can cause one to believe that one posted something when one actually did not.
Mead and cider are hallucinogenic that way.
Does anybody out there know a good way to measure alcohol content of mead/wine/cider? Here’s the situation:
15 lbs honey with water to make 5 Gallons. The honey is NOT evenly distributed, so I can’t get an accurate specific gravity reading. After fermentation, it is pretty homogenized, so now I can get a reading.
A friend of mine makes VERY STRONG cider. He has the same problem with solids unevenly distributed solids.
And we’re both curious about measuring other folks’ attempts.
Any help out there?
Mead (honey wine) typically contains about 12% alcohol.
Cider typically contains about 6% alcohol, although it can get as high as 11%.
This is all really, really easy to find on Google.
Sorry… my browser crashed. I have re-posted.
How about putting the same proportion of honey to water in a blender. You should get an even distribution of solids and you can read the specific gravity off this sample.
Mead (honey wine) typically contains about 12% alcohol.
Cider typically contains about 6% alcohol, although it can get as high as 11%.
This is all really, really easy to find on Google.
How about putting the same proportion of honey to water in a blender. You should get an even distribution of solids and you can read the specific gravity off this sample.
I have merged the two threads, so hammerbach’s OP is the second post here.
I’m aware of all that. What I am looking for is a measurement technique for a SPECIFIC sample, not a typical or average. It is quite possible for these samples to be atypical.
Dude, if you’re not mxing thoroughly before fermentation, your process isn’t in control. Get yourself an impellor mixer and get it even.
If you can’t do that, you’ll need to determine the SG of your honey before mixing; this will tell you the percent sugar. Weigh your honey accurately as you put it in, and if you know (accurately) the total volume or weight of your solution, you can calculate the % sugar in your solution
You can try mixing it up again the best you can and take a reading, or if you are only looking at an infield figure, unless I did my math wrong or my memory is failing me (quite possible the way my day has gone), you are looking at an O.G. of roughly 1.10 to 1.11 which should give you between 13.5 and 15% alc. when it’s done.
Honey’s S.G. generally ranges between 1.41 and 1.44, and 15 pounds is roughly a gallon and a quarter.
If you want to be more precise though, you’ll want to get a thorough mix and re-check it.
That is slightly higher than what I read, but even with heat and rather energetic stirring, settling took place very quickly leaving me with strong doubt as to its accuracy.
What I’d REALLY like to know is how to derive (or at least take a SWAG at) alcohol content without an initial SG measurement, so I can measure samples that I did not have access to before fermentation. This should be similar to estimating proportion of antifreeze in your radiator with a hydrometer.
I should think this possible, but I havn’t found a method yet. Perhaps I should talk to a chemist.