Measure Final Gravity – Final gravity measures liquid density, just like the original gravity reading does. However, if there weren’t any hitches during the fermentation process, liquid density should be much lower because yeast ate all of the sugar (which increases density) and turned it into alcohol (lowering density).
The difference between original and final gravity will tell you the alcohol percentage of the wash. These steps assume your mash has been fermenting for at least a week and the activity in the airlock has slowed down significantly, if not stopped completely. If the airlock has not slowed down then wait a bit longer.
Significant bubbling in the airlock means that the yeast is still working. Once fermentation has finished, take a FG reading by completing the following steps:
- Use your beer sampler and fill your test jar almost to the top with liquid (you don’t want any solids).
- Gently drop the beer/wine hydrometer into the test jar- you want to spin the hydrometer so it spins freely and does not stick to the side walls. You will see that the hydrometer floats on the liquid.
- Write down the number you see on the hydrometer- We are generally looking for a reading of around 1.010 or below. If the reading is above 1.010 let it sit for a few days and then take another reading, because the yeast might not be finished with their job yet. Keep taking samples over a few days until the reading does not change for 3 days in a row.
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What should the specific gravity of mash be?
Home Distiller New to distillation, or simply new to the HD forums. ** Your first post MUST go here. Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your interest in distilling. Any posts asking distilling questions will be deleted. ** Moderator: Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 4:20 pm by » Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:55 pm Hi there, I am new here and new to distilling out here in the great north west, that would be Washinton not Oregon !!,
What a great site to learn and get help !!! I do have a question maybe someone can answer about specific gravity. so far what I have read says to shoot for 1.050 in your mash/wash. My first 6 gallon batch I had to add about 1 pound of sugar to get that using a malted barley. but if more sugar will raise your SG why not get you SG up to 1.90 0r 1.10 which will raise your % of alcohol and yeild more distillent out of your run ??? or not ! note: my first run produced little over 1 quart of 160 proof from the middle of the run with my reflux still I built, ( thought I would get more ! ) through in some oak chips for a few days cut it to 80 proof and wow not bad !!,
any way does any one know what that will do to raise your SG before fermenting ? good idea or bad Idea ?? Thanks for any input on this topic, WFW Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:00 am Location: MO USA by » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:36 am You can go as high as 1.100 and get closer to 15% ABV in the wash.
The problem is that this is more of a challenging environment for yeast and you tend to have more stalling and more production of nasty esters that come through in the liquor. If you use proper nutrients when necessary, and watch fermentation temps, and use a yeast that can survive the high ABV environment, then you can make a higher ABV wash.
I personally would stick to something under 1.080, thats got a much better chance of going smoothly and making a good product. after all, if you just do a few more stripping runs you’ll still be able to do a nice full spirit run. So the difference between 1.100 and 1.050 is juts an extra stripping run and those are supposed to go quicker.
- Retired Posts: Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:46 pm Location: New York, USA by » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:51 am Greetings, wfw52, and welcome to the HD forums.
- As for your SG question, not sure where you got the 1.050 figure from but there are reasons for keeping the SG down.
- While many strains of yeast can tolerate a higher SG not all can.
And when you consider that SG can be correlated to %ABV you have another issue. Higher SG’s can cause the yeast colony to suffer osmotic stress which can slow, stall, mutate, cause autolysis, cause off tastes and/or smells, or a multitude of other problems.
And as the wash ferments the higher %ABV can also cause most of these same problems. For that reason we have, through practical experience, determined that a potential %ABV of 14%, or a starting SG of ~1.092 to ~1.100 to be the practical maximum. Going higher just adds stress to the yeast colony.
Some folks stay well below that level, especially when doing all grain mashes. The unfermentable solids of the AG mash are the main reason for keeping the SG lower as they tend to keep the SG higher throughout the ferment, especially when fermenting on the grain.
So, sugar washes at higher SG and potential %ABV are more forgiving for sugar washes than all gran mashes. Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy the journey. Distiller Posts: Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:40 pm Location: New England by » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:54 am The specific gravity you’ve been reading about probably pertains to all grain mashes.
You can get a higher SG with all-grain than 1.05 but it gets more difficult since the more grain you use, the more it becomes a big pile of mush. Sugar heads you can shoot between 12-14% with no adverse effects. EDIT: posted same time as Rad. “It’s hard to argue with the government.
Remember, they run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, so they must know a thing or two about satisfying women.” – Scott Adams Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 4:20 pm by » Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:33 am Thank you Tom, Rad and Washashore for your response !!! you guys gave me what I was looking for !!!! perfect thank you !!!! This is a fun hobby look forward to getting better at it thanks to you guys !!!.WFW Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Fri May 25, 2012 10:53 am by » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:06 am The urban legend about bakers yeast is that it dies at around 6%.
That has been debunked by many here who have been using the stuff for years and can go to 10% without any problem. But a lot of people, including experienced homebrewers, still accept the myth as fact. Snake Oil Whiskey And Miracle Elixir – It’ll cure ya or kill ya.
Distiller Posts: Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:40 pm Location: New England by » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:43 pm A buddy of mine screwed up his math on scaling down birdwatchers and fermented 21% with bakers yeast “It’s hard to argue with the government. Remember, they run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, so they must know a thing or two about satisfying women.” – Scott Adams retired Posts: Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:42 am Location: Somewhere in the Ozarks by » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:47 pm RevSpaminator wrote: The urban legend about bakers yeast is that it dies at around 6%.
That has been debunked by many here who have been using the stuff for years and can go to 10% without any problem. But a lot of people, including experienced homebrewers, still accept the myth as fact. The myth came from a time when bakers yeast wasn’t as hardy as it is now.
- Back when you didn’t know if it would even make your bread rise.
- Distiller Posts: Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:40 pm Location: New England by » Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:12 am And yet the brew shops still push turbo yeasts Their profit margin must be ginormous on that stuff.
- It’s hard to argue with the government.
Remember, they run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, so they must know a thing or two about satisfying women.” – Scott Adams Bootlegger Posts: Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 4:20 pm by » Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:34 am Since were talking about yeast I have a question, Is there a rule of thumb on how much yeast to use per gallon of wash your making? I can guess what happens if you under yeast, but what happens if you over yeast your batch ??,
WFW Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:00 am Location: MO USA by » Mon Sep 10, 2012 7:16 am Over-yeasting is really not much of a problem. About the worst thing you could expect would be a very rapid ferment and possibly more of a temperature rise than you might want. Some high temp ferments result in more fusels and esters.
retired Posts: Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:42 am Location: Somewhere in the Ozarks by » Mon Sep 10, 2012 7:32 am tom sawyer wrote: Over-yeasting is really not much of a problem. About the worst thing you could expect would be a very rapid ferment and possibly more of a temperature rise than you might want.
- Some high temp ferments result in more fusels and esters.
- This can be a debate.
- As some beleave over pitching can lead to off flavors.
- And some beleave it doesn’t.
- I beleave that most find a comfort zone that they like to stay in.
- They find something that works good for them.
- And they tend to stick with it.
It may be influenced by things they have read. Like the over pitching thing. Or it mite just come from experimenting. Either way if it works for you go for it. Over pitching is a waste of good yeast though. retired Posts: Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:46 pm Location: New York, USA by » Mon Sep 10, 2012 8:45 am When it comes to pitching yeast you need to consider the optimal size of the yeast colony required to adequately ferment a given wash.
- If you under-pitch you will end up having a longer lag time between the aerobic and anaerobic phases.
- If you over-pitch you can end up with too large of a healthy yeast colony that will consume all of your nutrients before fermentation is complete and the colony will either revert to autolysis (cannibalism) or it will stall while it waits for nutrients to be added.
Right-sizing the pitch rate becomes a key factor which must be balanced between lag time while the colony attains proper cell count and ending up with too large of a colony. And every yeast strain can have different performance parameters. If you’ve ever seen how much yeast beer breweries and spirit distilleries pitch you might be amazed.
- Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:00 am Location: MO USA by » Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:27 am I guess my answer is mostly based on brewing beer, and barley malt generally has a generous nutrient content.
- I’ve never had a beer stall out when I over-pitched.
- Under-pitching is the worse sin when it comes to brewing beer.
With winemaking I almost never repitch yeast so I’m using a new packet and pitching the right amount, and I use nutrients and feed them at the end of lag and at 1/3 depletion. I do know that a generous pitch that starts shoing activity within 8hr of pitching, is quite comforting. Posts: Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2012 8:21 am by » Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:31 pm Still on yeast.because I just ran across this. Following the 1 tbspn per gallon.why does UJSM only call for 1 tablespoon but 5 gallons? Then the sweetfeed version calls for calls for 8 tablespoons for 6 gal.
Quite the spread there Swill Maker Posts: Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 7:00 am Location: MO USA by » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:09 am I think you can take that as being the kind of range in yeast cell cont that will work. If you add less they’ll multiply and get up to numbers, if you add a bunch they just go right to work.
And throw in the highly variable amount of dead cells in your jar/packet/vial of yeast, that is dependent on time since packaging, storage conditions, etc and you really can’t say for sure how many cells is in a spoonful. So some people recommend a spoon of fresh stuff, another recommends 6 spoons of what might have been in the fridge for awhile.
What is a good ABV for moonshine mash?
1. How much shine can I expect to produce when I run my still? – This is the question on everybody’s mind when they purchase a still. It is all mathematics, and some people give answers based on “funny” math. The truth is dependent upon your mash. The fermentation process, prior to the distillation process, will REALLY determine how much you should expect to yield.
On average, a decent ABV (alcohol by volume) during the fermentation process should be around 10% to 15%. We have heard of people boasting about upwards of 20% ABV, but in reality you are shooting for somewhere between 10% & 15% ABV, and here’s why: alcohol & carbon dioxide are by products of the fermentation process (when yeast eat sugars).
The higher the ABV the yeast has to live in, the more stressed they get, and eventually will die off. At about 18% ABV, for most yeast strands, they become very stressed due to their living conditions. They will give off foul smells and flavors around this ABV.
The trade off for really high ABV (16% or higher) is, higher alcohol/shine that isn’t worth drinking from a taste perspective. We recommend shooting for an ABV of 10% to 15%. At this range you get a great tasting, smooth shine. While there are always exceptions to the rule, and other minor variables, the easiest method is to multiply whatever size still you want by 10% and then 15%.
You will then have an honest answer on how much shine to expect. So for example: A 10 gallon still filled with your wash that is 10% ABV will yield you about 1 gallon of shine. If your ABV is 15% it will be 1.5 gallons. No matter what still you put it in to extract the alcohol out during the distilling process, you can’t argue with the math.
What should hydrometer read after fermentation?
How hydrometers help in winemaking – 
Hydrometers tell us four crucial things, but only if we pay attention and write down what the readings are every time we take them. First, your hydrometer reading on day one lets you know your wine has the right amount of sugar to ferment out and give you an alcohol content appropriate to style.
If the reading is too low or too high, double-check that the wine is at the right level (6-US gallons/22.7 litres). If it is, then give the wine a brutal stirring. Sugar can settle out on the bottom and throw a reading off. Second, readings taken during fermentation will show that fermentation is proceeding.
Watching for foam or bubbles in the airlock doesn’t tell you anything except that CO2 gas is coming out of the wine, and the gravity may not be changing while that happens. Your hydrometer never lies! Next, your hydrometer will tell you when the fermentation is finished.
What is an acceptable specific gravity?
Normal Results – Urine osmolality is a more specific test for urine concentration. The urine specific gravity test is easier and more convenient, and is usually part of a routine urinalysis, The urine osmolality test may not be needed. The normal range for urine specific gravity is 1.005 to 1.030.
What is the hydrometer reading before yeast?
How do I deal with measuring alcohol in my beer, wine, mead, etc.? – When measuring alcohol, using a hydrometer, take a Specific Gravity reading before adding yeast and just before bottling. These are the two minimum times to take a readign to be able to calculate the alcohol content in your fermented beverage.
The hydrometer is used through out the fermentation to determine if sugar is being converted into alcohol. As more sugar is converted to alcohol the Specific Gravity will fall. The Original Gravity (OG), the gravity just before adding the yeast, of a typical wine will be 1.075 to 1.090. Depending on the temperature and the activity of the yeast, this will change on a daily basis by about 10 points.
After a few days the gravity will have typically dropped to 1.040. The Final Gravity (FG) of a wine will be in the region of 1.000 to 0.990.
What is the best specific gravity for moonshine mash?
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
Is 100 proof moonshine good?
Is there 200 Proof Moonshine? – Contrary to what other people think, 200 proof moonshine exists. It’s probably the STRONGEST concentration, the HIGHEST PROOF of moonshine, and the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE of alcohol you’ll find out there. Though it doesn’t take the usual distilling process and simple tools to make this one.
Instead, there’s a lot of complexities that go on to get this really strong drink. Would you dare drink a 200 proof moonshine? You’d probably say yes if you’re a daredevil. Drinking 200 proof moonshine is NOT OKAY. You’re practically drinking ethyl alcohol. Remember, 200 proof moonshine has 100% alcohol content contained on it.
Drinking it pure would seriously burn your throat, That being said, be careful with moonshines that have 150 plus final alcohol content. On average, 100 to 120 proof is pretty much the level people can comfortably drink their moonshine. Any more than that? That’s something else.
What is the range of a hydrometer?
Plain Form Hydrometers for measuring specific gravity of heavy and light liquids in various ranges from 0.700 to 2.000.
What is the range for alcohol on a hydrometer?
Hydrometer scales – The most commonly used scales include:
Specific gravity: Most commonly used among home winemakers. The Specific Gravity scale is based on the weight of water. Floating a hydrometer in water will read 1.000 on the scale. At the start of the fermentation process, the reading might look something like 1.090 – meaning the juice (at this point) weighs 9% more than water, or is 9% thicker than water. When all the sugar is turned to alcohol, the reading will be less than water (or below zero), usually around the 0.995 point, which indicates that your sample weighs less than water. The scale helps you follow the fermentation process, and stay on track with your home wine making. Brix scale: Commonly used by grape growers and commercial wineries, and by more advanced wine makers. The Brix scale is based on the percentage of sugar in the liquid sample, by weight. The scale usually goes from 0-30 on most wine making hydrometers, and if you have grape juice with a reading of 24 on your Brix scale, it tells you that your sample is made up of 24% sugar by weight. Vineyards also use the Brix scale to determine if the sugar level in grapes are ready for harvest. Potential Alcohol Scale: This tells you how much alcohol can be made from the sugars currently in your liquid sample. However, a single reading of your potential alcohol scale cannot tell you how much alcohol is already in the wine, only how much alcohol can be made, based on the liquide’s current weight (which tells you how much sugar is left in the sample). On most hydrometers, the Potential Alcohol scale ranges from 0-20% alcohol. For example if you mixed take a reading of 15 percent on the Potential Alcohol scale before the fermentation begins, this means that there is enough sugars in that juice at that point in time to potentially produce 15% worth of alcohol. Not all fermentation uses up every bit of sugar, so when fermentation is complete, you can take a second reading to see how much potential alcohol sugar is left over. By comparing the two readings, you can calculate the current alcohol content level of your wine.
What should hydrometer read after fermentation?
How hydrometers help in winemaking – Hydrometers tell us four crucial things, but only if we pay attention and write down what the readings are every time we take them. First, your hydrometer reading on day one lets you know your wine has the right amount of sugar to ferment out and give you an alcohol content appropriate to style.
If the reading is too low or too high, double-check that the wine is at the right level (6-US gallons/22.7 litres). If it is, then give the wine a brutal stirring. Sugar can settle out on the bottom and throw a reading off. Second, readings taken during fermentation will show that fermentation is proceeding.
Watching for foam or bubbles in the airlock doesn’t tell you anything except that CO2 gas is coming out of the wine, and the gravity may not be changing while that happens. Your hydrometer never lies! Next, your hydrometer will tell you when the fermentation is finished.
What is a hydrometer for potatoes?
Test the average dry matter and specific gravity of a bulk sample The Zeal Manual Hydrometer is a traditional industry tool for fast intake sampling and measurement of potato dry matter and specific gravity (density). It is used extensively throughout the potato world by producers of crisps, french fries, potato wedges and canned, frozen and powdered potato products. 
Simple and quick to use – static unit, uses a large water container (c.175 litre/45 gallon) Accurate – easy calibration (weight supplied); uses precisely-weighed potato sample 3 models – to suit dry matters from 14 to 27% (1.055 to 1.114 g/ml specific gravity)
3 Dry matter ranges available 
Range 17-25% dry matter 1.065-1.110 g/ml specific gravity Range 14-23% dry matter 1.055-1.095 g/ml specific gravity Range 18-27% dry matter 1.070-1.114 g/ml specific gravity All models include flotation ball and hook, vertical stem with dry matter % and specific gravity scales, numbered sample basket, stainless steel calibration weight.
Which manual hydrometer model should you buy? The Zeal Manual Hydrometer is made with 3 different scales to allow for different ranges of dry matter being measured for different varieties of potato. Dry matter is not constant for a variety – it can change between years according to growing conditions and irrigation.
Hence, it is not always possible to predict in advance the range of dry matter that will need to be measured. The standard range of 17-25% (Model: POT/HYDROMETER) covers most situations. The other models (POT/HYDROMETERD4501 and 4502) tend to be used with specialist varieties. 
How to use the Zeal Manual Hydrometer An exact weight of potatoes (3.63Kg/8lbs) is placed in the basket. The hydrometer and basket are suspended in a large container of clean water at approximately 15°C/60°F. The hydrometer with basket attached must float freely.
The buoyancy of the unit in water (with potatoes in the basket) determines the water level against the vertical scale in the stem which gives the readings of dry matter and specific gravity. The point at which the water surface crosses the vertical scale is the dry matter (right) and specific gravity (left) reading.
The Zeal hydrometer is supplied with a calibration weight that lets the user check if it is floating at the Zero point on the scale in the stem before the potatoes are added to the basket. If it is not at Zero, the screw at the top of the tube can be turned slightly to raise or lower the scale inside the tube until the hydrometer floats at exactly Zero. Easy calibration with the calibration weight supplied Full Details and Specifications
| Hydrometer | Product code | Dry matter range | Specific gravity (density) |
|---|---|---|---|
| D4500 | POT/HYDROMETER | 17 – 25% | 1.065 – 1.110g/ml |
| D4501 | POT/HYDROMETER4501 | 14 – 23% | 1.055 – 1.095g/ml |
| D4502 | POT/HYDROMETER4502 | 18 – 27% | 1.070 – 1.114g/ml |
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