Complete Noob - Need Help With My Hydrometer

[Hardii]

Hi,

I'm on my first batch of beer ever - although I've made lots of ginger beer previously.

However I'm having problems with reading my hydrometer. Basically I do not understand how to read it.

On the upper section is a scale 0 ... 10 ... 20 ... etc. All the books I read specify gravity as "1005" etc.

So my wort measured 11 @ 27C, so the piece of paper says I need to add 0.33
Does this mean my S.G. is 1.133? Does that sound right?
I was brewing just a plain light-flavoured beer, not stout or anything.

thanks,
-Hardii

 

[manticle]

Hi,

I'm on my first batch of beer ever - although I've made lots of ginger beer previously.

However I'm having problems with reading my hydrometer. Basically I do not understand how to read it.

On the upper section is a scale 0 ... 10 ... 20 ... etc. All the books I read specify gravity as "1005" etc.

So my wort measured 11 @ 27C, so the piece of paper says I need to add 0.33
Does this mean my S.G. is 1.133? Does that sound right?
I was brewing just a plain light-flavoured beer, not stout or anything.

thanks,
-Hardii

0 will be 1.000 which is the same gravity of distilled water at sea level at 20 degree C (or 15 depending on hydrometer calibration but actual difference will be negligible). So 11 (and I can't say without seeing the hydrometer so posting a picture would help) is probably 1.011 otherwise written as 1011.

Is this your finishing gravity? If starting gravity then something is wrong (definitely not 1133 unless you are using 3 tins). Colour has no reflection on gravity or strength.

You can use this calculaor for temp correction: http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/hydrometer.html which may be easier than the paper.

 

[kelbygreen]

well 0 would be 1000. 10 would be 1010 and so on, so its reading 1011. It depends if the hydrometer is calibrated to 15c or 20c most (in aus) now days are calibrated to 20c so if it was calibrated to that the actual gravity is 1013. But if its calibrated to 15 it would be 1014

 

[Hardii]

Yeah, it was my starting gravity.

So maybe I'm screwed already. How could I stuff up mixing malt with water ! :blink:

 

[manticle]

You haven't. You've stuffed up the reading somehow.

When you first take a sample, you can get unmixed malt from the tap or bottom of ferementer. Best to draw out a sample, drink or discard then take another. When the beer is fermenting, you will also need to spin the hydrometer in the tube to get rid of carbon dioxide bubbles.

Although my understanding of the way your hydrometer works would mean 1011 which also sounds wrong.

What was the recipe and process and can you explain, step by step, how you are using the hydrometer?

(and a picture of it)

Here's a useful webpage:

http://themerrywino.wordpress.com/2009/09/...ecific-gravity/

 

[MVZOOM]

Silly Q, but did you add ALL of the sugars? Not just the can, but additional 1Kg of sugar or more malt?

Cheers - Mike

 

[InCider]

I stopped using one a month before MVZOOM joined. I was doing my second brew and it broke. Yeast - it eats, it gasses, it settles. Having a look out your window is as good as the weathermans

 

[Hardii]

Ok ... I'll start at the beginning.

I've been reading "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" 3rd Edition.
In the Beginner's recipes is one titled "HeinieStella European Delight", which I chose because it was one of the most simple. However I only have two 5l glass demijohns, and the Minister of War and Finance says I should try with these first rather than buy a full-size fermenter. So I was making a half batch.

Basically the (half) recipe is:
1.5kg Light Malt Extract
20 Grams Perle Hops - I substituted "Northern Brewer"
7 Grams Liberty Hops - I substituted "Hallertau"
The original recipe is for 19l - so I guess I made it up to 10 litres, so that would lower the S.G. a bit... hmm, I did not consider this before. I guess that's what I get for using imperial-measurment recipes, and sloppy mathematics.

So I boiled in the boiling hops with about half the water, and then the aroma hops in the last 2 minutes. This was mixed into the 2x demijohns, allowed to cool. I made the reading by floating the hydrometer in a measuring cylinder of the wort. Oh ... previosuly to this I had the wort in some iced water to try and get the temperature down, but the ait temperatre was about 35C so 26/27 was about the best I could achieve.

Here's the photos of the hydrometer - I bought it when I was living in Switzerland.

"ber 20C zuzhlen" means "over 20C add", and the other one says "below 20C subtract"


Anyway, that's about all there is to tell. It's stopped bubbling vigorously now, so I expect it's close to finishing. My books say to take a S.G. reading, and when it's around 1.010 it's OK to bottle. Hence this post.

cheers,
-Hardii

 

[Hardii]

EDIT: i can't seem to get a cursor in the edit screen (FFox 3.6.13), so I can't edit the actual post.

Obviously I included the malt when I boiled the wort, and I meant air temperature, not "ait" temperature.

 

[Tao]

I punched your numbers into beersmith and get about 1.045 so you should be fine. I'm about 90% certain that's a BRIX hydrometer and not one that reads SG (Two different systems for measuring the same thing, like C and F).

If you are new to brewing you may find this helpful as well. http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

 

[glaab]

1011 = 1013 at 27C according to beersmith adjust tool . How long has it been fermenting? At 27C it should only take a few days depending on the yeast . Just be sure that it;s finished fermenting or you might get the bottle bombs. Check that the FG is the same for 2-3 days in a row and also near what you expect, 1013 sounds right for 1k5 LLME, it was liquid light malt extract? Hope that helps, cheers

 

[waggastew]

It looks like a Brix hydrometer. Check the following link for a conversion chart from brix to SG

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp

If you got a reading of 11 it should mean that the SG of your wort is about 1.042ish which is good

 

[Hardii]

It's been fermenting since Sunday lunchtime (2011-01-23)
But it's been ~30C inside most days since then, so the yeast should have really had a wriggle on. Hopefully this temperature wont be too detrimental.

The bubbling has slowed from one every second to one every minute or so.

 

[petesbrew]

No point starting a new thread, but I've got another, yet another broken hydrometer.
This time, luckily, the break is right up the top, so it's still, "usable".

I just took a reading of tap water and got .988
I then took a reading of the oatmeal stout I just brewed and got 1044.
So, would you just add in the missing 12 points (making the stout OG 1056) or would some other factors come into play?
Cheers in advance.
Pete

 

[kelbygreen]

what was the estimated OG? my hydrometer is out 2 points I just add it on but not sure the correct way, 2 points isnt a big deal where 12 is

 

[petesbrew]

what was the estimated OG? my hydrometer is out 2 points I just add it on but not sure the correct way, 2 points isnt a big deal where 12 is

Estimated OG was 1055. Pretty much spot on, if adding the 12 is the right method..

 

[kelbygreen]

yeah you should be right but if you can get a hydrometer soon would be good. you could test againts a new one with the FG to see if it is infact 12 point for the FG. I wouldnt be to worried I have done brews where I totally broke the hydrometer so never got a OG lol

 

[Amber Fluid]

So my wort measured 11 @ 27C, so the piece of paper says I need to add 0.33

0 = 1000 so 11 = 1011 and as you said, add 33 and you get 1044. Simple.

 

[np1962]

0 = 1000 so 11 = 1011 and as you said, add 33 and you get 1044. Simple.

Wrong.
As stated by others, this is a brix hydrometer and the numbers give degrees plato.
A simple way to to convert the numbers into what most others understand is to multiply by 4. i.e. 11P x 4 = 1.044.
This is only a rough conversion, a search will give you the actual one.
Cheers
Nige

 

[Amber Fluid]

Ok so now I am confused. Got the same result and the instructions says to add 33. What is the difference and how is 1044 wrong?

Wrong.
As stated by others, this is a brix hydrometer and the numbers give degrees plato.
A simple way to to convert the numbers into what most others understand is to multiply by 4. i.e. 11P x 4 = 1.044.
This is only a rough conversion, a search will give you the actual one.
Cheers
Nige