How to use an alcohol hydrometer is crucial when testing distilled spirits. There are 2 different types of hydrometers to use when making moonshine and brewing. The first hydrometer is the specific gravity and the second is the alcohol hydrometer. The specific gravity/triple scale hydrometer provides 3 choices of readings in one hydrometer. The reading we focus on when we use this hydrometer is the Specific Gravity (SG).
Specific Gravity: (0.99-1.16)Potential Alcohol: (0%-20%)Brix/Balling: (0-35)
The second hydrometer is the alcohol or proofing hydrometer and is used for measuring the alcohol ABV or proof of the distilled product. The alcohol hydrometer measures the alcohol up to 100% ABV or zero to 200 proof. This alcohol hydrometer can be used to make your cuts when proofing down.
Contents
What is the best gravity for moonshine?
Hydrometer Wisdom: Monitoring Fermentation As with all matters of life, there are two ways of monitoring the fermentation of your mash: the easy way and the complicated way. If you’re a K.I.S.S. fan – not the band, but the „Keep It Simple, Stupid” philosophy – you’ll prepare the mash and just let it be.
- A day or two after adding the yeast, you’ll see the airlock bubble – and know the stuff’s doing its fermenting business.
- After 14 days, it should be about done.
- If it still bubbles, let it sit for another few days, or until you see no bubbling for at least a minute or two.
- Once there is no activity in the airlock, your mash is ready to run.
This is a non-scientific method but pretty reliable in judging when fermentation is completed. The scientific method isn’t actually that complicated either, and it will let you know that the mash has completely finished fermentation and determine its potential alcohol.
What you’ll need is a beer or wine hydrometer. The hydrometer indicates the density, or specific gravity – SG – of a liquid, compared to water. As alcohol is thinner than water, the higher the alcohol content, the deeper the float sinks. Pure water has a specific gravity of 1.000 on the hydrometer scale.
Temperature is a key factor when measuring the specific gravity of a liquid – the hydrometer should indicate the temperature it’s calibrated to, and also include an adjustment table. A standard measuring temperature is 20°C or 70 °F. Original Gravity – OG Measure the gravity of your mash before fermentation – and before adding the yeast.
- The reading will be higher than 1.000, because of the sugars present in the mash.
- During fermentation, these sugars will be consumed by yeast causing the density and therefore specific gravity to lower.
- The number will be the lowest at the end of fermentation.
- Fill your hydrometer tube about 2/3 of an inch from the top with the wash/mash you wish to test.
Insert the hydrometer slowly not allowing it to drop. Give the hydrometer a light spin, to remove the air bubbles that may have formed.
- Read where the surface of the liquid cuts the scale of the hydrometer.
- You can also predict the potential alcohol of your mash from the original gravity.
- Original Gravity – Potential Alcohol
- 062 → 7.875%
- 064 → 8.125%
- 066 → 8.375%
- 068 → 8.625
- 070 → 8.875%
- 072 → 9.125%
- 074 → 9.375%
- 076 → 9.75%
- 078 → 10%
- 080 → 10.25%
- 082 → 10.5%
- 084 → 10.75%
- 086 → 11%
- 088 → 11.25%
- 090 → 11.5%
- 092 → 11.75%
- 094 → 12.125%
- 096 → 12.375%
- 098 → 12.75%
- 100 → 13%
- 102 → 13.25%
- 104 → 13.5%
- 106 → 13.875%
- 108 → 14.125%
Final Gravity – FG Measure the specific gravity of the mash after the airlock slows down and you’re not getting much activity. If the reading is at 1.000 or less, it is definitely done. If it’s 1.020 or higher, you may want to wait a day or two and then take another reading. Keep taking readings, if needed, until the gravity stops dropping – which means the fermentation is complete.
- A good rule of thumb: if the gravity hasn’t changed over the course of three days, then the mash is done fermenting.
- Final Gravity – Potential Alcohol
- Using the chart above and some math, you can calculate the alcohol content of your mash after fermentation is complete.
- ABV = (OG – FG) x 131
For instance, if the OG reading is 1.092 and the FG is 0.99, the math goes like this: (1.092-.99) x 131 = 13.36% ABV Remember, this is a rough estimate, as many factors are at play. But the science will at least keep you busy until you’re ready to get your whiskey still running. Posted by Jason Stone on June 01, 2015 : Hydrometer Wisdom: Monitoring Fermentation
How do you use a specific gravity hydrometer for moonshine?
How to Take a Specific Gravity Hydrometer Reading – Taking a reading with a specific gravity hydrometer is easy. Make sure you have enough liquid in the test jar at least up to the top reading on the jar. If you purchased the hydrometer kit, a 250 ml test jar will be included. The specific gravity hydrometer kit with the glass test cylinder is highly recommended over the test kit with the plastic cylinder for many reasons.
Can I use a beer hydrometer for spirits?
What do Distilling Hydrometers Measure? – Distilling or proofing hydrometers essentially do the same thing as brewing hydrometers. They tell the distiller how much alcohol is in a solution. However, the density of spirits and fuel alcohol is so low that a brewing hydrometer would sink right to the bottom.
What proof percentage is moonshine?
Moonshine Alcohol Percentage | Moonshine Proof – Moonshine usually has an ABV of 40% but can sometimes be as high as 60%-80% ABV. Alcohol content can be converted to proof by multiplying it by two. So, 40% ABV is 80-proof. The distilling process is the key to a spirit’s alcohol content.
What is the difference between a hydrometer and a hygrometer?
Peter Childs, University of Limerick, investigates words in chemistry. In this issue: hygrometer or hydrometer? 
Source: iStock Do you know the difference between a hygrometer and a hydrometer? A hygrometer measures humidity, the amount of water vapour in air. A hydrometer, on the other hand, measures the density or specific gravity (SG) of a liquid by floating in the liquid.
Are all hydrometers the same?
Scales – A NASA worker using a hydrometer to measure the brine density of a salt evaporation pond. Modern hydrometers usually measure specific gravity but different scales were (and sometimes still are) used in certain industries. Examples include:
- API gravity, universally used worldwide by the petroleum industry.
- Baumé scale, formerly used in industrial chemistry and pharmacology
- Brix scale, primarily used in fruit juice, wine making and the sugar industry
- Oechsle scale, used for measuring the density of grape must
- Plato scale, primarily used in brewing
- Twaddell scale, formerly used in the bleaching and dyeing industries
What does 40 mean on a hydrometer?
Looks like you’ve got about 1.046 there.40 is the first number you can see above the liquid level; each line below the 40 is two gravity points. When reading the hydrometer, you have to ignore the “meniscus,” that little bit of liquid that “curves” up the side of the hydrometer, and look at the actual fluid level.
What scale does a hydrometer use for alcohol?
How To Use Your Hydrometer – The Hydrometer And It’s Uses Your hydrometer has been specifically designed for the amateur wine and beer maker. It covers a relatively broad range, and therefore, eliminates the need for several instruments of narrower ranges to get the job done.
- A hydrometer is an instrument for measuring the density of a liquid in relation to water.
- Water is given the arbitrary figure of 1.000, and other liquids are compared to this figure.
- The result is said to be their Specific Gravity (S.G.
- For short).
- As you add sugar, malt extract, honey, or other soluble solids, the numbers after the decimal point will increase.
As the beverage ferments, the sugars are converted into carbon dioxide and alcohol (lighter than water), the numbers will decrease. DETERMINING ALCOHOL CONTENT Hydrometers have many uses, but the most common use by wine, beer, and mead makers is determining the alcohol content of a homemade beverage.
First, you must take a reading prior to fermentation. It is impossible to accurately determine the alcohol content of a fermented beverage without this initial reading. Your hydrometer should have a scale called the “Potential Alcohol” scale. This scale measures the amount of alcohol that will be potentially produced if fermented to dryness (S.G.1.000 or less). The easiest way to take a reading is to sanitize a wine thief or “gravy baster”, then remove a sample of the “must” or “wort” and place this in the test stand (this can even be the plastic tube the hydrometer comes packed in). Fill the stand about 3/4 full, then carefully place the hydrometer in it. Give the hydrometer a gentle spin with your thumb and middle finger. This should remove any air bubbles that might otherwise cling to the sides of the instrument. When the hydrometer has settled, take the S.G. (and/or potential alcohol) reading with your eye at the surface level of the liquid. Read the scale inside the instrument at the level where the liquid contacts the glass. After the fermentation is completed, take another reading. Subtract the potential alcohol reading at this point from the potential alcohol reading prior to the fermentation. The difference between the two numbers is the alcohol content that you have actually produced. For example: if the initial reading is 13% and the final reading is 1%, then the actual alcohol content is 12% (or 13% – 1% = 12%). Please note that if your beverage ferments completely dry (S.G. of 1.000 or less), then the alcohol content is the same as your original potential alcohol reading (in the above example: 13% – 0% = 13%). The reason that the final gravity might end up lower than water is that you are producing alcohol, which is noticeably lighter (less dense) than water. All dry wines and meads will finish at gravities lower than 1.000 (e.g.,995). Almost all beers and sweeter wines & meads will finish higher than 1.000.
The hydrometer can be used to determine the natural sugar content of the “must.” In most instances additional sugar should be added to this “must” to assure that the alcohol content of the finished wine is sufficient for the wine to keep. Alcohol is a preservative, and you should insure that your wine have alcohol content of at least 9 – 10%.
After sanitizing a wine thief or gravy baster, remove a sample of the “must” and place it in the test stand. Take a reading, then refer to the accompanying hydrometer chart. This will indicate the natural sugar content in the”must.” To determine how much additional sugar is necessary to bring the “must” to the desired S.G. (let’s say 1.090), use the attached chart. For example: If the initial gravity reading is 1.040, then each gallon of juice contains the equivalent of 1 lb.1 oz. of natural sugar content. If you consult the chart, at the desired level of 1.090 (12% alcohol), the sugar content should be 2 lbs.6 oz. Now do the arithmetic: (desired O.G.) – 1.090, there is: 2 lbs.6 oz. sugar per gallon (initial O.G.) – 1.040, there is: -1 lb.1 oz. sugar per gallon difference (sugar to be added): 1 lb.5 oz. sugar per gallon By subtracting the two sugar contents, you determine how much additional sugar should be added per gallon. It is not necessary (but still not a bad idea), to dissolve the sugar in some boiling water before mixing into the “must”. Note that as a general rule of thumb, 1 lb. of sugar dissolved in 5 gallons of “must” will raise the potential alcohol content by approximately 1%. Therefore, if you check the gravity of the must and it reads a potential of 9%, and you wish to produce 12%, simply add 3 lbs. sugar. Note, this is for 5-gallon recipes.
| HYDROMETER CHART | ||
| S.G. – Potential Alcohol % by Volume – Amount of Sugar in the Gallon | ||
| 1.010 | 0.9 | 2 oz. |
| 1.015 | 1.6 | 4 oz. |
| 1.020 | 2.3 | 7 oz. |
| 1.025 | 3.0 | 9 oz. |
| 1.030 | 3.7 | 12 oz. |
| 1.035 | 4.4 | 15 oz. |
| 1.040 | 5.1 | 1 lb.1 oz. |
| 1.050 | 6.5 | 1 lb.5 oz. |
| 1.055 | 7.2 | 1 lb.7 oz. |
| 1.060 | 7.8 | 1 lb.9 oz. |
| 1.065 | 8.6 | 1 lb.11 oz. |
| 1.070 | 9.2 | 1 lb.13 oz. |
| 1.075 | 9.9 | 1 lb.15 oz. |
| 1.080 | 10.6 | 2 lb.1 oz. |
| 1.085 | 11.3 | 2 lb.4 oz. |
| 1.090 | 12.0 | 2 lb.6 oz. |
| 1.095 | 12.7 | 2 lb.8 oz. |
| 1.100 | 13.4 | 2 lb.10 oz. |
| 1.105 | 14.1 | 2 lb.12 oz. |
| 1.100 | 14.9 | 2 lb.14 oz. |
| 1.115 | 15.6 | 3 lb.0 oz. |
| 1.120 | 16.3 | 3 lb.2 oz. |
| 1.125 | 17.0 | 3 lb.4 oz. |
| 1.130 | 17.7 | 3 lb.6 oz. |
PROCEDURE FOR BEER BREWERS
After sanitizing a wine thief or gravy baster, remove a sample of the “wort” and place it in the test stand. Take a reading, and record this information. This will give you a guidepost by which to compare any subsequent readings. If you are fermenting beer using the two-stage method, you will want to take a second reading after the initial fermentation has slowed down and you are ready to rack the beer into the secondary. If all is going according to plan, this reading should be 1/3 of the original gravity (O.G.) or less (e.g.O.G. – 1.048, racking gravity 1.016 or less). If the gravity is noticeably higher than 1/3 the O.G. then you have a “stuck” fermentation. Call us for suggestions as to how to remedy the situation. At bottling time, check the S.G. again. As a rule this reading should be 1/4 to 1/5 of the original gravity or less. Most recipes will give a target final gravity. If your final gravity is more than,003 to,004 above this target, you may have a problem. Again, call or e-mail us for suggestions.
Please note that most hydrometers are calibrated at 60°F and sample temperatures higher or lower than this will need to corrected. Consult the accompanying correction chart to determine the amount of the adjustment. For example: if your sample reads 1.045, but it is at 84°F, then you need to add,003 for an adjusted reading of 1.048.
| TEMPERATURE CORRECTION CHART | |
| Temperature of sample (°F) Reading Correction | |
| 50° | -.0005 |
| 60° | .000 |
| 70° | +.001 |
| 77° | +.002 |
| 84° | +.003 |
| 95° | +.005 |
| 105° | +.007 |
How To Use Your Hydrometer – The Hydrometer And It’s Uses
What scale does a hydrometer use for alcohol?
How To Use Your Hydrometer – The Hydrometer And It’s Uses Your hydrometer has been specifically designed for the amateur wine and beer maker. It covers a relatively broad range, and therefore, eliminates the need for several instruments of narrower ranges to get the job done.
A hydrometer is an instrument for measuring the density of a liquid in relation to water. Water is given the arbitrary figure of 1.000, and other liquids are compared to this figure. The result is said to be their Specific Gravity (S.G. for short). As you add sugar, malt extract, honey, or other soluble solids, the numbers after the decimal point will increase.
As the beverage ferments, the sugars are converted into carbon dioxide and alcohol (lighter than water), the numbers will decrease. DETERMINING ALCOHOL CONTENT Hydrometers have many uses, but the most common use by wine, beer, and mead makers is determining the alcohol content of a homemade beverage.
First, you must take a reading prior to fermentation. It is impossible to accurately determine the alcohol content of a fermented beverage without this initial reading. Your hydrometer should have a scale called the “Potential Alcohol” scale. This scale measures the amount of alcohol that will be potentially produced if fermented to dryness (S.G.1.000 or less). The easiest way to take a reading is to sanitize a wine thief or “gravy baster”, then remove a sample of the “must” or “wort” and place this in the test stand (this can even be the plastic tube the hydrometer comes packed in). Fill the stand about 3/4 full, then carefully place the hydrometer in it. Give the hydrometer a gentle spin with your thumb and middle finger. This should remove any air bubbles that might otherwise cling to the sides of the instrument. When the hydrometer has settled, take the S.G. (and/or potential alcohol) reading with your eye at the surface level of the liquid. Read the scale inside the instrument at the level where the liquid contacts the glass. After the fermentation is completed, take another reading. Subtract the potential alcohol reading at this point from the potential alcohol reading prior to the fermentation. The difference between the two numbers is the alcohol content that you have actually produced. For example: if the initial reading is 13% and the final reading is 1%, then the actual alcohol content is 12% (or 13% – 1% = 12%). Please note that if your beverage ferments completely dry (S.G. of 1.000 or less), then the alcohol content is the same as your original potential alcohol reading (in the above example: 13% – 0% = 13%). The reason that the final gravity might end up lower than water is that you are producing alcohol, which is noticeably lighter (less dense) than water. All dry wines and meads will finish at gravities lower than 1.000 (e.g.,995). Almost all beers and sweeter wines & meads will finish higher than 1.000.
The hydrometer can be used to determine the natural sugar content of the “must.” In most instances additional sugar should be added to this “must” to assure that the alcohol content of the finished wine is sufficient for the wine to keep. Alcohol is a preservative, and you should insure that your wine have alcohol content of at least 9 – 10%.
After sanitizing a wine thief or gravy baster, remove a sample of the “must” and place it in the test stand. Take a reading, then refer to the accompanying hydrometer chart. This will indicate the natural sugar content in the”must.” To determine how much additional sugar is necessary to bring the “must” to the desired S.G. (let’s say 1.090), use the attached chart. For example: If the initial gravity reading is 1.040, then each gallon of juice contains the equivalent of 1 lb.1 oz. of natural sugar content. If you consult the chart, at the desired level of 1.090 (12% alcohol), the sugar content should be 2 lbs.6 oz. Now do the arithmetic: (desired O.G.) – 1.090, there is: 2 lbs.6 oz. sugar per gallon (initial O.G.) – 1.040, there is: -1 lb.1 oz. sugar per gallon difference (sugar to be added): 1 lb.5 oz. sugar per gallon By subtracting the two sugar contents, you determine how much additional sugar should be added per gallon. It is not necessary (but still not a bad idea), to dissolve the sugar in some boiling water before mixing into the “must”. Note that as a general rule of thumb, 1 lb. of sugar dissolved in 5 gallons of “must” will raise the potential alcohol content by approximately 1%. Therefore, if you check the gravity of the must and it reads a potential of 9%, and you wish to produce 12%, simply add 3 lbs. sugar. Note, this is for 5-gallon recipes.
| HYDROMETER CHART | ||
| S.G. – Potential Alcohol % by Volume – Amount of Sugar in the Gallon | ||
| 1.010 | 0.9 | 2 oz. |
| 1.015 | 1.6 | 4 oz. |
| 1.020 | 2.3 | 7 oz. |
| 1.025 | 3.0 | 9 oz. |
| 1.030 | 3.7 | 12 oz. |
| 1.035 | 4.4 | 15 oz. |
| 1.040 | 5.1 | 1 lb.1 oz. |
| 1.050 | 6.5 | 1 lb.5 oz. |
| 1.055 | 7.2 | 1 lb.7 oz. |
| 1.060 | 7.8 | 1 lb.9 oz. |
| 1.065 | 8.6 | 1 lb.11 oz. |
| 1.070 | 9.2 | 1 lb.13 oz. |
| 1.075 | 9.9 | 1 lb.15 oz. |
| 1.080 | 10.6 | 2 lb.1 oz. |
| 1.085 | 11.3 | 2 lb.4 oz. |
| 1.090 | 12.0 | 2 lb.6 oz. |
| 1.095 | 12.7 | 2 lb.8 oz. |
| 1.100 | 13.4 | 2 lb.10 oz. |
| 1.105 | 14.1 | 2 lb.12 oz. |
| 1.100 | 14.9 | 2 lb.14 oz. |
| 1.115 | 15.6 | 3 lb.0 oz. |
| 1.120 | 16.3 | 3 lb.2 oz. |
| 1.125 | 17.0 | 3 lb.4 oz. |
| 1.130 | 17.7 | 3 lb.6 oz. |
PROCEDURE FOR BEER BREWERS
After sanitizing a wine thief or gravy baster, remove a sample of the “wort” and place it in the test stand. Take a reading, and record this information. This will give you a guidepost by which to compare any subsequent readings. If you are fermenting beer using the two-stage method, you will want to take a second reading after the initial fermentation has slowed down and you are ready to rack the beer into the secondary. If all is going according to plan, this reading should be 1/3 of the original gravity (O.G.) or less (e.g.O.G. – 1.048, racking gravity 1.016 or less). If the gravity is noticeably higher than 1/3 the O.G. then you have a “stuck” fermentation. Call us for suggestions as to how to remedy the situation. At bottling time, check the S.G. again. As a rule this reading should be 1/4 to 1/5 of the original gravity or less. Most recipes will give a target final gravity. If your final gravity is more than,003 to,004 above this target, you may have a problem. Again, call or e-mail us for suggestions.
Please note that most hydrometers are calibrated at 60°F and sample temperatures higher or lower than this will need to corrected. Consult the accompanying correction chart to determine the amount of the adjustment. For example: if your sample reads 1.045, but it is at 84°F, then you need to add,003 for an adjusted reading of 1.048.
| TEMPERATURE CORRECTION CHART | |
| Temperature of sample (°F) Reading Correction | |
| 50° | -.0005 |
| 60° | .000 |
| 70° | +.001 |
| 77° | +.002 |
| 84° | +.003 |
| 95° | +.005 |
| 105° | +.007 |
How To Use Your Hydrometer – The Hydrometer And It’s Uses