How much alcohol???

[Jelliebabe]

Hi Guys

How do you tell how alcoholic wine is after it's been made? Apart from seeing how many glasses makes you fall over that is! Is this possible?

thanks

[cptncrackoff]

You'll need the gravity readings, before fermentation and after, the drop will convert in a table to give you the abv.

Very tricky without a hydrometer.

[Glutton4...]

I, erm..., fink... it has sommmat 2 do wiv..., erm..., specific gravity (hic)!


But, I may be wrong. Or pie-eyed! LOL

[Alison]

As said above you need to check it out before fermenting and after, the amount of sugar that has been converted into alcohhol relates to how much the hydrometer floats (or sinks). Think you're a bit late by the time you've finished although you may well be able to do an approximate calc if you know how much sugar you put in per vol of liquid.

[Jelliebabe]

Praps I'll just drink it... Hic

Oooops thats a one glasser then!

[rana]

The difference between the starting gravity and the final gravity is used to determine the alcohol content of wine. Most wine will only ferment to a maximum of around 14% alcohol by volume because higher levels will kill the yeast. It is however possible to go a little stronger by adding sugar to the fermenting wine in stages (rather than just at the beginning). The yeast becomes more alcohol tollerant so the wine will ferment a little longer before the yeast gives up.

[Two_Sheds]

I've just started a lemon balm wine. With all the ingredients in the SG (specific gravity) was 1080. I like my wines to be around the 'magic number' - 1090, so I added more sugar.
The SG was then 1084 which was near enough (finished wine would be around 11%). Most supermarket wines are 12%-14%

I may decide to add another 100g of sugar further along the process, or I might leave it at 11%.

[Hilary B]

If you know the sugar has all fermented out, it should be possible, if your hydrometer is very accurate. Alcohol is less dense than water, so if there is no sugar left, the SG will be less than 1, and the more alcohol, the lower the reading, but I don't know the formula (and I suspect few hydrometers will be to a sufficiently precise measurement, it's a lot less difference than the starting sugar content).