Addenda: this thread was the original guide, which has been well superceded by "Simple Instructions for inexpensive, Easy Peasy Testing". Click on this link for the new and improved instructions. Consider this thread historical only.
http://rumproject.com/rumforum//viewtop ... =8234#8234
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Easy Peasy:
Now of course all your equipment is clean. You can literally test a rum in 5 minutes or really less...
- 1. Pour a sufficient amount of rum into your test cylinder
2. Take it's temperature
3. Dip and spin your hydrometer and take a reading.
First is temperature correction
First step example: your temperature was 23 deg C, and your hydrometer reading was 60% alcohol. First is the hard way (skip ahead for a MUCH easier, faster, simpler way)
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Find 23 degrees on the top scale, go down to 60%, then go left to find the corrected percent alcohol of 59% (on the left margin). This is your corrected hydrometer reading.
Here's the recommended, super duper easy way - it's automated. Go to this link, fill in your test temp and hydro alcohol, and press "calculate" :
http://www.copper-alembic.com/ns/cms.php?id_cms=39
Next is finding the sugar level...
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Second step example: Sorry, I have to use a different example based on my screen captures. In this example the bottle of rum is labelled 43% and your corrected hydrometer reading is 37%. Finding the sugar level is easy. Find the label % on the top horizontal scale, and the corrected % on the left vertical scale. Where they meet is the sugar level, in this case this rum tests out at 24 grams of sugar/liter.
That's it, you're done, easy enough? Basta.
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Full credit to the amazing and dedicated Johnny Drejer...