math problem and come out with different answers. Per the instructions I rcvd it should be 1.06-1.024 / .776 =ABV Is this it or is there an easier way?? It smells and tastes like wine, but I worry my yeast was not good
for some reason that came up on your question when it was a response to another's comment. This is why I just delated it. Sorry for the confusion. I will get to your question in a moment.
Ok, so first I would have to convert 5 liters to gallons which would be 1.32086 gallons. Sugar is .046 gravity per pound in a gallon. So you need 1.42 pounds of sugar.
There are calculators out there, we do the math so we have a better understanding of the process. Google search should aid you in finding a calculator.
Plastic ones are really inaccurate. To test accuracy, place it in water, should read 1.000. Beyond that... homebrewing isn't such perfect accuracy type of thing. :)
I'm still confused. I understand the markings but you haven't said what they mean or what you should do with a specific reading. say I get a reading of 1.050 is that good is it bad all that's telling me is a number. Maybe I'm missing something, I just don't get it..
Every reading is just that. A number. We go over specific gravity in every video and how to use it. It's just a measure of density and therefore can be used to know about how much sugar is in a given brew.
All I can say is beginning your video you got me laughing my ass off because you said how to read a hydrometer that's why we made this video because they're really confusing I'm sitting here laughing my ass off I guess it was the way you said it
I don't know why you would.. it's not actual yeast, so it won't aid fermentation. It's also quite salty and that may affect fermentation but not in a good way!
OK so this video is 10 months old so here’s my shot in the dark so first Thing accidentally ordered two 5 gallon carboys instead of two 1 gallon carboy I just said F it let’s go big or go home OK second problem watched your video on how to get started i had to do some guesstimation for the 5 gallons and somehow completely forgot to do the first hydrometer test so I know y’all probably can’t help me with figuring out why things are going the way they are but the mead is now done two weeks early I don’t think it’s stuck because all of the yeast is dead at the bottom it stopped bubbling two days ago and everything else that I put in there is at the bottom by the way I made a morrat and I’m trying to decide whether or not I need to back sweeten it because I taste tested it and taste like wine and I’m wondering if I should just go ahead and let it wait and see if it will mellow out or what have you or if I should just go ahead and back sweeten it and we’ve already started the racking process as of today and I think I’m going to end up back Sweetening it anyway but we can’t decide what the heck to back sweeten it with we were thinking either cherries blackberries or raspberries anybody got any good ideas on all of this
You can still take a reading now to know if it's actually done. As for sweetening, that's totally up to you! If you want it sweeter, sweeten it. Just be sure to pasteurize if you do or you might risk more fermentation and/or bottle bombs if you bottle it.
OK cool thank you so much for letting me know that and Now I need to go watch your video on pasteurizing and while We’re on the topic which goes better with mulberries. cherries raspberries or blackberries ?
OK awesome So third problem maybe.we just realized now that I have a just alcohol hydrometer will that work just like with your video or should I just get another hydrometer also I’m going out of town for the weekend if the yeast isn’t all dead is it OK to just leave it racked till I get back and if so I will definitely be waiting to sweeten it after I get back and I have to say again thank you so much I thought I was good and prepared obviously not lol
Hello. Please buy 3 hydropeters because one is none and 2=1. I have been in your shoes twice in the last two and a half years. I have 3 currently. You're doing great. Brewing gives you a lot of cool education. I love it.
Wait I did not get this video at all, you showed us the numbers but not what we should want it to be at or what any of them mean or how to set up the tube like how much of the lead/wine to put in the tube before putting the hydrometer in it :(
Hi guys, boy am I still confused. I can read the hydrometer ok but what does it mean. If my mead is showing at 1.000, how much alcohol content is it? I super hate math. Urrgggg!
just tried a new batch man its nice toooo sweet though, i went from not enough honey to too much honey , it tastes like apple cider wine without the acidity , kinda Dangerous ill be hiding this one from the women or all hell may break loose LOL 8 litres worth.
you never explain how it works, does it float? how much sample to put in the graduated cylinder, enough to make it float?? does the temperature matter? repeatedly stating in your videos that brik and potential abv "arent something you use" seems uninformed considering theyre directly relative and on the same device
We assumed it was common sense it needed to float. Sorry if that wasn't clear. As for the other readings... specific gravity is easiest to use and most widely used by brewers. I'm sorry you feel we are uninformed for teaching people how to read a hydrometer.... I mean.... we are showing people how to do a thing they don't know how to do.
I'm glad I bought mine when I started my mead making. Your blog cleared up how to use it. 4 years and counting. Still use my original hydrometer. You rock.
Thank you so much for making a new video about hydrometers! I always go back and reference your old hydrometer video when I get confused about how to read the tiny stick of knowledge.
Happy to help!
@@CitySteadingBrews Sounds to me like the hydrometer has gotten a new name; "The Tiny Stick of Knowledge".
You guys are awesome! I just bottled my first batch of apple cider from your recipe and it turned out amazing. I'm shocked that I already enjoy the taste with how young it is. Completely zeroed out in 7 days.
Love the channel have gone through and watch almost all of your videos and it has inspired me to make my own brew currently trying out a traditional mead
We have a newer version of this video! ua-cam.com/video/Y0KP0WYreic/v-deo.html
For some of us the problem is not reading the hydrometer, but the problem is accurately seeing the numbers as they are so tiny.
My solution is to snap a picture and zoom in on the hydrometer.
I hope this helps someone.
Another benefit is you keep the photo and it becomes useful to heathens like myself who are poor journalists... Date, time, measurement, Etc.
This!! I started my first mead on Saturday and I had to turn to my boyfriend and say "I can't read this". I probably should have elaborated that I understood the markings but was having difficulty reading the numbers.
@@katiepotatie1980 This is why I love these communities as there is a lot of idea sharing and it helps folk such as I who HATE to have to think!
Thanks this actually help clarify my disbelief in the extra numbers on the hydrometer.. I got it right first time but was very confused, thanks for clarification!
Glad it helped!
2nd, just good timing. I thought you already did one of these on hydrometer reading, but I'm still watching as always.
We did, but felt it was time to update :)
@@CitySteadingBrews This was better. I would like to point out that some of them, like mine, show 90 instead of .990 on them. That has led to confusion for some people in the past, including me.
Yeah, we see that a lot. I cannot ever figure out why they may them so awkward to read.
Thank you for posting an updated version. A little word of caution to all home brewers who have a ‘hydropeter’ and find themselves ordering a new one: some times suppliers change and therefore the scale you’re used to might look different and lead you to making mistakes in your readings.
Been there, done that… didn’t drop mine, but got one in a kit I won. Used it and … yeah. Blush… cringe…
My close up vision is not what it used to be after Cataract surgery. Have trouble reading the numbers so I started looking at where it floats in relation to the different colors on the scale, then getting a better look at that when I remove it. Most of my grape juice to wines end up between 10 to 11%. Welch's 100% Grape juice with 1 added cup sugar and 1/2 tsp wine yeast seem to work out the best. Thanks for the video explanation.
I've been taking a picture with my phone then zooming in on it.
Thank you for this video. This was the clearest explanation I’ve come across and the first time I think I finally understand how to do this.
Happy to help!
A while ago I had mentioned oaking your table wine recipe. Well I went and did just that and the odd thing i noticed was that it started cloudy before soaking, but is now crystal cleat. It tastes amazing and I HIGHLY recommend it. It fills the blanks so to speak.
Incidentally I oaked several others, including your morat recipe. Also turned out insanely good.
My findings show (at least for me) oaking is a good band-aid for an otherwise "meh" mead.
If it's not too much trouble can you all please do a video on the specific gravity of a dry wine, a semi sweet wine, a sweet wine & a dessert wine and if those reading will be the same for a mead... thank you!
Hydrometers are one of the best diagnostic tools you can have in your home brew arsenal. It can help you decide on where your brew might head, where it stopped, how much alcohol is in it and if it went bone dry, how much more fermentables you should add.
Exactly!
Brilliant! Love you guys! I recently started getting into home brewing, as in about a month ago, and found you guys when searching for methods, recipes, ideas, pretty much everything you do. But, you encouraged me to drag my wife into this new hobby with me, and we just put up 3 1 gallon carboys, a Coffee Mead, basically your “first mead,” and a blackberry cider.
You need to do a video for me, us, your community of viewers! Please, take about 6-10 commonly used yeasts and discuss their pros, cons, flavors, best uses, how much they would be expected to ferment out, etc. maybe even throw up a handy-dandy chart on your website? This is my biggest question mark right now as I consider potential recipes.
Thanks again, guys. You’re great!
We did that!
@@CitySteadingBrews great… I’ll go find it!
Sorry, I would send a link but on mobile that is more complicated! It’s Yeast we use and why or something similar. Search from our channel page should find it.
@@CitySteadingBrews well, I found it, and I watched. I read the article and reviewed the chart. Would you believe that I am a professional middle school teacher? I literally just asked you for instructions you’ve already given, which is every teachers greatest patience test!
At any rate, thank you for providing exactly what I asked for way before I ever asked for it.
Keep being awesome!
You forgot the part where it slips when you wash it and it shatters....
I was gonna say….what is this “hydrometer you speak of? Don’t you mean ‘hydropeter’?” 😂
my hydometer had a secret break, and i lost the end in the wine. do i scap it?
@llarsen4193 glass can be bad. Maybe siphon with a few layers of cheesecloth over the siphon?
Nice job on explaining hydrometers Cheers
Very very helpful. Thank you so much for making this video.
I am a avid viewer of your videos. I am reasonably experienced in brewing, however, looking through my eyes of a few years ago, this was a great video to explain hydrometers and their use. Keep up the good work. P.S. like the more generic look Brian.🤔
Generic look?
I actually believe the Potential Alcohol section is actually the easiest to read once you get it. Say your original P.A. is 15%. Write down the number 15. Upon taking a second reading it shows 3%. Write down the number 3 under the 15 like a subtraction problem. 15 minus 3 is 12. You have 12% alcohol. Its not as accurate but much easier to do the math.
Yeah, but, it gets more inaccurate the smaller the difference, and it's less mad scientist sounding. :) It works, sure but also gets more confusing when you step feed or add more fermentables.
I was having a problem on getting the correct abv. When I found your channel 3 yrs ago.
Thank you for covering this again and again cos it can be confusing 😊
Glad it was helpful!
gonna do something fun I'm gonna comment before I watch the vid and my comment is
I read my hydropper right. now I wonder if I really read it right. :p I'll edit after watching if I do or don't read my hydropper right :)
* Edit: I do read them right although I'm always confused when it goes below 1.000 I tend to read them as 0.090 or 0.099 (don't ask me why its just my brain being silly) anyway even though it is a silly video for some people its really informative and can help a lot :) thx again for a light haerted but informative video.
I have a suggestion/question though will you make a top 10 rooky mistakes or make a video on what you do differently now vs when you made your first brews?
also a second suggestion is would it be possible for you to get a guest to make a mead that never made a mead in his/her life before? they can ask you questions but you aren't allowed to do anything except talk them trough it. (I think it would be informative to see some rooky mistakes and you explaining what is going wrong and how to fix it or what to keep in mind)
although now that I think about it every brew video you guys make is a step by step how to and in every video you tell us what to look out for...
Lol
Thank you for helping me understand my hydropeter better. I do need help on a brew. I've Dragon's Breath mead after a successful batch. This new batch has done something weird. I know you need specifics but I think you may know the answer. I removed the bagged fruit that was always wet and returned the berry liquid to the mead. Sample was of course dry with lovely berry/jalapeno nose. It had sour and tartness finish even after backsweetening. Is the batch bad?
I bet it’s just that it has a lot of the acids you’d associate with fruits (citric, ascorbic, malic etc.)
It’s bad if your senses say don’t drink it. Tart and sour, can be normal depending on recipe. Sour can be a brett, which is what they use to make sours. It happens rarely and is harmless.
Thanks for the help. Will an adjustment be needed to address this batch? If so, what are my choices?
Sweet combats sour, so Backsweetening would be my first option.
Awesome! I think it does need a little more sweetness.
Nice and clear explanation - thanks!
Greetings Brian and Derica, Have you seen this on Amazon? "Herculometer Polycarbonate Shatterproof Triple Scale Hydrometer" . I recently tried one and it seems to work as well as the glass model. I have not as yet subjected it to danger so can not comment on its actual being "shatterproof".
It’s known to be wildly inaccurate from what I hear.
This the best explanation, thank you.
About the Brix measurement, "Big Book of Mead Recipes" by Robert Ratliff tried to explain how to convert the numbers. For me, it was like trying to use the NFL quarterback's rating equation. Think I'll just stay with Specific Gravity.
What size graduated cylinder do you use. I bought a kit and the cylinder is quite large. 250 ml. Yours looks smaller but may just be the magic of video.
Can I use a different cylinder as long as it floats freely?
Ours is 100ml (linked in description), and yes, you can use any size so long as the hydrometer floats :)
The only trouble I have reading a hydrometer is the scale I want to read is always on the side facing away from me.
My problem is that they keep making the damned numbers smaller and fuzzier the older I get. Probably a quality control issue.
What is the influence of temprature on the reading. On mine it says at 20C. What if the brew is below 20C, or are those minor temp changes negligible?
It does affect the reading to some extent, but not a lot. A few gravity points over a wide sweep of 20-30 degrees. Something to keep in mind, but not uber huge in the grand scheme of things.
I believe I read somewhere that the side that has the "potential" alcohol on it works like this .. say it reads 15% and then your final reading is 5%, that means you have 10% abv .. 15-5. I may be wrong...
You are correct! A+
@@meadinamerica263 Thanks for the reply... You gained a new subscriber 😉
If your FG reading is 5% PA, then it's likely your fermentation has stalled or stuck.
@@elainehall6155 I'm talking about the side of the hydrometer that has potential alcohol, not SpGr. You start out with 15% it goes to 5%, the result is 10% final ABV.
@@ghoppr71 Correct. But 5% PA remaining is approx. 100g per litre of residual sugar that failed to ferment out. Given most yeast strains have an alcohol tolerance above 10% ABV then fermentation has stuck and is a devil to get going again by pinching a new yeast starter..!
I took your advice and ordered three hydrometers, one was broken during shipping, the other broke after one use because it rolled off the table lol.
I got two Herculometers though, measured them against the one I had and they were the same.
This is good to know. May have to check it out.
Ohhh first time I get here kind of early! I was wondering what the impact is when you have a must that has a lot of fruit particles in it like skins, flesh, etc.
I made a Vikings blood mead a while back where I had to pulverize the cherries a bit (to fit the thin neck of a 5 liter fermenter), which means that the fluid of which I took the first reading had a lot of particles in it.
Will that impact the OG negatively of positively (make it lower or higher)?
Minimal if any difference as the sugars will still be available to the yeast either way.
Wow in that case my mead went from 1.124 to 1.020 in less than a month. Very cool! Must be a lot of nutrients in those cherries :)
Sounds about right. That's 104 points in a month, pretty normal fermentation.
Thanks, I had the same question. Thank you Brian for the answer.
Any reason you couldn't drop the hydrometer straight into a 1 gallon carboy? It might be harder to read but it would avoid having to transfer the liquid and buying/storing a test jar
It’s not tall enough.
That alcohol hydrometer you talked about. Iv seen guys make shine get a sample while running and bam instantly know their proof. Is that actually that easy and would that work in wine/beer making?
For higher proof things yes, but alcohol meters don't work below I think it's 20%?
@@CitySteadingBrews 👍
Thank you for your content! I'm brand new to the hobby and have started my first gallon of mead about a week ago! I was hoping you could link to a good hydrometer. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed reading product descriptions and I don't want to buy the wrong thing. Any help you'd be appreciated. Thank you kindly.
Should be a link right in the description of this video :)
@City Steading Brews LOL thanks probably should have checked there first lol.
@@jamesphillips5770 no worries!
Thanks for sending me the link Brian,this is my UA-cam account. Catch you back at the VIP
Just broke my 2nd hydrometer last night 😞😞😞. Ordered 3 more 😉
First comment 👍
Sorry to hear that! This is why I call them hyDROPeters!
@@CitySteadingBrews I've started calling them that too... Thing is, I didn't drop this one. It broke in my sanitation bucket... No idea how.
Maybe one of these days I will break mine, until then I'm not going to worry about it.
@@ghoppr71 I put my hydrometer in the sampling cylinder before I put them in the sanitizer to protect against breakage.
We do that too.
So I've taken your suggestions to heart and started doing readings on my home fermentations. Using 71b, I frequently get readings starting in the 1.15 range and at the 'end' readings are less than 0.9 - sometimes I can't even get it to float/it's off-scale. I'm assuming that means that the 'final' abv alcohol content is pretty high since alcohol has lower specific gravity than water (pure mixtures should be
I believe you may have an off reading somewhere. 1.150 is waaay high for 71b and is potentially 20%. 71b has a max of 16% abv ill even say it might hit 17 or 18 in a perfect fermentation. For this to be testing Dry and 20%abv seems nearly impossible but i have seen crazy things happen before lol. My brain wants to believe your Original Gravity is 1.050. Not 1.150. This is where the Potential Alcohol section can help us. When you read 1.150. What is the same reading on the Potential side?
When you say 1.15.... do you mean 1.150 as a starting gravity? That's rather high, as in ... really high. If you are going from 1.150 to .990 (it's impossible to be at 0.900), then, yes, you are making higher ABV, something in the 21.6% range which is FAR beyond 71B, so I think there's something up with your numbers. My guess is you were more like 1.105 and went to 0.990, which is 15.5%, still high, but certainly doable for 71B. Any idea what your recipe was?
@@CitySteadingBrews Actually did a tester with a 32oz Knudson's Cherry Juice (not from concentrate, lots of sediment), added 125g sugar, added 1/2tsp nutrient (I know, I know), and half a pack of 71b. My primary mistake I think was not taking a reading on the juice itself so I might have overshot with the sugar - just did a scaled modification of your 'sweet red wine' recipe. But the fermentation was quite vigorous so I just rode it out to see what would happen. The end product is actually quite nice but is certainly dry. Is it possible very fine particulates (it was loaded) in the juice gave me a larger original gravity than sugars alone would indicate? Ever seen anything like that? Might be some newbie-reaching there...
I just bought my first hydrometer a few weeks ago watch one of your videos and leans how to use it made a wine my starting gravity was 1.130
You stated something about a spreadsheet? Do you have a spreadsheet for calculating things that you would be willing to share? Also...or...do you have an app that you use to store recipes, enter gravity reading, stuff like that.
So far, calculating abv by using original and finishing seems easy. I am getting confused when adding sugars during fermentation and trying to calculate things out. (BTW, stared out first batch of apple pie wine 3 weeks ago. Still fermenting).
We don’t use apps, just a calculator:)
Soooo, my first S/G on my first batch of Apple "Cider" is 1.072, so I'm thinking a final of maybe around 9% ABV, is that accurate? (Using the City Steading Recipe Of Success..dan tatata dah!)
It depends on the yeast you used tbh. Some go as high as 18%, some as low as like 11%. If that went dry (1.000), your estimation is right but if you backsweetened it and bottled it without pasteurizing, it could start up fermentation again and create bottle bombs. As fun as the name sounds, ive heard its quite dangerous.
Yep, 9-8.7% should do. It's low enough gravity that most yeasts will go dry..
What hydrometer do you recommend? How do you determine alcohol content after 2 reading? Are the two readings to determine if it’s done fermenting or is it to determine alcohol content?
They hydro is linked in the description and here's how to calculate abv: Easily Calculate ABV of Homebrew Mead, Wine, Cider and Beer (how much alcohol did you make?)
ua-cam.com/video/xNwNZgeTtIE/v-deo.html
The final two are to he sure it's done.
Thank you for this video! If only I took a reading when I started the mead...
Questions...
1. Why not just drop it in ur big jar of brew? Why is a cylinder necessary?
2. Why not just take your reading at the end? What's the point of doing it at the beginning?
3. How does this translate into ABV?
4. If I didn't have a hydrometer at the beginning to get a reading is there still a way to calculate abv just using an end reading?
If it can float and you can get it out again, you don't need a cylinder, but.. ours doesn't.
The one at the beginning gives you an idea of how much alcohol and a target to work toward for next time, and one at the end together with that can calculate ABV.
(Original Gravity-Final Gravity)X135=ABV%
No, you need both.
We have a playlist just for new brewers that might answer a lot of questions for you: www.newbrew.city-steading.com
Rocking the new hair do. Look like a Red Hot Chili Pepper!
Hello there! I just started watching your channel a couple of days ago, I've been binge watching it in fact. You guys are fantastic.
You two have inspired me to finally purchase equipment to finally start brewing my own mead!
I want to make a blueberry mead. Should I use blueberry juice and blueberries together or should I just use blueberries alone and vice versa?
It's really up to you. There's so many ways to do things in brewing, but... I would use known recipes for your first brews.
Thank you so much for the advice! It actually helps! I appreciate it.
Thanks for the info but what exactly does 0.994 mean? Does it mean the brew is sweet, dry? What?
Which brand of yeast nutrient, in your experience, is the best to use in your mead? Or which brand of yeast nutrient do you prefer?
We don’t generally use additives. Many have a different view but we rarely have off flavors or stalls.
After the breaking of my 2nd glass hydrometer, I switched to the Herculometer (Northern Brewer). It's far more durable and nearly as costly as the glass one. The only problem has been that it's slightly taller than the glass one so my 100ml cylinder is a bit small.
I hear they are really inaccurate what is your take on that?
@@CitySteadingBrews I bought 3. One for myself and 2 as gifts for fellow dropsy brewers.
Side by side physical comparison: they are all different lengths (by almost an 1/8 inch). But the scale seemed to match up very closely. Additionally, I noticed that the cap on the scale end is just glued in place and frankly not very well. If I were to submerge it completely, liquid would get in to the chamber and mess with the readings.
I tested all three in naked spring water(1.000), a fresh batch of must(1.135), and a sweet wine I had made with a known SpGr(1.026) and the readings from all three Herculometers were +/- .001 of each other (or just my eyes interpretation of where the level was)
Worryingly, I had my old glass hydrometer along for the tests that I had foolishly left in my truck on a hot day and it was reading inconsistently lower than actual. It thought water was .994, the sweet wine (it had originally tested at 1.026) was at 1.016, and the new must was 1.076 instead of 1.135. I think I turned my glass hydrometer into a liar by letting it get super hot for an extended period of time (and I think it has a couple of hairline fratures)
Quick question is it safe to brew outside or not?
Do you mean assemble outside? Leave outside after?
@@CitySteadingBrews leave outside after
@@trojanman8835 that really depends on your climate. It's not a good idea to leave in direct sunlight, and temps over 80F or so aren't suggested, but below 65F or so isn't good either. So, honestly, I don't think leaving them outside is a good idea.
@@CitySteadingBrews the porch gets shade but its been in the 50s at night the last 2 nights which is odd. Climate change has thrown this year out of wack. Anyways, thanks for the advice and God bless you.
maybe dumb question, but how much of a sample do i have to use?? got a test tube today and i’m just not sure how much i have to fill it up
Enough to get an accurate reading. The hydrometer has to float at least. We put the samples back in because we sanitize the gear.
Thank you! 5 videos, 10 Googles, and the factory instructions, and NOBODY explains the most simple way to read this damn thing.
Whoah… sorry it was so hard to find.
Can you explain to me what the physical aspect is once you put it the hydrometer in cylinder how does it actually take the reading
It measures the density relative to water.
@@CitySteadingBrews which in turn tells you what
Sorry I’m a new home brewer. Where is the step between reading the hydrometer and knowing what alcohol content you’re either looking at and/or why it will be? Can you break this down?
ua-cam.com/video/NpBZctKaPis/v-deo.html
thanks for this
You're welcome
You forgot to mention the fine print that says "at 60°F". Minor temperature variations won't affect density but I used to live in Arizona and that is way different than my current PA home.
It's true but if you read at the same temp all the time, it doesn't matter really. But, yes, there can be some difference if you don't calibrate for 60F. A 1.100 reading at 100f is more like 1.106 in reality on a 60F calibrated hydrometer.
Good video. Then use the starting gravity and your final gravity readings to calculate your alcohol by volume content.
Yup, we cover that in almost all our videos, and even have one just for the calculation.
Thank you Brian, I was a little confused on how to read a hydrometer. BTW that looks just like the one I got off of Amazon.
Wait so I'm getting 20 in between the start/finish I still don't know what that means alcohol percentage wise
20? Not sure what you mean. What are your readings?
What's an alcohol hydrometer? How do you read that? Is it for distilling?
Yes they are for distilling. I got one by mistake in the beginning and boy was it confusing!
@@CitySteadingBrews I'd watch a video about alcohol hydrometers.. **wink**
@@qdmc12 well, distilling is completely illegal for us without an expensive license and a separate building so, we won't be doing it anytime soon. To use an alcohol hydrometer, you just put it in and read the numbers. They only work on 20% or higher ABV normally.
@@CitySteadingBrews I understand your reasoning, however, it's not illagal to buy everclear and make your own spirits from that. Just saying but I understand where you're coming from. Hell hath no fury like the ATF.
@@qdmc12 oh sure, you can fortify things or make liquers, no worries there. Thought you were hinting at distilling, lol.
My first batch has gone from a 1.128 to a 1.060 in 5 weeks what are your thoughts?
My thoughts are it is fermenting.
Cheers guys
as I understand it, this number suggests fluid density.
1,000 means 1000g per liter of liquid.
1,070 means 1070g per liter of liquid.
0.990 means 990g of liquid per liter of liquid.
I thought for a long time about the deeper meaning of these numbers and came to such a conclusion. correct if I'm wrong.
I believe so, yes.
SG is a measurement (ratio, actually) of relative density and does not necessarily imply any unit of measure. With respect to water, at its most dense it just happens to have a mass of almost exactly 1,000 kg per cubic meter, or one gram per ml, so I believe a sugar solution with an SG of 1.115 could be said to represent a mass of 1.115 grams per milliliter compared to an equal volume of water (the reference standard in this case) which is 1.000 g/ml. However, SG in general is still just a ratio of sample to a standard and reference materials such as alcohol or gases don't enjoy the happy coincidence of math that the water standard does.
So Im still confused, my readin is 1.011~ does that mean 11%? It smells and tastes alcohol and is very sweet. (First time making mead)
No, that means your brew has .011 more density than water. To calculate abv you need a starting gravity and ending gravity. ua-cam.com/video/NpBZctKaPis/v-deo.html
But what does it actually mean for percentages of what's actually in it that is always my question
1.010 is about 1% more dense than water.
my first time i seen the bright red on mine and was like OH NO!!! then i was like wait its in the numbers i hear them talk about so im going with it lol.
do you know of a large number hydrometer?
Sadly I do not!
So, what's the math formula to figure out your alcohol percentage?
Take your original gravity reading subtract your final gravity reading and multiply that number by 135. An example would be if you have a starting gravity of 1.090 and your final gravity is 1.010. 1.090-1.010= 0.08 0.08 multiplied by 135 is 10.8 alcohol by volume.
This!!
@@connissia thank you very much 😁
So, math always confused me. So I started with 1.06 and F.G. is 1.024. I do this math problem and come out with different answers. Per the instructions I rcvd it should be 1.06-1.024 / .776 =ABV Is this it or is there an easier way?? It smells and tastes like wine, but I worry my yeast was not good
It’s very similar to how we do it. ua-cam.com/video/xNwNZgeTtIE/v-deo.htmlsi=Pql_OPALe5GB0o4f
Thank Christ for this video!. thank you ,thank you, thank you!!!!
But how do I know if I have a reading of 1050 for 5 liters and want to have 1100, how much sugar or honey do I have to add ?
for some reason that came up on your question when it was a response to another's comment. This is why I just delated it. Sorry for the confusion. I will get to your question in a moment.
@@CitySteadingBrews ok
Ok, so first I would have to convert 5 liters to gallons which would be 1.32086 gallons. Sugar is .046 gravity per pound in a gallon. So you need 1.42 pounds of sugar.
@@CitySteadingBrews okaaaaay but that was just an example 😅 is there maybe a webpage or app for lazy people ? 😋
There are calculators out there, we do the math so we have a better understanding of the process. Google search should aid you in finding a calculator.
Do you know of a good hydrometer that is not glass? Is there a way to test accuracy?
Plastic ones are really inaccurate. To test accuracy, place it in water, should read 1.000. Beyond that... homebrewing isn't such perfect accuracy type of thing. :)
I'm still confused. I understand the markings but you haven't said what they mean or what you should do with a specific reading. say I get a reading of 1.050 is that good is it bad all that's telling me is a number. Maybe I'm missing something, I just don't get it..
Every reading is just that. A number. We go over specific gravity in every video and how to use it. It's just a measure of density and therefore can be used to know about how much sugar is in a given brew.
So I have 1.016 for a red raspberry apple cider ? Third line down from 1.010
Starting or ending?
starting
@@CitySteadingBrews
Seems quite low. Ciders are usually 1.030 or higher. What is your recipe?
its was 1.046 we read it wrong, 1 gallon apple juice 2 pounds frozen raspberrys @@CitySteadingBrews
well that answers that question
👍
What does it mean when my mead smells like vinegar after 25 days ?
It probably is turning to vinegar.
All I can say is beginning your video you got me laughing my ass off because you said how to read a hydrometer that's why we made this video because they're really confusing I'm sitting here laughing my ass off I guess it was the way you said it
I should have seen more of your videos... I bought one calibrated for spirits... 'Tis useless for mead!
My wife thinks in crazy but....could you use marmite in mead, since its yeast extract? Love video by the way
I don't know why you would.. it's not actual yeast, so it won't aid fermentation. It's also quite salty and that may affect fermentation but not in a good way!
OK so this video is 10 months old so here’s my shot in the dark so first Thing accidentally ordered two 5 gallon carboys instead of two 1 gallon carboy I just said F it let’s go big or go home OK second problem watched your video on how to get started i had to do some guesstimation for the 5 gallons and somehow completely forgot to do the first hydrometer test so I know y’all probably can’t help me with figuring out why things are going the way they are but the mead is now done two weeks early I don’t think it’s stuck because all of the yeast is dead at the bottom it stopped bubbling two days ago and everything else that I put in there is at the bottom by the way I made a morrat and I’m trying to decide whether or not I need to back sweeten it because I taste tested it and taste like wine and I’m wondering if I should just go ahead and let it wait and see if it will mellow out or what have you or if I should just go ahead and back sweeten it and we’ve already started the racking process as of today and I think I’m going to end up back Sweetening it anyway but we can’t decide what the heck to back sweeten it with we were thinking either cherries blackberries or raspberries anybody got any good ideas on all of this
You can still take a reading now to know if it's actually done. As for sweetening, that's totally up to you! If you want it sweeter, sweeten it. Just be sure to pasteurize if you do or you might risk more fermentation and/or bottle bombs if you bottle it.
OK cool thank you so much for letting me know that and Now I need to go watch your video on pasteurizing and while We’re on the topic which goes better with mulberries. cherries raspberries or blackberries ?
@@sickinsane1310 for me? Blackberries, but honestly all berries work well together.
OK awesome So third problem maybe.we just realized now that I have a just alcohol hydrometer will that work just like with your video or should I just get another hydrometer also I’m going out of town for the weekend if the yeast isn’t all dead is it OK to just leave it racked till I get back and if so I will definitely be waiting to sweeten it after I get back and I have to say again thank you so much I thought I was good and prepared obviously not lol
I bought my first hydrometer, and then i dropt it before i could use it :(. I will buy a new one when I need some more stuff.
Hello. Please buy 3 hydropeters because one is none and 2=1. I have been in your shoes twice in the last two and a half years. I have 3 currently. You're doing great. Brewing gives you a lot of cool education. I love it.
Wait I did not get this video at all, you showed us the numbers but not what we should want it to be at or what any of them mean or how to set up the tube like how much of the lead/wine to put in the tube before putting the hydrometer in it :(
There is no set good number... it's a tool for taking readings. As for filling the tube... you fill the tube. Hydrometer floats... take a reading.
ua-cam.com/video/6jP78Q-0iC8/v-deo.htmlsi=ywtJcw-BRAsExUKT
Hi guys, boy am I still confused. I can read the hydrometer ok but what does it mean. If my mead is showing at 1.000, how much alcohol content is it? I super hate math. Urrgggg!
I guesse how does that tell me the abv
That was how to read one. They do more than just abv. We have a video on how to calculate abv too: ua-cam.com/video/xNwNZgeTtIE/v-deo.html
Thats the same one I have.
That and the fact that I just got the reply back from you and the link that I clicked on because I asked you how to read a hydrometer
Then multiply by 131.25
just tried a new batch man its nice toooo sweet though, i went from not enough honey to too much honey , it tastes like apple cider wine without the acidity , kinda Dangerous ill be hiding this one from the women or all hell may break loose LOL 8 litres worth.
you never explain how it works, does it float? how much sample to put in the graduated cylinder, enough to make it float?? does the temperature matter? repeatedly stating in your videos that brik and potential abv "arent something you use" seems uninformed considering theyre directly relative and on the same device
We assumed it was common sense it needed to float. Sorry if that wasn't clear. As for the other readings... specific gravity is easiest to use and most widely used by brewers. I'm sorry you feel we are uninformed for teaching people how to read a hydrometer.... I mean.... we are showing people how to do a thing they don't know how to do.
How about a vinometer…?
You don’t need to have a hydrometer if you have a vinometer or OG and FG…?
They are very very inaccurate.
almost sounded like binary language LOL
Sc