Lost hopes Hydrometers

[Andy Backinsell]

Posting this to folk who'll understand my pain, but a serious question in here...

My 2026 not off to a good start ... I smashed a new hydrometer, freak accident, still in its protective case,  I'd not used it yet (and didn't even need to take it that day as I was racking definitely dry cider which didn't need the accuracy of this lower range instrument) and was suitably annoyed... I was lamenting that I planned to come home and blend/bottle some cider where I did need the more accurate reading it would provide.  I had just readied (inside as no space in the shed!)  the final batches of what I considered my available best ciders; 2 years in the making...some lovely Reinette D'obry and some Browns...to be blended with a little fresh pressed Dabinett mmmm.  Then, a huge bang and lots of screaming... daughter appeared fine but shocked... The kitchen table had collapsed ... breakfast and cider all smashed on the floor.  At least I don't need the hydrometer right now!

I have one of these (the second in 12 mths, the first was smashed by someone helping me and I vowed to never to leave it out the case when not using it) https://vigoltd.com/products/standard-hydrometers

The price is not too bad, the postage though takes it to circa £50.  Does anyone have any links for a instrument  of similar accuracy and the range (0990-1020) they'd recommend?  Do I really need to bother?  Will the universal cheap brewers hydrometers do the trick in most cases?  

Anyway happy new year all!

[Barrie Gibson]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/QWORK-Hydrometer-Triple-Equipment-Testing/dp/B0932S8R87/ref=sr_1_10?crid=352YDB90AE3NG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hbr1SiiJwcoRwVe1Dy-6BEWpne6aLi8NuhbwgvkTJGjUq6uvucl-87s1a1ETLKrgRFU_rsQ9Xm5gdcwqRWSSBvK457zjTVtJw_KwM8fhJ6tAPHZfNc_JLsk_QocFgLOc3PYBvB_coMqAS8KI3y2SP6zb3ZypiJf67Hyrp9Kc88rWssWmVgIcIsAu23QzZohCrKW7cEWVAzoosQ1c-aNckPD6WIP33RQbHY1AEmbd2BbTohTuKKXZPHGU_hoOE5BqWQBPc4bY2hjAokqgqC11HfHYdgPovoImPr9L0PE6HoA._U7IoRi49oVPh5M1C-BBpCWexrlnTBcD7PziKjRAtD4&dib_tag=se&keywords=hydrometer&qid=1767865324&sprefix=hydrometer%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-10&th=1

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[Bartek Knapek]

Yes, high accuracy hydrometers are very easy to break, I have replaced mine several times... Most recently at https://brewshop.no/

But a high accuracy is conveninet only when monitoring very slow ferments, to get an accurate delta. Otherwise any hydrometer will do. So now I have a more strudy wider-range for general purpose (perfectly enough!), and I save high-precision for keeving. 

regards // Bartek

[terryc...@gmail.com]

Hi Andy, welcome to the broken hydrometer club. My first finishing hydrometer was made from very fine glass which broke when I dropped it into a test cylinder without any cider in it... hmm what are those little round things in the bottom of the cylinder. The next was a "kitchen accident" which according to SWMBO was my fault because I left it in the kitchen where cider things shouldn't be! But I haven't been able to find the same one again. However I now have two Stevenson Reeves finishing hydrometers (one to use and one spare) 0.090 - 1.020 with 0.001 graduations at about 1.5mm spacing and the spare seems to have a magic influence since no breaks so far as they do seem to be reasonably robust. I understand that Stevenson-Reeves actually make them in Scotland although I bought mine through Amazon. I suspect from the pictures that the Vigo unit is the same hydrometer. Cheers!

[gareth chapman]

Broken so many decent hydrometers that I've lost count, I do still have a low range one but never use it, just never have the need for the accuracy.
Like Bartek I used to use mine for my Keeves, but just don't see the point anymore. If the fermentation is running that slow then it doesn't make a difference if you see a 0.5 drop or a whole point drop nor whether it takes a day a week or a fortnight.
I just use cheap ones from Amazon. I think I bought 10 for the cost of one of my expensive ones.
Maybe also of note I bought two alcohol hydrometers at over 100 quid each and they turned out to be no more accurate than the 10 quid set I bought from Wish.

[Claude Jolicoeur]

As others have said, precision hydrometer is essential mainly for measuring the speed of fermentation (FSU) when bottling a Methode ancestrale cider (aka Pét-Nat). With such ciders we want to bottle for some of the residual sugar to ferment in the bottles (producing the fizz), and for some of the sugar to remain unfermented, yielding a cider still containing some sweetness.

For this to work, it is really essential to measure the FSU with the maximum precision possible prior to bottling. A small error in FSU may easily lead to excessive carbonation, or insufficient carbonation...

The hydrometers I use for this have graduations of 0.5 point, and I usually am able to estimate a SG to +/- 0.25 point (i.e. when half way between 2 graduations).

[terryc...@gmail.com]

For those pondering the value of a finishing hydrometer, I find mine essential as described by Claude. I don't make my cider commercially, but for a slightly sweet carbonated cider my approach requires accurately knowing the fully fermented SG. I will ferment fully then prime with juice (or sometimes with sugar syrup) to bring the SG back up to the level of sugar that I want for my final C02 and residual sugar. To do get the arithmetic right for this, knowing the "fully fermented" SG is essential (e.g. a juice high in "non-fermentables" might finish at something above 1.000). In theory (and in practice) knowing how much fermentable sugar I have in the bottle lets me monitor pressure from carbonation and stop fermentation when 2.5 volumes of C02 has been produced (i.e. about 2 bar bottle pressure) leaving 10g/L residual sugar or SG 1.005. This approach works at bottling time regardless of what size bottles I am using so measuring grams of sugar per bottle isn't needed.