Specific Gravity in Brewing - What is SpGr?

[@BaremetalBaron]

I did your "first mead" recipe, put in the 3 lbs of honey, probably put in slightly less water than I should have (slightly below the shoulder instead of slightly above), got a gravity of 1.124. It's turning out really good, ended at about 1.036 (so just under 12%), but probably a bit sweeter than you intended the recipe.

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

In this time of Self-quarantine and social distancing, thank you providing so many videos!

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

I didn't get a chance to actually watch this video until night (u r in FL, I'm in VA, same timezone) when you posted this my dog ran off in out woods walk, no leash, and found some deer. I spent a few mins trying to catch him and a whole lot more waiting for him to come back. I kinda forgot about this video, in all honesty. However when I actually watched it I learned about 2 or 3 things new. So TY Brian and Derica!

[@Superbassi0]

Loved how the intro cut in just as Brian opened his mouth to start talking :p

[@alexmock5214]

Thank you for all the knowledge from your videos. It's been very informative. Fungi.. The real hero!!

[@tiredhero]

bottled up my first 6 bottles and had a glass... thanks to you guys... best mead i have ever had and made it my self yay!!!! thanks again

[@lanswipe]

I personally don't care for sweet wine (or cider) - I generally favor very dry things. It's nice because it means I don't have to care about carbonation or back sweetening. I can just ferment things all the way through to completion. :)

[@brianlourenco5138]

Hello Brian, First time making home brew with your help decided to make four test batches with store bottle juice, Juice and starting SG attached below Welch's grape - 1.095 (added white sugar) Cranberry Raspberry Cocktail - 1.046 Cranberry- 1.040 (added white sugar) Allen's Apple juice -1.03 Three days later did I SG test Welch's grape - 1.046 (Taste good) Visible fermentation Cranberry Raspberry Cocktail - No change Sugar precipitate in bottle (Taste sweet) No visible fermentation STUCK Cranberry- No change No change Sugar precipitate in bottle (Taste sweet) No visible fermentation STUCK Allen's Apple juice -1.02 Sugar precipitate in bottle (Does not taste good) No visible fermentation no sugar left End goal Red wine with grape juice looks like this is going well. End goal 11-12% ABV Other fruit juice ciders ranging 4-6% ABV Question Do you know what could be wrong with my cranberry juice? It has not fermented at all. Used EC-1118 yeast for all batches as that is yeast I have access to in the local brew stores. Is it my yeast? How to kick start fermentation process? Checked the juice and says made with no preservatives. Apple cider I believe I should of added more sugar. (Wanted to do a control without adding sugar). Planed to Backsweeten ciders after fermentation. Also what juice fruit juice take the least amount of aging to taste good? Limited space to store brew. Thanks for you help and great videos

[@Cionaoith]

It's always fun for me to try to look for clues in YT videos to see if I can figure out how long ago the video was recorded. This time, I couldn't find a single clue...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Last week.

[@mythic_snake]

LOL, it might be one of life's greatest mysteries LOL

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I said a week ago... lol

[@ericterlau7195]

Just want to say thank you for your videos they been a very big help I’m new to mead making and go to your channel!!

[@karnoq]

"The beatings will continue until the ABV improves!"

[@nickdrouin]

😂😂😂😂

[@HueghMungus]

I also laughed at that :D

[@jaydenfrank6925]

You prolly dont give a damn but does any of you know a way to log back into an instagram account..? I stupidly lost the login password. I love any tricks you can offer me

[@mekhidanny2246]

@Jayden Frank instablaster :)

[@scottaustin5290]

Been watching and learning, waiting for first cider I appreciate you guys to funny lots of fun

[@1nv1c7u5m4n30]

Have a scottish wee heavy to rack to 2ndry fermentation today. Modified calling it a Scottish Mighty wee heavy as the abv should roll up to about 12% instead of the avg 7%. Made an amateur mistake on headroom which caused at least a 3/4 gallon loss out of a 6 gallon carboy, lesson learned. Really appreciate this video. You two make brewing a much more approachable subject vs most other channels. I greatly appreciate all of your guidance and information from the collection of videos you've produced. I often get questions from folks about my City Steading T-Shirt. Mead the O.G., great conversation starter, lol. Keep brewing you two.

[@cavalryscout8720]

"...whoever makes it taste the best wins.." Very true. I've made some batches of wine that would put me under the table drunk but tasted like crap 😆 There's a line there somewhere where there's enough alcohol to justify fermentation and something that actually is enjoyable to drink.

[@repyrsrefuge7040]

Thank you so much for this video. I have my "first mead" (your recipe, except we used 71B yeast and dried orange peel), and yes it is my first mead, fermenting right now. A friend and I started it on 4/15/22. I had watched several of your video's before starting but still hadn't figured out the hydrometer thing. So when my friend and took the reading we both ended up looking at different numbers on the thing. I noted what we both saw (80, 90, and 20%) and now with this video I "think" I actually understand what it was we were looking at (likely 1.080, 1.090, and 20% alcohol). This video made a lot of sense to me and I feel a lot more comfortable when we take our second reading in a week. Which will be our first "Are you done?" reading. After which we will wait your recommended week before we take our second "AYD?" reading. I do have a question though; we used dried orange peel from the spice rack. As such we have a bunch of small orange peel flakes floating around in the brew. Am I likely to suck those up with the auto-siphon when I go to do my first rack into my secondary fermenter? If so, should I try to prevent that somehow or will it just likely fall to the bottom during that aging and clarifying time in the second fermenter? Sorry, for all the (Brian) rambling 🙂, I'm just excited. Thanks again, and I hope you have a great weekend.

[@phillawrence5148]

I would try and just suck up liquid so put the tube below the floaters, but don't suck up the bottom sediment. Maybe use a thin tube. Having said that, I'm only a novice myself.

[@Christian-ve1wi]

Brian and Erica you guys are frigging awesome thank you. 😊

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you for watching!

[@Christian-ve1wi]

@@CitySteadingBrews sorry I realised I misspelt Dericka's name, I'm learning so much from your channel happily share your content to others 😊

[@muninrob]

I didn't know about the playlist either - thank you yet again.

[@wesp3779]

Love. You. Guys. Think about all of us that love you and brew away the one person in the world that doesn’t like that you guys are diamonds… again, love you guys.

[@jonahbenson5020]

A low "gravity" reading on honey COULD also indicate a low sugar content of your honey! Your honey could have been diluted as well! Some store bought honey isn't 100% real honey

[@borttorbbq2556]

They did mention it was local honey so chances are it's not diluted

[@allenengelhart6849]

I had commented on the traditional mead video I too had a problem with the honey at my local apiary my sg was 1.080 with 15.4 1bs honey in a 5g batch though after this video I’m leaning towards I did not shake it long enough. After all 5g carboy full is pretty heavy in my defence :) I’m now even more confused what I’m going to do lol my plan was to just add more honey in a few weeks now idk yikes

[@mortisCZ]

@@allenengelhart6849 Yeah just a quick napkin math gave me idea that you should have reached 1.110-1.120. Just wait until it stops bubbling, wait a bit more and you'll see.:-)

[@TheNutCollector]

I vote for you guys to make blueberry wine next. I have a 3 lb bag of blueberries in my freezer begging to become wine. I can't seem to find a good home brew recipe for it that I trust, and Im too new to make my own.

[@MINIMOTOMADNESS]

hi guys,i am now on my second batch of raspberry mead by popular demand,you guys rock at doing this,many thanks for the inspiration and hi from locked down england,

[@rebeccagodinez185]

Thanks for making this video. I just started my first two ciders. I used a 64oz bottle of TreeTop apple juice, added 120g of maple syrup, and half a pack of safale s-04. And then because I had the other half packet of yeast, I pitched that into a gallon of kirkland grape juice. I tried to take a specific gravity on both of these, but I definitely read the hydrometer wrong. I think they are both somewhere between a 1.070 and 1.040. I've watched some more videos about hydrometers, so I'm hoping I have better luck reading the hydrometer next time.

[@omecronrodneydheel349]

Great quote...we use a hydrometer to prevent DAMAGE!!!

[@refeicul]

Hey Bry and Derica. I love your videos and they have been very helpful. Like you i tried a turbo yeast and yeah disgusting. I started a Cyser Dec 14th 3.5 lbs of honey a half cup of sugar and topped it up with warm apple juice. starting SpGr 1.111 using Lalvin ICV K1 . it went dry in 2 weeks 1.000. i added 1/2lb honey and 1/2lb cooked honey (cooked for half an hr). new gravity only went to 1.040. i know the abv will be around the 15% range and im happy with that. You have said why stop a ferment if it can go higher why stop. i am kinda happy with where it is. im testing it tomorrow, if it still tastes as good as it did on the last testing im moving to secondary/conditioning if i add more honey or sugar to sweeten it may continue fermenting. i dont want to cold crash or pasteurize just yet, but to clear it up. now to the question should i cook a lb or 2 of honey again to create more of the unfermentable sugars after moving to secondary?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You may have misunderstood a couple ideas... sorry if we miscommunicated! I don't say to keep feeding it, I say let it ferment to completion, which you did! Adding more bocheted honey is not a reliable way to get non-fermentable sugars. If you want it sweet and you're not going past the alcohol tolerance you MUST stabilize in some way. Cold crashing is not stabilizing. I recommend pasteurizing. If you are happy with it dry, or how it is when fermentation completes, you don't need to do anything further.

[@charleycastillo6365]

Thank you for all of the knowledge, it is a big help and answered some questions I had.

[@thesledshop1917]

i just made a bluberry wine and my first reading was 1.105 . Where would it need to finish at so have a semi sweet wine. Excelent videos. You guys got me hooked. Im from edmonton ab canada. thanks Bruno

[@paulyb.9329]

Looking forward to watching the step feed process. Thanks for the knowledge.

[@thenotsurechannel7630]

16:41 perfect example of what you said at this time index... my concord grape / tart & black cherry mead was just racked into bottles yesterday. I was aiming for it to finish sweet. It started at 1.142, and ended at 1.050, for total of 12% ABV. Having used lalvin 71b. It tastes like something that I could sip on, and not realize I'm drunk until I stand up. In my mind, if you're going to make a wine using honey, the first thing I think of is "sweet."

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well, just being honey doesn't mean sweet in the end. Sugar is actually sweeter than honey, but you can still make dry wine.

[@jimmelton7299]

I can't believe I'm the 881 thumbs up on this 2 yr old video. Well done

[@T3AMstudios]

I use the the % reading but i always check at the end for example had a cherry mead start with 16% ended at 1.5% giving me a 14.5% mead. I've started doing a 10L starting batch then dividing for secondary with different flavors usually a 5L and a couple of 1.25L out of it. You guys convinced to finallyy try doing it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Much more accurate to use spgr and a formula. Alcohol is much less dense than water so as your abv goes up, the potential scale is more and more inaccurate.

[@Shangori]

So... excel sheet? Would love to have a cheat sheet when it comes to gravity.

[@nickdrouin]

I’ve got a spreadsheet I made to help me track brews, specific gravity, recipes, mead contacts, etc... happy to send it your way! Let me know if you’re interested! It’s the mother brain of all my mead making operation at the moment hah.

[@Queen_of_Hearts-Sharnell]

Nick Drouin hey, i would really be able to use a copy of that spreadsheet! Would you mind?

[@steellion907]

I followed your first mead receipe but with IC1118 and QA23 (two different gallons). I forgot to take an initial gravity but its been happily bubbling in the airlocks every four seconds for the last week or so. Should I take a quick measurement now or is it too late? I've read different things on mead making and some people seem to degas it within the first week or so. I dont recall you mentioning anything about this in your First Mead video. Should I just let it ride for about two months or when I dont see any bubbles in airlock? Thanks, love the channel! Also, you need to do more D&D streams. Ye ol' Tube hasnt notified me that you've done any recently.

[@mateuszminsky5619]

Brix is good for knowing the gravity/density of any particular juice, concentrate, or using the sliderule to cross reference corresponding gravity of those liquids. It might seem superfluous, but is handy to have available. And, most importantly, it sounds cool. Brix. Degrees brix.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

In most homebrewing, specific gravity is commonly used. They essentially measure the same thing if you use a refractometer or hydrometer. Just a different name and number system.

[@jsaucee1]

I made two craisin meads one ended dry & the other sweet, I mixed them to get a wonderful end product!

[@terrycuyler5659]

SpGr HAHA! I mock SpGr....I occasionally take a reading but I mostly go by taste keep adding sugar until my brew stops fermenting.

[@desbelfastireland9982]

LOVE THE SHIRTS.. IRELAND UNITED GAELIC AN FREE

[@m63fan]

Thanks a lot, this was a very good video. I got answer for my questions, even that questions i never asked. Thanks. :)

[@NativeDaemon]

You know what would be cool? Visual aids! Like a whiteboard... or something. Hand sock puppets. Haha

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

12.20... I now get Derica's giggle! I wish I understood what I know now 5 or 6 weeks ago!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s the giggle of... no, he didn’t really say that, ahh crap he said that.

[@louisb7209]

You guys are awesome... but i need to know when your book is coming because some of this info got me more confused i thought that in essence if i have one 3rd honey and two 3rd water with a proper yeast from my brew shop id be good with regards to not taking too much notice of the gravity readings (i just had a quick look to see more or less what to expect) how do i now determine the risk of my brews being not completely finished fermenting

[@johnk5032]

I think the calculation for the ABV for 1.150 & 1.180 may be incorrect. Assuming going dry to 1.000 they should be 19.7% & 23.6% ABV. I have a formula I'm using in Excel and it matches all of your other ABV calcs. I really appreciate all of your videos, I am on my 15th batch of ciders and meads.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

1.150 is 20.25 and 1.180 is 24.3. There are a few ways to go about the calculation. Unfortunately, they're all inaccurate in some way. This video explains my method: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKGli5aqgMaDn9U&ab_channel=CitySteadingBrews But, let's be honest... does .5% and .7% really matter? I cannot imagine any readings being that accurate to begin with so as to get any true ABV. The only way is through lab testing, otherwise, it's all just close enough. Even commercial wineries only need to be within 1 or 2% either way for the labels.

[@krexiiroxx5573]

Idk if i started this brew wrong. I used 4 lbs of clover raw honey. It was an accident using 1 lbs over what you recommended on your first mead vid. My scale automatically shut off. We threw in 5oz dried cherries (thee wife thought we should add them). 1 pouch of lalvin k1-v1116. And water to about that shoulder of the 1 gallon carboy. We did hydrate the yeast and mixed all in pretty well. We did measure with the hydrometer which i thought was weird reading 60 on the SP GR AT 60f. Not sure if i need to start over with this reading. I havent checked it since yesterday when i first started. Any tips will be great. T.I.A.

[@steveskouson9620]

Bubba Keg. I don't have one. My 2 are blue and violet. Blue is for water, and nothing else. Violet (purple) is for whatever I want. Yes, it WILL hold 2, 12 ounce sodas, ice, and some "adult" beverage. Now, I need a black one. steve

[@AbrielMcPierce]

I hope you haven't already answered this question before, but: If you're using a yeast that goes up to a certain percent alcohol, but you don't put in enough sugars for it to get to that point, is that a problem? Example: EC-1118 has an 18% top percentage, but if I only add enough sugars to get the brew to 11% and I don't plan on adding any extra sugar, is that bad?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not a problem at all. The alcohol tolerance is the "ceiling" if you will. The highest point that yeast will produce. However, you can totally make it less. Just know it will be dry, not sweet. Many prefer dry so that's not an issue.

[@johnsalvia6704]

Hello Derica and Brian, hope you are both safe and managing these unsettling times. Any help you can give regarding what to do if the krausen or foam gets to high and enters the airlock? (No Brian I didn’t get greedy.... lol) well maybe just a little.. lol I’ve had this happen once before and didn’t notice it till it was too late and lost a brew. Anyway, thanks for your time and any help you could offer would be great. Ps. Maybe a Brew Talk segment about how to save a brew might be an idea for you... Warm regards

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Use a blowoff tube. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHqrg5R4pdWfgqM

[@KristiinaKasepaluHarakas]

Thank you!!! I just today messed with my ipa and mexican cerveza and was wondering why they dont go to gravity 1.000 ish. Whew. So much nerves n time for research saved because i randomly stumbled on this video! You guys talk so much and sometimes videos get "too long" 🤣 but every 3rd or 4th video i find new useful stuff for me. I went to our estonian brew stuff shop to return siphon that introduced air into my brew and when i talked to the guy about why siphon is needed to NOT introduce air into brew i understood this guy has never brewn a thing and has no idea what he is selling 😅 You guys really have a great teaching channel. You say some stuff so many times that i feel brainwashed but in a best meaning.

[@KristiinaKasepaluHarakas]

Or was it random? Big brother might be playing chess with me

[@tikiolealewis]

So I just made a double of one of your recipes. The" first mead "recipe. So I actually had good yeast, instead of bread yeast, and mixed it all up. After all was said and done I have about 2.5 gal of must but my spgv was around 1.074. I knew what i did,, I added 2 whole gallons of water instead of mixing to 2 gallons total.. But my question is,, am I right to think I should add more honey before too long. You stated 1.120 to 1.125 is a good place to be if I'm quoting you right. Yeast was a Lalvin 71B if that makes a difference. Thanks

[@Mn-yh2bp]

You can actually use the alcohol potential for the hole process, by simply subtracting your ending percentage from your starting percentage. For example you have a brew that started at 15% potential alcohol and it stopped at 1% potential alcohol that means it is 14 ABV. Or at least pretty close.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s not all that accurate due to different densitis of alcohol and water. Way better to use specific gravity and a formula.

[@petersteadman841]

Hi, another excellent video. Thank you for your service to brewing. One quick question. I've searched through the mega mind of Google and couldn't find anything helpful. If I know the alcohol tolerance of my yeast, how do I calculate the starting gravity needed to reach that tolerance? Assuming that all the sugar is fermentable. I'm asking because I'm planning on brewing some refreshing elderflower "champagne" ready for the hot summer days. Many recipes use champagne yeast, but I was aiming for a 12-13% brew using a yeast that will remove some acidity and create a nicer flavour with more floral tones. Assuming that the yeast tops out at say 14% I need to calculate the sugar needed to fall just sort giving headroom for carbinisation. Is this possible, or am I approaching this wrong? Starting to doubt myself now I'm writing it down. 🤙

[@CitySteadingBrews]

OG= Alcohol Tolerance /135 +1

[@petersteadman841]

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you so much for your help 🍻

[@joeljordan7506]

AN OLDER FRIEND OF FAMILY GAVE ME HARD CIDER 30 YEARS AGO AND THE RECIPE , I`VE MADE IT DOZENS OF TIMES WITH success , 1 gallon of cider 1 pound raisins 1 pound brown sugar 30 days ,i`ve used raisins for this but i`ve never heard of using raisins for a yeast . please inform me about it

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I never said I used raisins for yeast.

[@michaelwakeham224]

Hi Gurus. Quick question on specific gravity. I made a mulberry wine with a starting gravity of 1.100,and racked it after a month with a gravity of 1.020. Sound reasonable? Seems low. But I'm a bit of a novice. Love the shows!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Reasonable, sure. Depending on recipe and yeast.

[@SpillTheWine67]

Hey there from western Canada, LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!! I’m very excited about starting this new hobby....I’ve watched a sh*t load of your vids....and have started on the beginner apple cider vid recipe you did. Started it on sept 1st My question is this What is the formula you use to find ABV? From starting First SG reading minus End SG reading = converted sugar. Then how do you determine ABV? Hope you reply! .....um, never mind I found your vid for formula! Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

(OG-FG)135=ABV

[@TheNutCollector]

This is great, thanks!

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Hi Brian and Derica, Derica’s mention of the necessity of adding lactose to some beers made me want to ask: where do you stand on adding lactose to brews? Some people even add them to wines or meads in order to carbonate safely (measured out quantity of priming sugar + lactose for back sweetening). As you’re not fans of additives and as I’ve got absolutely no idea how that lactose is being produced/extracted it made me wonder. Aside from any issues with lactose intolerance. I tend to get curious about things like this.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We use it sometimes

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@CitySteadingBrews - Thanks!

[@seancarnell1503]

Warning, this post contains math. Skip if you don't like math, Please comment if I make any mistakes in my math as I don't want to spread misinformation: The video mentioned fortifying above the alcohol tolerance. For those who don't know, the formula for determining concentration of alcohol after blending two things is C1V1+C2V2=C3V3 and V1+V2=V3, where C is the concentration (of alcohol in this case, though can be used for other solutions), V is volume. Takes a bit of algebra (or an online calculator) but can be used to find final ABV. You can also use this set of formulas to "average out" gravitates. 1 part at 1.200 + 1 part 1.000 gives you 2 parts 1.1000. While 2 parts 1.000 would give you 3 parts at 1.067 If you blended 1 gallon of mead at 15% and 1 quart of vodka at 40% the formula would look like this: (0.15)*1 + (0.4)*0.25 =C3(1.25). Solve for C3 (around 19.68%) If instead you wanted the final ABV to be 20% and needed to figure out the amount of vodka it would look like this: (0.15)*1+(0.4)*V2=(0.20)*V3 and 1+V2=V3. Solve for V2 to calculate how much vodka to add, solve for V3 to calculate total final volume. They quickly touched on it at the first part with the definition but to further explain density we'll have to touch the metric system. Water weighs 1g per 1ml of volume. If a substance has a gravity of 1.100, it weighs 1.100g per ml. There are 3785.4 (ish) ml of water per gallon, meaning a gallon of water weighs 8.345lbs (+/-). Honey (according to google) has a SG of 1.425, meaning a gallon weighs 11.89lbs (8.345*1.425=11.89). Though you *can* measure honey by volume, I wouldn't as not all honey has the same sugar density. Much better to weigh it.

[@ryanward7333]

First off i just want to thank you two for all the very helpful video's i happened to stumble across your page by mistake i accidentally clicked on viking blood 2020 an just fell in love an now have a wonderful new hobby so thank you my question is about sg im making viking blood 2020 i used 3lb of frozen swwet cherries and 3lb of sourwood honey 1 full pack of 71b 1/2 tsp of fermaid o an 1 cinnamon stick in the little big mouth bubbler my starting gravity was 1.102 that seemed a little low i just wanted your thoughts on that sg

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Seems fine.

[@jamesheneghan9348]

Love the video because science. Since we're likely to see some shortages of things like yeast, do you have a video on washing yeast for repitching?

[@GogiRegion]

If one was to use weight of their brew divided by the same volume of water at the same temperature (ex. storing sample water in the same area as fermentations), would that be more or less accurate than a hydrometer?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Maybe? There is a weight difference between water and alcohol but we don't use that method of measuring our brews so I can't say what is more accurate.

[@suzannagirouard7343]

Hey guys! I have spent says watching your videos and I will be making my very first mead soon! As soon as I watch this video for the 5th time and some of your others! Thank you so much for all of these! One little note (and it may be my horrible technical difficulty) I watch most all of your videos on my fire stick on my TV and for some reason none of your videos play in order!! And no links below show up? So when you do these 3 part videos to track the process of a mead I can't seem to find the rest of them! I think I still can't find one of the banana videos... not sure of that's just my fault or if it's the difference of using the TV vs phone or computer but thought I would throw it out there! Thanks again for all of these and being so great! I have your channel on all the time and love it!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

YT doesn't play videos in order. Links are in the descriptions and on the TV it's much harder to do. We are working on a new publishing order so videos will be right next to each other though.

[@nathantaylor3645]

Hello, CS Brews! I thoroughly enjoy your videos, in addition, I have learned a plethora of helpful tips. I just started my first batch of mead. It is in a wide mouth 1 gallon container. My OG was 1.128 and I’m concerned that this is too high. Is this a problematic reading? My yeast is 71B with a yeast nutrient introduced in primary. After watching this video, most questions were answered. However, will this brew explode or be nasty? If so, can I keep it stable with de-gassing? Thank you for your time!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s just a little high. Will likely end sweet.

[@nathantaylor3645]

Great! Thank you!

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

Omg, thanks for quoting me, I totally forgot the name of a hydrometer... and you nearly got my last name correct!

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

I also at one point in time forgot the name of an airlock... I probably seem super stupid

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

Btw pronounced Rich-u-tee

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

Side note, since I bottled my first 2 gals about the same time my hydrometer came in the mail(since I wrote gravity reading on my label) my impatient self wanted one of my bottles and surprise it was carbonated! I back sweetened b4 I bottled and my yeast had more to go! (I'm just glad in this instance my impatience may have prevented a bottle bomb!) I dumped my bottles, degassed and rebottled. But yes now I do know how important the hydrometer is. I feel like I would have made the same mistake since the one was reading 1.000! I have since learned about cold crashing and pasteurization... if those bottles are carbonated next week I will be definitely doing that! In all honesty when I first started watching your channel I thought the Hydrometer only told u how much alcohol was in a brew. I didn't even know what a hydrometer was for a couple weeks to top it off. Thank you Brian and Derica for all your help and advice on my journey!

[@mycrazylifewfawnlisette3582]

I put my bottles in my crawl space(under my house), so if they do explode at least it would not hurt anyone or anything, or my pets.

[@jeffreywelsh2383]

So let me ask, if you had a starting gravity of 1.152 and it goes down to 1.046, it would be roughly 14% abv. but would it be a sweet 14% or does it change the principle of the mead and make it harder to drink? what is it about the higher starting gravity but still getting 14% abv is bad about it? I'm starting my first brews and I have one that started at 1.152.

[@danielleu.877]

So, like typically is a higher OG mean ending sweeter? or vice versa?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Depending on other things it could do that yes.

[@XxdjforrestxX]

Hey long time fan. Do you guys have a porter wine video

[@treffoil]

I'm a little slow can you make a chart to show hi and low sp gr and the dryness direction on the scale. I'm just lost?

[@joshvickery2919]

Hello Brian and Derica love all your brewing videos, I've currently started my first brew I'm making the "cheap wine" sweet red wine with d47 yeast and my starting gravity was 1.109 what should my final gravity reading be? input from all is welcome thanks for the help

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Ideally 1.000 or below since that yeast can ferment that gravity fully.

[@joshvickery2919]

@@CitySteadingBrews if I want it to be sweet and not a dry wine what should I let it go to or do I just back sweeten? Thank you again in advance

[@steveskouson9620]

Brian, this is something I do NOT know. If I make a "wee heavy" batch of Scottish Ale, and START with a good tasting yeast, and then ferment it out with a high gravity yeast, will I lose the flavors from the first yeast? Like Wyeast 1968, and finish with a hi gravity Lalvin dry yeast. Will the Lalvin strip out the good Ale flavors? I'm talking 1.080 to 1.090 OG. steve

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Too many factors here to say.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I want to say the flavors will stay, but it depends on how aggressive yeast two is. It could destroy flavors or keep them. I generally don’t recommend using two yeast strains as it rarely has much effect. The stronger generally wins out.

[@adamnapier9238]

You guys rock!

[@edwarz69]

Question regarding the specific gravity of sugar and honey to plan a brew. I can follow the maths etc. to workout how much sugar is coming from the fruit and the honey (or whatever) to aim for a target gravity. However this is using the specific gravity's of 0.046 and 0.035 for sugar and honey respectively, which I understand to be /lb/gal. I believe however this would be for a US gallon (3.785 l). How would I go about calculating the specific gravity's of sugar and honey per lb in an imperial gallon (4.546 l) Or for that matter to calculate the gravity for any other weight and volume. e.g. the specific gravity of honey per gram per litre.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

120 g per liter is another way.... I didn't do the math for imperial gallons, sorry.

[@edwarz69]

@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for the reply! I'm assuming by that you mean 120g of sugar per litre will give a gravity of 0.046? For an example. Let's say just looking at one element of the brew. Fruit. Correct me if I'm wrong but my maths would be as follows: Using 500g of fruit containing .365g of sugar per gram of fruit (36.5g sugar per 100g as per packet label) Therefore 500 x 0.365 = 182.5g sugar in the fruit. If converted to lbs (182.5/454) is approx 0.402lb. Multiplying this by the specific gravity of sugar. 0.402 x 0.046 would give approx 0.018 gravity from the fruit (in a US gallon batch). How would I use the 120g/l to instead calculate the gravity from the fruit in a different sized batch given a known amount of sugar from the fruit. 182.5g/0.402lb (as per example)

[@edithhirth7776]

I made Beet Root wine 9 days ago, using fresh beets I put through my veggie shredding process, mesh bagged, sugar, other ingredients recipe called for, then 2 pkgs of yeast it’s 6 gallons, after 24 hours with a reading then at 1.050 specific gravity. Tonight day 9 I stirred again cause it’s still bubbling but tested again it’s a reading of 1.060 specific gravity. So in your opinion is that good, what alcohol % would you give it. I’m going to rack tomorrow Tasted tonight it’s perfect for sweetness and aroma very pleasing. Do not taste anything like wine Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you Edith Horth

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I would say either your first reading was incorrect or the second was or something else isn’t right. The original gravity should be higher than the ending gravity and you don’t rack until the fermentation is complete. To know, take a reading, wait a week, take another. If they are the same, it’s fine to rack. Otherwise it’s still fermenting.

[@nathanielsizemore8594]

Good morning Brian and Derica. I know that temperature effects the rate of fermentation, but does a slower fermentation at like 55°F. as opposed to 72°F. affect ABV and/or taste?

[@Fusion5669]

Just to clarify. Was Derica's statement at 4:25 - 4:35 supposed to say specific gravity instead of ABV? Because if you have a high ABV you probably don't have this issue in the first place.

[@keithmcauslan943]

I like to brew my beers at 1.052 to 1.058. But rarely get below 1.010.

[@silvamethodsouth]

Hi Brian and Derica, looking for some advice. I've got a batch of starfruit mead still in primary. Started June 7, 2020. I got busy and didn't think of racking until recently. Recipe: 1.5 gallons of fresh starfruit juice, 1.5 gallons of well water, 10 pounds of local wild flower honey (Crystal River) and one packet of Red Star Premiere Cotes de Blanc yeast. Starting sp.g. 1.066 as of today (Aug 2) sp.g. is .992. I can definitely taste starfruit and it's very dry (Think puckery). According to my calculations (1.066-.992)÷.776=.095 or 9.5%abv. According to Red Star abv could or should be 11%-14%. I'm not unhappy with the flavor or the 9.5% just wondering if I'm cyphering right. I may mix with some extra sweet peach mead I made recently. Thank you for any feedback.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We talked in the VIP Club!

[@GermanBrew]

How i can do the math with brix? My Cider i made last week had 26brix. I try bred yeast 😂 My forest honey met had 24brix 3 month ago. I used Portwine yeasts My airlocks are filles with cheap rum 😂

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I don’t use brix... sorry!

[@vlogbag9863]

first hydrometer I ordered online turned out to be an alcohol meter, and so I couldn't get the OG SpGr of my brew... had to order another one and wait another 2 weeks :(

[@MichaelDoran16]

Unrelated question - thoughts on using a mixture of vodka and distilled water (thinking of targeting the abv) in order.to fill extra headspace while conditioning?

[@derrickroberson7288]

I'm first brew is a muscadine pyment two gal. One gal muscadine cider, 5lbs clover honey store bought, about one pound picked muscadines, 8oz black tea and 1/2 gal water. Used D47 yeast starting gravity 1.130 what i wanted. Tested my hydrometer after with straight water the reading was .990 did I do something wrong?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Okay, why did you want a 1.130 OG? Not being a smartass, I'm genuinely curious. I ask because that is a potential of well over 17% but D47 is a 15% tolerance. If your hydrometer reads .990 in water, it's miscalibrated and will give you inaccurate readings.

[@derrickroberson7288]

@@CitySteadingBrews I was going for a sweet mead without back sweeting. And going by the 3lbs pre gallon my thought was 5lds for 2 gallons should end up a little sweet. Thanks for getting back to me. Love the channel

[@dragonianwolf]

I would love to have the list you talked about the alcohol content! 'cause I want to start brewing mead when I have the money to buy the suplies I need also does your amazon store send stuffs to Belgium?

[@ryaneichler323]

I made your Fey mead shortly after your video on it came out. Now, i made a 3.5 gal total volume with a starting spgr of 1070 and checked it 3 weeks later at 994. tasted way to dry for my liking so, i step fed it back to a 1030, thinking the yeast was done. it is now at 992. it racked it to gallon carboys and am cold shocking now to stop fermentation. i plan on back sweetening later on. how do i calculate the abv after the step feed.

[@pamelaolivetree]

Uh oh. For your store-bought grape juice recipe, I made the mistake of shaking it with the bread yeast in it! Starting reading was 1.105. Two weeks later at racking, it was cloudy and 1.005! Anyone have advice on how to save it? I'm assuming I add more sugar and yeast? P.S. Great video. Need to watch it ten more times...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

What’s to save? It’s fermented:)

[@pamelaolivetree]

@@CitySteadingBrews Hmm. Isn't 1.005 gravity less than 1% alcohol?

[@pamelaolivetree]

@@CitySteadingBrews Never mind. I think I'm reading the hydrometer wrong. Of course! I just read on the instructions to subtract the difference between the start and the end, and the difference divide by 0.776. Which means my brew is around 12% Woo hoo! It worked! :-) P.S. Thanks bunches you two. You are the best.

[@LorrayneHam]

Ok… so I made a sumak mead…, long story… I followed your instruction, I am now at 1.124, I have a very cloudy mead due to my starting Sumac berries and stuff. How do I filter or clear this? Would love some recommendations.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

At 1.124 it either stalled or hasn’t fermented.

[@juliaharbeck774]

Have you tried a digital hydrometer since you brew so often?

[@GABEJITSU83]

Hello. Ok. 8 gal fermenter, 12 lbs mixed berries (Kirkland) frozen, 16 lbs granulated sugar (white), 4 gal spring water. Appeared to rise to 6.5 - 7 gal. 20% tolerant yeast. Starting gravity of 1.114. 12 hrs later it sits at around 5.5 gal. I am happy with the SPGR., however I want the 6.5 - 7 gal. After all the racking I know there will be loss. I’m thinking this is a Brian question due to the math. How can I adjust this so I get the volume I desire and keep the gravity close to original? I know this is a lot and I hope this is enough information. As always, thank yous two.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Add more water, and add in the same ratio of sugars to it.

[@GABEJITSU83]

@@CitySteadingBrews That simple huh? Add water to approximate desired level then add the same sugars per gallon of spring water?

[@johnthompson3297]

Howdy Guys! Another great video! I'm trying to understand the thought process of all this, so, let's take what I did with your basic mead (the one where you added the tanin tea). In the video you state the honey should, approximately, bring your O.G. to 1.105 in a gallon. Mine went to 1.122 and the voice in my head told me to dilute but I didn't listen. I was like; "let's see what happens". So now comes trying to grasp the methodology. I used Lalvin 71-b, which is a 14% yeast (if they read the package), so doing the math I should expect my F.G. to be in the range 1.015. (1.122 - 1.015) x 131.25 = 14.04375. So, after all that, is this how you determine your brews O.G. and F. G.? Is it also safe to assume that you use the same method to determine your individual "taste"? So, say, you like a specific sweetness range. Would you then "cold crash" to maintain that range as opposed to allowing the yeast to fully ferment? I also did the Ginger Mead, from your videos, and my O.G. was; 1.112. So, if I'm understanding things, my F. G. should be about 1.005 (also assuming the brew goes dry). Thanks for all the hard work you and Derica put in your videos!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Pretty much that is how we do it. Just know the yeast can't read, so allow some wiggle room on your numbers.

[@aaronmiller5089]

I have a question I'm confused now I made a grape wine I used two and a half cups of white sugar for a gallon batch in my specific gravity came out to 1.114 is that a good starting point also I made a batch Apple gallon only used one cup of sugar and its specific gravity started at a 1.070 is that okay for starting point

[@CitySteadingBrews]

There's no bad starting points as long as the potential alcohol is below the yeast alcohol tolerance.

[@larrylosciale9656]

Nice vid I'm starting to understan

[@watchingseeing5088]

Thanx !!!

[@QuiqueFuenteSIT]

I just started my first mead. Using the mead for beginners video on your channel using fleishman bread yeast. At the time I did not have a hydrometer so I reserved some must before I pitched my yeast. It seems to be actively fermenting, but I checked the sg of reserved must and it was 1.150. I am assuming I did not add quite enough water. It has been going for about 3 days. Do you think it's better to take another reading then dilute the mixture down to 1.120 range or let it sit and see what happens and dilute when it's done fermenting? I am afraid it will be too sweet. Thanks for these very instructive videos.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I would dilute a bit. That yeast most likely can't go high enough to use most of that sugar, so the mead would be REALLY sweet. Now, you could try it, see if you like it, but... you are in the danger zone of risking a stalled ferment, that's why I say to dilute a bit.

[@AlycePlayGames]

is it true that Most bread yeast will ferment alcohol up to about 8%, but when trying to produce alcohol beyond that level, the bread yeast begin to struggle, very often stopping around 9% or 10%?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I have gotten about 12% consistently.

[@jamestarbet9608]

My spiced bread yeast cider currently bulk aging for next winter went about 13% before I ran out of room and will to step feed it further.

[@thebushman1009]

Great video but i have a question, how does one calculate if your brew is done fermenting some of the videos from yours guys channel kinda confuses me on how to use a hydrometer to tell if your brew is done fermenting. It could be me and im not looking at the right videos but i would love some feed back on this cause im still confused thx

[@CitySteadingBrews]

As long as you know how to read the hydrometer you are on the right path. Once you feel your brew is done, take a reading. Wait a week and take another reading. Are they the same? Then your brew is either done or stalled. If you took a reading at the time of creation, then you could compare the O.G. and F.G. to see if you reached your yeast's tolerance. If so (OR you used up all the fermentable sugars) then you can safely assume your brew is done and not stalled. Here is how we calculate ABV if you need assistance: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKGli5aqgMaDn9U

[@thebushman1009]

@@CitySteadingBrews thank you that kinda helps. And yes i know how to read the hydrometer from one of your other videos.

[@nigeljensen6077]

Hi guys only just started brewing again after a long absence from brewing home-brew beer but I also enjoy mead along with kombucha my question is I have seen many videos of u pitching the yeast in mead is it also ok to pitch the yeast in beers also I brought a higher alcohol tolerant yeast considering racing abv of both beer and mead is this ok

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure, you can pitch yeast in beer too. As for what yeast... that largely comes down to personal preference and what you wish the final brew to be.

[@cosmolewandowski7860]

Hello Brian Derika, if lalvin BEAST go's so far past its limitations how does a reading tell you if it's done or stuck or slow 🤔 eg wait a week nothing then rack boom 💥 oh s#!t

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well... done is usually a lower number. Also, if it doesn't continue fermenting, it's done.

[@ashleysmith4155]

So if my wine/mead goes dry and I back sweeten, do you then take a reading to get that 1.025 sweet rating? Or is that only if it stops at 1.025?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I tend to take a reading after sweetening, then give it some time to see if that referments. But your final reading for sweetness is at the end, yes.

[@garysmith9818]

Good info, thanks!

[@briansharp8576]

I need your suggestions. I followed your "Super Simple Cyser" video and started my cyser on January 1, 2019 with OG of 1.105 (Belle Saison Lallemand yeast). The airlock was bubbling away nicely within 12 hours so I put it aside to let it do its thing. I forgot about it - for a long time. On March 24, 2020 (yes, more than a year later) I got a gravity reading of 1.060, but unfortunately I had already racked it into bottles assuming that fermentation was done and washed out the carboy. The first taste was sickeningly sweet so I did the gravity reading and immediately dumped all the bottles back into the freshly washed and sanitized carboy and repitched with bread yeast because it is the only yeast I have right now. I did shake it very vigorously and swirled it the last couple days, but I see no signs of fermentation occurring. Suggestions?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I'd let it sit a few more days. Did you use any stabilizers or anything first time around?

[@briansharp8576]

@@CitySteadingBrews OK - I used good apple juice (Ingredients: apple juice) good honey from a local place and yeast. Nothing else - no stabilizers or anything else. I will let you know what happens in a few days. Also - Thanks - you are both awesome.

[@evertkleynhans2617]

Hi Brian and Derica, I really enjoy your videos. Being new to brewing, I started a "clean" sugar wine brew (Sugar, water and yeast) for the fun of it { You know, lock down and all that jazzzz). I did not have a hydroppeter when I started but was able to record the FG which ended at 0.902 with only normal bread yeast after 2 weeks of primary fermentation. Is that even possible or did I read something wrong? I don't know the OG so I'm not worried about the alcohol content ATM but the end result was rather surprising. Any remarks?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I believe you read it wrong... maybe it's 0.992?

[@evertkleynhans2617]

@@CitySteadingBrews Sorry, that was a typo, you are right, 0.992.

[@RedmanOutdoors366]

How is specific gravity going to effect the brewing process

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It is used to measure the sugars in a brew. These sugars are consumed during fermentation.

[@dankauffman8568]

Started four gallons of grape juice five days ago . Pitched one packet of wine yeast (D1117 or something like that) . The yeast was fairly new , only a couple months old . The carboy just sat idle for two days . Dumped one packet of bread yeast on top and now it's bubbling faster than your grandma's old coffee pot . Beginning S.G. was 1.105 . Do you think it will go dry ? I hope so . Thanks again .

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It could!

[@rivenmain2175]

say i added 1.5 cups of sugar to 1.5 liter of cider and let it ferment 5 weeks and the result is very strong but still too sweet, and then i dilute it with water and it resumes to ferment vigorously, then i need to wait ANOTHER 5 weeks?! or do i wait less because yeast will die soon from alcohol content?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You need to wait until fermentation is done, could be 2 weeks could be 12. Readings with a hydrometer will be your best way to know.

[@rivenmain2175]

@@CitySteadingBrews ok ty

[@nickdrouin]

Awesome video!!!! Working on my first few meads right now and started with a gravity of 1.08 and it came down to 1.032 over 2 weeks and then got stuck for a bit. I’m planning on step feeding it back up to 1.07 and then bringing it down to 1.01 (fingers crossed). Used mangrove jack’s m05 yeast (tolerance of 18%) It’s a large batch of around 8.5 gallons. Hoping to get a product eventually between 12-14% abv (I’m not that picky considering it’s my first batch). Do my numbers make sense and any other advice? Trying to do this all with water, honey, & raisins FYI. Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Instead of saying you want a certain abv or ending gravity... better to plan around the yeast and let them decide hiw it finishes. They don’t take direction very well!

[@nickdrouin]

CS Brews hah! Point well taken :) thanks for the reply!