Hi all,

Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice. If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992) what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale Red
Rioja.

Many thanks

Matt

What I use is:
1.080 - .992= .088
X 131.25= 11.5%
I don't know if it the right way but it works for me, any comments...
--
Louise)
http://pages.infinit.net/weez1959/
"Matt Lyndon" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992)
what is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere
that you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making
Beaverdale Red Rioja.

Many thanks

Matt

Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992) what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

I believe the "certain figure" you are looking for is 0.736

So 1.08 - 0.992 = 0.088 / .736 = .1196 or 11.96% alcohol.
--
Robert J. Romano, CPA

"Robert J. Romano, CPA" wrote in message
...
Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992)
what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere
that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

I believe the "certain figure" you are looking for is 0.736

So 1.08 - 0.992 = 0.088 / .736 = .1196 or 11.96% alcohol.

That's a bit more optimistic than my hydrometer's scale, which puts the
potential alcohol at ~10.3%.

A lot depends on fermentation rate. Some depends on the yeat's conversion
efficiency. Ambient temperature certainly plays a role, as do container
size and composition.

The only way to be sure is to measure it after it goes dry.

Tom S

The only way to be sure is to measure it after it goes dry.

And for that you need a vinometer.
--
Robert J. Romano, CPA

"Robert J. Romano, CPA" wrote in message
...
The only way to be sure is to measure it after it goes dry.

And for that you need a vinometer.

There are other ways. One involves measuring the specific gravity with a
narrow range hydrometer, boiling a precisely known volume down to drive off
the alcohol, adding back water to the initial volume, remeasuring the
specific gravity and calculating the alcohol from the difference in S.G.
readings.

There's also an enzyme test IIRC, but you'd need to get a commercial lab
(e.g. Vinquiry) to do that for you. That'd set you back ~$20.

Tom S

11.25% is what you got.


"Matt Lyndon" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992) what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

Many thanks

Matt

11.25% is what you got.


"Matt Lyndon" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992) what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

Many thanks

Matt

"Robert J. Romano, CPA" wrote in message
...
Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992)
what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere
that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

I believe the "certain figure" you are looking for is 0.736

So 1.08 - 0.992 = 0.088 / .736 = .1196 or 11.96% alcohol.
--
Robert J. Romano, CPA


I did a math error. I just looked at my hydrometer, and it now looks
like a more correct firgure is in the 11.6% range, a very good finish!

"Robert J. Romano, CPA" wrote in message
...
Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992)
what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere
that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

I believe the "certain figure" you are looking for is 0.736

So 1.08 - 0.992 = 0.088 / .736 = .1196 or 11.96% alcohol.
--
Robert J. Romano, CPA


I did a math error. I just looked at my hydrometer, and it now looks
like a more correct firgure is in the 11.6% range, a very good finish!

"Tom S" wrote in message
news

"Robert J. Romano, CPA" wrote in message
...
Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some
advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992)
what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere
that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making
Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

I believe the "certain figure" you are looking for is 0.736

So 1.08 - 0.992 = 0.088 / .736 = .1196 or 11.96% alcohol.

That's a bit more optimistic than my hydrometer's scale, which puts the
potential alcohol at ~10.3%.

Every time I look at my &$#@! hydrometer, I come up with a different
figure. I guess my nightly meds are kicking in... It seems that the 0.992
cannot be subtracted from 1.080 to show a drop in sugar indicating .088
sugar going to alcohol, so, my THIRD and FINAL answer is, he started with a
potential of 1.080 or 10.3%, and has achieved it.


A lot depends on fermentation rate. Some depends on the yeat's conversion
efficiency. Ambient temperature certainly plays a role, as do container
size and composition.

Yes, temps play a role, and somewhere somehow I LOST the blasted
conversion table that came with my hydrometer. AAARRGGHHHH!!!!!! Container
size and composition play no role in determining sg at all.

The only way to be sure is to measure it after it goes dry.

0.992 looks pretty darn dry to me! I've never gotten below about 1.020,
but then I love my wine sweet; it's a holdover from my hippie daze of
Boone's Farm!!! LOL!!! I'll start with an sg of 1.130......... :-)

Tom S

"Robert J. Romano, CPA" wrote in message
...
The only way to be sure is to measure it after it goes dry.

And for that you need a vinometer.
--
Robert J. Romano, CPA

Those are notoriously finicky and inaccurate. I just use my hydrometer,
and my now AWOL temp conversion chart.

"Bob" wrote in message
...

"Tom S" wrote in message
news

A lot depends on fermentation rate. Some depends on the yeat's
conversion
efficiency. Ambient temperature certainly plays a role, as do container
size and composition.

Yes, temps play a role, and somewhere somehow I LOST the blasted
conversion table that came with my hydrometer. AAARRGGHHHH!!!!!! Container
size and composition play no role in determining sg at all.

I didn't mean to imply that they did. What I meant was that a larger
fermenter will run hotter during fermentation and burn off more of the
alcohol via evaporation, resulting in an apparently lower conversion
efficiency. Same goes for a well insulated fermenter as opposed to one that
is not.

Tom S

"Bob" wrote in message
...

"Tom S" wrote in message
news

A lot depends on fermentation rate. Some depends on the yeat's
conversion
efficiency. Ambient temperature certainly plays a role, as do container
size and composition.

Yes, temps play a role, and somewhere somehow I LOST the blasted
conversion table that came with my hydrometer. AAARRGGHHHH!!!!!! Container
size and composition play no role in determining sg at all.

I didn't mean to imply that they did. What I meant was that a larger
fermenter will run hotter during fermentation and burn off more of the
alcohol via evaporation, resulting in an apparently lower conversion
efficiency. Same goes for a well insulated fermenter as opposed to one that
is not.

Tom S

"Matt Lyndon" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Just made my first batch of wine. Can somebody please offer some advice.
If
I know the starting gravity (1080) and I know the final gravity (992) what
is the equation to work out the percentage alcohol. I read somewhere that
you divide by a certain figure. Can anyone help. I am making Beaverdale
Red
Rioja.

Many thanks

Matt


Hi Matt, Louise, Robert, et al.

You can not have more alcohol in the wine than your original PA predicts.
Both my hydrometer and chart indicate this is ~10.6%ABV.

If a wine finishes dry, there is *no need* for an end alcohol calculation
since the original PA already tells you how much alcohol is in that wine.

If a wine "sticks" and the maker decides to "restart" and force it to go
dry,
then the same thing applies. Since it ends up dry, the original PA tells
you
how much alcohol is present.

Only if a ferment ends with residual sugar present is there a need for end
alcohol and residual sugar calculations since part of the sugar is _not_
consumed and thus converted to alcohol. In this case the alcohol will be
_less_ than the original PA predicted.

Keep in mind that _part_ of the total SG drop is caused by the effects of
the alcohol on our _end_SG reading, so _total_drop cannot be used to
make such calculations. Only the amount of drop caused by the consumption
of fermentables (sugars) can be used to estimate end alcohol. HTMS

Frederick