How to properly use a household wine-sugar meter, instructions and table

Producing alcohol at home is a fascinating and complex business. Such a hobby allows you to produce your own, natural product, rather than buy a “pig in a poke.” Winemakers have come up with many useful devices that help make high-quality and tasty products. One of such inventions is considered to be a household vinometer-sugar meter, but not everyone knows how to use it correctly. Let's figure this out together.

How it works and why it is needed

Many novice winemakers do not understand how this device works and what its main functions are. Because of this, they prefer to do it on their own, making all the calculations by eye. In some cases, this approach pays off, but most experiments are unsuccessful or not as good as they could be.

To avoid getting into a similar situation, let's look at the main function of a sugar meter, because it is extremely simple - the device shows the density of sugar content in wine.

A wine meter differs from a sugar meter by the presence of an additional division scale, which allows you to measure the amount of alcohol in a liquid.

It works like this:

• the device is immersed in the liquid, and Archimedes’ law begins to apply to it;
• since different liquids have different densities, the sugar meter will be immersed in them to different depths;
• in the future, it is enough to check the obtained value with a special table, and you will get an idea of ​​​​the current state of the drink being produced.

Note! Wine meters, due to their versatility, show less accurate values ​​than sugar meters. Keep this in mind when making alcohol at home.

Types of devices

There are many different modifications of hydrometers, but only two are used in home production:

1. Household wine meter. Allows you to measure the strength of an alcoholic drink and the amount of sugar it contains. It is marked with two division scales at once, one of which is responsible for the strength of the drink, and the other for its sugar content. The main disadvantage of the device is its low accuracy.However, this does not prevent winemakers from using it to produce wine and other alcoholic beverages if they are made for home consumption. In this case, the error can be neglected, especially since it is not as significant as many people think.
2. Sugar meter brand AS-3. A high-precision droplet device that allows for the most reliable calculations. The required values ​​are determined with an error of 0.5. With a wine meter, this error reaches 3% per measurement. To do this, you need to take readings after immersing the sugar meter in liquid, and then carry out calculations using a special table.

How to use a vinometer-sugar meter correctly

Let's look at the instructions for use using the example of a wine meter, as a more universal meter than a sugar meter. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. We measure the initial density of alcohol. We measure before adding yeast. The density values ​​recommended as optimal vary depending on the type of alcohol being produced. To make mash, the indicators should vary around 17-20%. If you plan to use alcohol-based yeast, the percentage of sugar content increases to 20-30%. The wine should have an initial density of around 10-30%. Keep in mind that the yeast used to make wine can only ferment 20% of the total sugar. The rest will remain in your wine, determining its final grade. When making beer, make sure that the gravity stays between 6-19%.
2. We let the alcohol ferment, after which we take another measurement to determine the current percentage of density.

Note! As soon as the indicators stabilize and stop changing within 2 days, fermentation is considered complete.

Interpretation of measurements

It is easy to interpret the sugar meter readings obtained during measurement. For this it is enough:

• remove current density indicators;
• translate them using a special table.

The table comes with the device and looks like this:

Factors influencing performance

The following factors influence the indicators:

• alcohol temperature. The reference temperature is considered to be 20 ^O. Any deviations from it distort the readings of the device, which must be taken into account when making calculations;
• bubbles of carbon dioxide released by the liquid during fermentation. They stick to the hydrometer, raising it above the required norm. Experts recommend slightly rotating the device from side to side when diving. This will help avoid excessive adhesion of bubbles and smooth out measurement errors;
• amount of alcohol. The higher the alcohol content, the lower the float goes.

Check for accuracy

To check the accuracy of your hydrometer, place it in distilled water at a temperature of 20 ^O. When the device operates correctly, it should be immersed in water to the zero mark. If the float stays higher than usual, apply nail polish or tape to its top.

If the sugar meter sag significantly, you will have to cut off its top a little. Do this carefully so as not to harm yourself and others.

How to make a vinometer-sugar meter with your own hands

Making a vinometer is not difficult. For this you will need:

• find a glass tube with one end sealed;
• put it in water whose temperature is 20 ^O;
• add small pieces of metal inside the tube until it sinks almost to the very bottom. Please note that you do not need to touch the bottom;
• mark the strip at the water level and set it to 0;
• move the tube into a container with 100 milliliters of water, in which 25 grams of sugar are diluted;
• make another mark and sign it with the number 25;
• divide the interval between 0 and 25 into equal parts;
• the device is ready.