ABV

[arturobandini]

Hello all,

Did my first Brew earlier today and it seems to have got off to a good start. I sanitised everything well (hopefully) and the mix looked and smelt pretty good when I'd finished. I tried to get a hydrometer reading before I added yeast (This is correct I take it for calculating the ABV?) but my Hydrometer never budged an inch. The reservoir in the bottom is grey and looks grainy with some white stuff over it (great description I know) that looks like cetyl alcohol before it turns into a liquid. No matter how long I leave it in water or anything at all it just stays the same so i'm assuming it's somehow busted and I need to take it back to the shop and switch it for another.

My question is - How can I calculate the ABV now? I'm assuming it's pretty impossible now I don't have a primary pre yeast pitch reading. If I can get hold of a hydrometer tonight and take a reading will this help me guestimate the ABV or is it all too late now for this? The FV is getting lighter and lighter having started off a nice chocolate brown but full on fermentation hasn't really kicked in yet as it's been a few hours since pitching. Any help as always greatly appreciated.

[adm]

This might sound a bit daft.....but the hydrometer isn't meant to actually DO anything......you just drop it into deep enough wort to float it and then read the number off the scale where the wort meets the glass. It doesn't move, or bob up or down or anything -it just floats slightly higher or lower depending on how much sugar is dissolved in the wort!

As long as it doesn't either sink, or lay flat on its side, it's probably doing it's job perfectly.

[sparky Paul]

The stuff in the bulb at the bottom is just the weight, usually lead shot. As adm says, you simply read the number off the tube where it meets the surface of the liquid. As the sugar ferments into alcohol, the hydrometer will get lower in the liquid, giving you a lower number on the scale.

It's really very simple, but if you've never seen one before...

[arturobandini]

Hahaha! Ok, we've established who the dumbest homebrewer on the forum is! That's pretty hilarious because I was looking at this Hydrometer and I was thinking. "Does that crap at the bottom melt or what?". Now I realise why the testing jars are so narrow. Well that's reassuring but what about my question, too late to try and work out the ABV ?

[StrangeBrew]

It's not too late if you noted the initial reading you had before pitching the yeast.
Or were you too busy watching and waiting for the hydrometer to jump in to action!

[arturobandini]

Ha! Yeah, I never took a reading because I was cursing this piece of junk. I suppose I'll just carry on taking readings just to gauge the fermentation on a daily basis and know how it's progressing and when it ends.

[StrangeBrew]

Personally I don't bother taking readings everyday, more chance causing an infection the more you mess about with it.
I normally take a reading before pitching the yeast and then approx on days 5, 7 & 10.

Which kit have you done as someone might be able to help with the original gravity which with your final reading would possibly give you a ballpark abv.

[arturobandini]

I'm doing the brewferm Diabolo kit. It's only been going for 24hrs but seems to be motoring along. I'm going to leave it the full ten days most people do for primary fermentation regardless of when the newly working hydrometer indicates it's ready for bottling. But yeah a fellow brewers original gravity reading would be good to get a general idea. I did two kits together as one and used 1kg of light Candi sugar in the mix. Thanks

[StrangeBrew]

The Brewferm website states that the Diabolo has an OG of 1075 and an ABV of 8%, this assumes that you have added the correct amount of sugar and mixed well to disolve. This is where your own OG reading is useful as it will confirm that you have hit the required OG. I haven't brewed the Diabolo so can't offer my expirience with this kit.

You might find this LINK helpful. Good luck and keep us up-dated.