How to CORRECTLY read Specific Gravity in Mead and Wine Making

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Specific Gravity readings.... love them or hate them, they are essential to knowing how your brew is doing. We see a lot of mistakes (and we do some too!) on reading them. It's a very simple thing, but, it's numbers, so a lot of people are getting it wrong. Let's fix that.
How To Read a Hydrometer: • How to Read a Hydromet...
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24 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 81

@dhudach 17 дней назад

This is an excellent reminder. And there is NO DOUBT that you are the most responsive and helpful channel on any topic on YT. But one picky comment - you want to see the full gravity reading, the whole number and three decimal places, not four. We know what you mean but saying 4 decimal places might confuse someone. Again, I'm just being technical.

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

One before and three after...

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Yup. Digits would have been more correct 👍

@dhudach 17 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews You lose exactly 0.000 style points. Decimal points and digits aside, the video is 100% useful and valuable!! Rock on Bri!!

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Thank you!

@maxwelledison5366 16 дней назад

I find that using the actual whole numbers, tenths, hundredths and thousandths eliminates any confusion.

@AdamFranklin500 17 дней назад

Helpful video. Makes not only the person brewings life easier but also makes it easier for people who are trying to help.

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Absolutely.

@connissia 17 дней назад

Definitely! 😃 😉

@dr.froghopper6711 17 дней назад

Right on Brian! I’m a science geek and already knew this from your other videos. Basic college level biology/microbiology, chemistry, physics and military training as an analyst of submarine sound sources-what was i saying-oh yeah-I’m a NEERRD! Geek to the core! You teach good science! The hands on brand!

@ethanneville1003 16 дней назад

Just wanted to throw in the mix that I learned how to read a hydrometer and do the math from your channel and I watch every video, so thanks!

@CitySteadingBrews 16 дней назад

Happy we could help!

@yourmetalgod69 17 дней назад

Yep! right on!. I love helping if I can but more info is sometimes needed to help solve an issue.

@CitySteadingBrews 16 дней назад

So true!

@raist315 17 дней назад

I try to shoot for 1.080 - 1.100 initial gravity. Funny enough, I measure gravity at every stage of a mead, and yet I've never once calculated how much alcohol I have. I just like tracking everything.

@ghoppr71 17 дней назад

Good info as always... 👍

@TowerHand 17 дней назад

Duly noted, a Hydrometer is the brewer's best friend.

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Agreed.

@larryabbott4633 17 дней назад

Great point. I've done it as well!

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Yeah, I catch myself all the time.

@MiscMitz 16 дней назад

Lol. Thank you so much! I think i just added a .1 where it Sudbury belong. Was 1.096 not 1.196. You guys rock and helped push me over the edge from thinking to actually doing.

@CitySteadingBrews 15 дней назад

Happy to help!

@gregdavey4897 17 дней назад

Yep great stuff, details matter, same at the end of the ferment, can go below 0, so give it time to really ferment out 😃👍

@GeorgeSmyth 17 дней назад

Got a tilt hydrometer for Christmas. Allow me to tell you that it is one of the more cool and useful things in my homebrewing.

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

I would need 10 and... I have zero need for 24/7 monitoring of a brew, lol.

@julietardos5044 17 дней назад

@@user-zr9hu3tf1y With chill music in the background, yeah, that would be cool.

@morgaineandsum 17 дней назад

so talking numbers.. here goes : cherry mead OG at 1.100 stalled at 1.020 making a batch of 1.080 cherry mead , and stepfeed the stalled to the 1.080 the 1.080 has a champagne 18% resistant yeast and some nutrient , the stalled one used 14% mead yeast . fight of the strongest i hope it works

@r3sistxwampa685 17 дней назад

My hydrometer actually has only straight numers from 1 to 150 without any digits. It mesures in degrees Iechsele whitch means that 10 Oechsele is 1.010 gravity. Greeting from germany❤

@TheTriFyre 17 дней назад

I have a refractometer, unopened for years... Afraid to learn a new way before... Time to do an unboxing ✨️

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Just remember you need some calculations once alcohol is present. We did a video.

@TheTriFyre 17 дней назад

@CitySteadingBrews yeah, isn't there an app that can do it all for me? I thought you used one a few times

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Fermcalc

@TheTriFyre 17 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews THANK YOU!!!!

@66grinner 17 дней назад

I’ll be honest and say I have not watched the video yet but I saw the title and went “very probably”.

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Lol.

@66grinner 17 дней назад

To be fair I attempted your beginner mead recipe (substituted with mead yeast) last month and your 2023 ginger beer recipe last week. Neither have been racked yet so I have only done like 3 readings. Turns out I was not doing them incorrectly however. Thanks for putting up fantastic content.

@CitySteadingBrews 16 дней назад

Yup, it's not complicated, but consistency in readings is really helpful!

@carrieg2689 17 дней назад

Funny you should bring this up as i had an odd thought for a video for y'all today. Equipment vs ChatGPT lol. Because yknow, fads 😊 My hydrometer arrived broken but i was anxious to start my first non hootch brew with readings and a sense of OG - FG = ABV. Soooo, i aske the AI overlords how to calculate an OG by the sugar content in juice. I was using Simply Peach which has 25g per 8oz, which according to ChatGPT, the OG factored out to be 1.015. Long story short, i prompted until i got a recipe that would give me a peach cider with an abv of 8%. I am now extremely curious to watch you pros compare and contrast something simular. Something like, "this is what the overlords say this particular juice's OG is, and here is what it actually is." and "here is what we ended up making" 😂 Would also be equally entertaining to just watch y'all make whatever it tells you. Side note, ChatGPT is a trending keyword you just know the YT algorithm would love 😁

@CitySteadingBrews 16 дней назад

Chat GPT is far too inconsistent on such things to even really properly test it. I know it's trendy to use it, but, meh, I don't consider it a reliable source of information so I don't really want to promote it on our channel. We have looked into things like that though.

@stephenkennedy2075 17 дней назад

Have you ever had a brew come out with a higher abv than you wanted? I have a ginger beer that is, could I just add some water before I go to carbonate?

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Sure, happens often. If you wanted it lower, you can dilute with water, certainly.

@barvin9271 17 дней назад

I know i'm new to the technical side, but I think that only enforces how it's easier to just use all the digits to not make mistakes. when people throw around points of gravity or worse, talk in brix, my brain shuts down. Unrelated question: I see just about every spice making an appearance in wine and mead recipes, but never truffle. Is it just that bougie or does the flavor not work with anything?

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Truffle isn't a spice. It's a fungus, like a mushroom. I suppose you could use it, if you wanted that flavor.

@dr.froghopper6711 17 дней назад

Stand by for some very earthy notes in your brew! I truly wonder how the two fungus cousins would interact?

@barvin9271 17 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews fair, I just figured i'd see someone out there declaring why it works or doesnt, but all i find are wine pairings xD

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

I don't think it would taste very good personally.

@barvin9271 17 дней назад

@@dr.froghopper6711 I'd probably want to use fresh truffle if I ever tried it, and that's a little spicy for hobby tier, but my favorite traditional wine is cabernet franc blends with at least 15-25%, because franc brings out amazing earthy flavors

@rhysmartin1503 14 дней назад

I started at roughly 1.110 as my honey was crystallised and I don't use heat in any way. My gravity is now 1.020 after 4 weeks which is my slowest ferment ever using nutrients for the first time. It's very cold here in Australia at the moment. Do I just be patient or can I speed it up? 😂

@CitySteadingBrews 14 дней назад

A warmer temp will speed fermentation.

@lorilumax6850 17 дней назад

I guess if in doubt.. take a photo and send a picture?

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

That's not the point... it's use all four digits in the readings.

@lorilumax6850 17 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews I know that's not the point, but if someone is having a hard time reading it a photo might help to them to get a proper reading.. that is all

@CitySteadingBrews 16 дней назад

Fair enough.

@SJR275 15 дней назад

Is this because of my comment the other day 😂 I'm just kidding. I started home brew in university circa 2016 because of microbiology and it still took me years to understand not only how to read it properly but the proper meanings behind it too.

@CitySteadingBrews 15 дней назад

It's because of hundreds of comments, lol.

@SJR275 15 дней назад

@CitySteadingBrews I joke, I know really as said hard thing to do. Doesn't make it easier that my hydrometer has 3 readings on, specific gravity, alcohol potential and possibly plato? I don't know I don't use the other one at all

@CitySteadingBrews 14 дней назад

We just use sg 😀

@twistedphoenix 17 дней назад

Significant digits, are in fact, Significant

@heartproblems2727 17 дней назад

This is off target. If I back sweeten a mead with honey from .096 to 1.014 and pasteurized. Then added 1tsp sugar and a small amount of yeast to the bottles. I have basically made a bottle bomb ?

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Yup. The yeast died from pasteurizing but then you added more so the honey and sugar will both ferment and could overpressurize.

@heartproblems2727 17 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you. I'll count this as a learning experience. Looking forward to the next video.

@anthonylauderdale1250 17 дней назад

Should mine have been 5.883? Lol. Figured you haven’t had that asked yet. 😂

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

That exact number? No, but numbers like that we have! No, it should not be 😜

@anthonylauderdale1250 17 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews lol yeah just came up with a ridiculous number that’s not even a a hydrometer.

@LawlissLanterns 17 дней назад

@@anthonylauderdale1250 I'm fairly certain the hydrometer would float so high that it would fall over in something that dense. LOL

@anthonylauderdale1250 17 дней назад

@@LawlissLanterns lol me too. But the alcohol % would be 660% if it went dry. Be some Mean stuff!!!

@shauntaeharvey 17 дней назад

At what SPGR do you use the 132.25? I think that's it.

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

131.25, and usually below 8% ABV, so if your OG is 0ver 1.060, use 135, below use 131.25. It's still an approximation and always just a guide.

@shauntaeharvey 17 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews of course, and thanks much. It's just my abv don't always hit y'all's. So understanding this when I can start creating my own recipes will be awesome. Thanks again.

@skiltquan 17 дней назад

If I had one, probably yes.

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

I recommend hydrometers for anyone interested in brewing.

@rets34xleopard 17 дней назад

instructions unclear measured 100.0 specific gravity and now I'm on Mars. Just kidding, this video is great and well dictated. Thanks!!

@georgespelvin6812 17 дней назад

Minor nerdy nit pick... 1.123 is 3 decimal places, not 4 🤓. The term "decimal places" refers to the number of digits to the right of the decimal mark. (Which in some non-USA parts of the world isn't a"." it's a","[just for extra fun and confusion!]) Still, love the show and the brews! I've got a few batches of traditionals going and about to start a batch of your Carrot Cake Mead and see how that one goes!

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

You're correct. I should have said three decimal places and four digits.

@truckdriver3000 17 дней назад

I don't see a reason to check that it's either going to work or not work by the time I come home it's all finished fermenting

@CitySteadingBrews 17 дней назад

Final checks tell if it stalled, etc.

@Azure580 17 дней назад

I'm new to mead making. 😅 Once the mead has finished fermenting and you have your FG reading, do you take additional readings in secondary if you want to add fruit or spices? Does this become the new FG? What about when you back-sweeten? I've read there is more math involved. 🥲

@CitySteadingBrews 16 дней назад

If it doesn't ferment, it doesn't change the FG.

@Azure580 16 дней назад

@@user-zr9hu3tf1yYes, fruit just for flavouring, good to know it won't change! With back-sweetening, my only concern is trying to work out the correct ABV% once I add something like honey or a fruit juice etc. (as it dilutes the mead somewhat?). Maybe the change would be negligible, I don't know. 😅 I'll check out the video re: the fruit, thanks for your reply! 😊

@CitySteadingBrews 15 дней назад

While it might dilute is slightly, it's not enough to really worry about, but if you really want to know, we did a video on fortification and this is really just de-fortification: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ERX7scF37Uo.htmlsi=ErAPCeEgV3a48naZ Unless you add a LOT, it's rather trivial really. In addition, all ABV checking is just an estimate unless you get a lab to analyze it. Within 1-2% is good enough for me.

@Azure580 15 дней назад

@@CitySteadingBrews Great, thank you! ☺