Hydrometer floating too high to take OG reading - did I screw up somewhere?

hatrickpatrick

Using a HBC Coopers starter kit, followed all the instructions to the best of my knowledge, but now wondering if I put in too much sugar (the instructions seemed to indicate that the packet of sugar supplied was supposed to be used in full) - my hydrometer is floating so high that the scale starts several millimetres above the liquid level

Pic below:



Any thoughts on what's going on here?

mordeith

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Using a HBC Coopers starter kit, followed all the instructions to the best of my knowledge, but now wondering if I put in too much sugar (the instructions seemed to indicate that the packet of sugar supplied was supposed to be used in full) - my hydrometer is floating so high that the scale starts several millimetres above the liquid level

Pic below:



Any thoughts on what's going on here?

You have to take the reading in a trial jar.

Bogwoppit

You don’t have to take the reading in a trial jar, just be sure that there’s as few bubbles as possible sticking to the hydrometer. I usually give it a spin to dislodge the bubbles and read it as quickly as I can.
When did you pitch the yeast?

BeerNut

Could be a faulty hydrometer. Check that it reads 1.000 in water at 20C.

rubadub

I am pretty sure you have a hydrometer meant for distilled spirits!

Where did you get it?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witasm-Alcohol-Spirit-Hydrometer-Protective/dp/B06XD73XNJ



It would read 0% in water, as you have sugar it is floating up even higher.

-useful for checking if housemates are watering down your vodka!

Bogwoppit

rubadub wrote: »

I am pretty sure you have a hydrometer meant for distilled spirits!

Where did you get it?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witasm-Alcohol-Spirit-Hydrometer-Protective/dp/B06XD73XNJ



It would read 0% in water, as you have sugar it is floating up even higher.

-useful for checking if housemates are watering down your vodka!

Was thinking something looked a bit odd, couldn't put my finger on it!

hatrickpatrick

Odd, it came with HBC (thehomebrewingcompany)'s starter kit, they seem too reputable to have screwed up like this O_o I'll shoot them an email!

Presumably this won't work for beer?

rubadub

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Odd, it came with HBC (thehomebrewingcompany)'s starter kit, they seem too reputable to have screwed up like this O_o I'll shoot them an email!

Presumably this won't work for beer?

no good for beer.

They do sell spirit ones so must be a mix up in the kit

http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/spirit-meter-0100-26cm-p-1107.html

They sell stills too.

hatrickpatrick

Well balls

I guess this means there's no way I'll be able to gauge the alcohol content apart from drinking the beer and seeing how locked we get from it?

mordeith

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Well balls

I guess this means there's no way I'll be able to gauge the alcohol content apart from drinking the beer and seeing how locked we get from it?

That's my method anyway! I only use it to confirm the end of primary fermentation

hatrickpatrick

mordeith wrote: »

That's my method anyway! I only use it to confirm the end of primary fermentation

Sure I'll just wait 21 days before bottling, apparently that's about the maximum for this kind of ale kit...

The one other annoying thing is that they never warn you when buying the kit that it doesn't come with a bottling bucket and the fermenter has no tap, so I'm looking at either buying one over the next week or so, or maybe since this is my first time just syphoning directly from the fermenter into bottles. Just how gunky is it likely to be if I move the latter? I can probably do that without moving the fermenter at all, it's in a cupboard that stands just about precisely bottle height off the ground so I can bottle on the ground in front of it So I'm thinking if it hasn't been moved and I stick the syphon in very gently I can probably avoid at least a fair amount of the collected sediment?

BeardySi

Buy a bottling bucket. There's enough faff happens at bottling time without messing about trying to syphon directly to bottles. You're guaranteed to wind up with loads of sediment in them.

mordeith

BeardySi wrote: »

Buy a bottling bucket. There's enough faff happens at bottling time without messing about trying to syphon directly to bottles. You're guaranteed to wind up with loads of sediment in them.

I've siphoned into bottles before. It's doable without getting sediment into them but it's a laborious task and likely to put you off further brewing. A bucket with a bottom tap and the addition of a bottling wand is a massive improvement

hatrickpatrick

Cheers, I'll do just that. I didn't consider it before reading HBC's bottling guide yesterday, as the howto here on the forum doesn't mention it and the starter kit supposedly comes with everything needed.

Can anyone recommend anywhere other than HomeBrew West to get one? Don't mind ordering from them but if there's anywhere closer to Dublin let me know. HBC doesn't seem to stock them.

rubadub

I sometimes used to siphon into 2L PET coke bottles, and then pour those into smaller bottles.

The messups while syphoning usually happen when switching over to a new bottle. The small bottles fill very fast so there is less time to make sure everything is OK.

The PET bottles are light and can be gathered around the fermenter much easier, they can be capped right away and rolled away for more room.

I would also usually siphon my last bit into a 1.5 or 2L bottle which would have lots of sediment, but you can stick it in the fridge and it clears pretty quick and can be carefully decanted off.

RasTa

Don't think a spirit one matters if it says the range goes from 0-100 although that sounds like it would be a big hydro. Surely spirits would use a refractometer