ebulliometer

[mendodistilling]

Does anyone have experience with these? I'm interested in using one to figure out my starting abv% and if I get one I'm trying to decide if its worth a digital version. It would be nice to be fast but I'm not looking to part with much money for it right at the moment. Does anyone have one they like and is easy to use? I've had someone explain to me how they work but I've yet to use one myself.

[Natrat]

I've used one at a winery...it required a lot of maintenance. I think it was a Dujardins. You have to run the boil water parameter every time before running a sample since barometric change can throw your reading off.

I've never used it above 24% ABV, and I don't love looking up things on charts...especially with a 0.1% ABV resolution, which is too coarse for me. I typically measure to 2 significant digits in PROOF, which means that the Dujardins scale was 20 times less accurate. Also, you are depending on a thermometer a LOT, and I've seen some pretty amazing error rates even on expensive calibrated thermometers.

Not saying it wouldn't be good, but the TTB might make you show your obscuration calculations, anyway :-)

[Sorghumrunner]

I've used them for measuring starting ABV on wines after fermentation. Natrat, are you saying that we should be doing obscuration distillations to determine the washes finished alcohol content prior to distillation?

I've used one at a winery...it required a lot of maintenance. I think it was a Dujardins. You have to run the boil water parameter every time before running a sample since barometric change can throw your reading off.

I've never used it above 24% ABV, and I don't love looking up things on charts...especially with a 0.1% ABV resolution, which is too coarse for me. I typically measure to 2 significant digits in PROOF, which means that the Dujardins scale was 20 times less accurate. Also, you are depending on a thermometer a LOT, and I've seen some pretty amazing error rates even on expensive calibrated thermometers.

Not saying it wouldn't be good, but the TTB might make you show your obscuration calculations, anyway :-)