1. Hydrometer measures gravities (specific gravity or S.G) of liquids, it's just a weighted float with a scale on it. Pure water has been given a S.G of 1.000. As you put sugar (or fruit juice)into it it "thickens up" the liquid and pushes (or more accurately resists the down ward force of the float) the float up so the reading on the scale goes up. There's a direct relationship between the sugar content and the final alcohol content. As sugar is converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide two effects occur reduction of sugar reduces the S.G and creation of alcohol also reduces the S.G as it has a lower S.G than water. Hence you usually end up with an S.G below that of water 0.995 for example.the.fee.fairy wrote:ta cheezy.
Right, stupid questions alert - i've made ginger and lemon wine and i'm fudging my way through with some mead at the moment.
1. how do i check the sugar content? I have a hydrometer (does that do it? I don't understan how to use it - idiots guide please).
2. The acidity - what can i get to test that?
3. Where do i get sulphur dioxide?
4. Does the pectin haze make any difference to the taste/make it vomit inducing?
Knowing your starting S.G by measuring it , then your finishing S.G you can work out the alcohol content, if you can be bothered.
The basics are for cider and perry you need at least 1055 starting S.G and prior to bottling you need to be below 1.000 which indicates all the sugar has been converted to alcohol and is unlikely to explode the bottle.
Here's quite a good guide I've just found
http://www.defalcos.com/hydrometer.htm
2. What i've got are some pH indicator strips for the range 2.8 to 4.6 From : http://www.brouwland.com.
3. Easy you use campden tablets they are sodium metabisulphite
Check the tables in the links in my previous mail for pH v.s number of campden tablets. You must be careful not to add too many as there are legal limits.
A general rule of thumb for wine making etc is 1 tablet per gallon. But the pH in cider and perry effects the action of the campden tablets.
4.Pectin hazes are generally just unsightly. However you can get other hazes that are due to bacterial infection and these will effect the taste.
check out the cider bible:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepage ... ameset.htm
under "when things go wrong" and " juicing and fermenting"