Q&A for How to Measure Alcohol Content

The burn test is effective for determining the presence of alcohol. It does not tell you the amount of alcohol. It is also destructive (uses fire), and burns the alcohol when done, making it unusable. Also, there are false positives that can occur. This article helps you find the amount of alcohol per volume for a substance that you know contains alcohol.

A drop of 3 points from 1.018 to 1.015 will produce approximately 0.39% alcohol by volume.

Yes, there are a few at-home methods to test for the presence of alcohol in wine: (1) Alcohol test strips: These are similar to pH strips but designed to detect alcohol. You dip the strip into the wine, and it will change color if alcohol is present. (2) Evaporation test: Alcohol evaporates faster than water. You can place a small amount of wine on a plate and let it sit in a warm place. If it evaporates quickly, it's likely due to the presence of alcohol. (3) Hydrometer: A hydrometer can be used to measure the specific gravity of the wine before and after fermentation. A significant drop in specific gravity indicates the conversion of sugar to alcohol.

An alcoholmeter (or alcohol hydrometer) is typically used for distilled spirits and not for beer or cider. This is because beer and cider contain dissolved solids that can affect the reading. Reputable brands will accurately label their products. Regulations require accurate labeling. For precise results, you can send a sample to a laboratory for testing.

No, an alcohol meter (alcohol hydrometer) is not suitable for determining the alcohol content of beer. Beer contains other dissolved substances like sugars, proteins, and carbonation that interfere with the accuracy of the reading. A refractometer, coupled with hydrometer readings before and after fermentation, can give a more accurate measurement of alcohol-by-volume in beer.

An alcoholmeter typically uses two scales: Specific Gravity (SG), which measures the density of the liquid compared to water to determine potential and actual alcohol content; and Alcohol By Volume (ABV) or Alcohol By Weight (ABW), which directly indicates the percentage of alcohol in the liquid by volume or weight, with ABV being more commonly used.

When using an alcoholmeter, the readings for ethyl alcohol (ethanol) and isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) can differ due to their different densities and chemical properties. Ethanol readings reflect the percentage of ethanol, as alcoholmeters are generally calibrated for ethanol. Isopropanol readings will not be accurate with an ethanol-calibrated alcoholmeter due to its different density.