does anyone know how to calculate alcohol content?

I have just finished brewing, and bottling 23 liters of beer. i brewed it for 1 week, then bottled it for 2, and today i just put it 2 bottles in the frezzer for 1.5 hours, then in the fridge for a further 1 hour (to chill it quickly) and i drank a bottle, it was awesome, my brew was a success (my first)

I'm curiious to know it's alcohol, and standard drinks content, does anyone know how to do that?!?

I'm aware a standard equation won't work, what equipment do i need?
I have a suspision it's around 5.5%v/w, or about 2.3 standard drinks per bottle (750ml) but I could be wrong

I used 1kg sugar if that helps in getting an answer

the best way would be to use a hydrometer.
The second best way is to drink 60 ounces, and see how it compares to drinking 60 ounces of store bought stuff. But not all at once ;)

I like Steel's 2nd idea, i'll come over and help so we can compare :D

yeah you need a hydrometer. problem is it won't help on this batch, you need to take one reading before it brews, and another reading before you bottle, then you calculate the expected alcohol content. if you dropped a hydrometer in it now it would tell you like 2%


I can't remember perfectly but i belive the first reading will be high and the second one low. then you subtract the second from the first therefore getting the expected AC.


EX:

you put everything in your brew bucket, take a little out for a hydrometer reading and it reads 7%. now you let it brew till it stops fermenting and then you add your priming sugar and bottle it but take another reading (after priming sugar, but before bottling) this one will be like 2%.

now 7% - 2% is 5 % therefore 5% is what you can expect your beer to be if all goes well.


hope this helps, its been awhile since i've brewed any of my own. I should start another batch...

hmm, we can start our own beer label, "AuFo" sound imported... lol

hmm, we can start our own beer label, "AuFo" sound imported... lol

yeah but "AuFo" sounds too close to "awful" and we don't want that. We should just call it "AF Bier"

haha ok, i can be the australian district distributor

thanks knorwj!
I have a hydrometer, and it read 0% i think, but in the instructions it was at the right level.

Does it still taste sweet? If it does the sugar is unfermented.

My guess is that your using the hydrometer wrong. If it's the "bob" type, when you put it in the beer, be sure to give it a spin so that bubbles don't stick to the sides and prevent it from dropping.

i got pissed off 3 - 750ml bottles on friday!
It's strong!