how strong is my cider?

[rje66]

just wondering how to get  a strength of my cider without having taking an initial reading?

[Tom]

If you used applejuice from Tesco or somewhere you can figure it out using the nutritional information on the carton.

For pressed or anonymous apple juice, you'll have to do what Tube said.

*** This is my 500th post ***

[mr hoppy]

Technically, if you take a refractometer reading as well as a hydrometer reading you should be able to reverse engineer the OG although it mightn't be super accurate.

[Garry]

Technically, if you take a refractometer reading as well as a hydrometer reading you should be able to reverse engineer the OG although it mightn't be super accurate.

How does that work?

[mr hoppy]

A refractometer is calibrated based on the refractive index of sugar, rather than the ethanol in your fermented beer. As the hydrometer measures the sugar more directly, if you've measured both with a refractometer and a hydrometer in fermented alcohol you should be able to triangulate back to the original sugar content. I think you can do this in Beer Smith. Of course the question is how good accurate the formulae are. I know tube's questioned them in the past. Worth a try in this case - and at least of passing interest in a geeky way.

[Tom]

Doesn't the ethanol mess around with the refractometer reading? I heard they were useless once fermentation had begun.

[rje66]

thanks for replies. was only wondering how strong it was  out of curiosity, its made from a random collection of apples. will get proper readings next season.

[Tom]

Expect about 5 - 6 %, it's quite normal for home pressed stuff with no extra sugar or water.

[LordEoin]

use a drop of food dye and a vinometer