page_title: Hydrometer
section_title: Saccharometer
hierarchical_section_title: Hydrometer / Specialized hydrometers / Saccharometer
caption_attribution_description: English: Saccharometer. Dring &amp; Fage, London. Mid 20th century. CENM 2001.337.1-4. On display at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
context_page_description: A hydrometer is an instrument used for measuring the relative density of liquids based on the concept of buoyancy. They are typically calibrated and graduated with one or more scales such as specific gravity.
  A hydrometer usually consists of a sealed hollow glass tube with a wider bottom portion for buoyancy, a ballast such as lead or mercury for stability, and a narrow stem with graduations for measuring. The liquid to test is poured into a tall container, often a graduated cylinder, and the hydrometer is gently lowered into the liquid until it floats freely. The point at which the surface of the liquid touches the stem of the hydrometer correlates to relative density. Hydrometers can contain any number of scales along the stem corresponding to properties correlating to the density.
  Hydrometers are calibrated for different uses, such as a lactometer for measuring the density of milk, a saccharometer for measuring the density of sugar in a liquid, or an alcoholometer for measuring higher levels of alcohol in spirits.
context_section_description: A saccharometer is a hydrometer used for determining the amount of sugar in a solution, invented by Thomas Thomson. It is used primarily by winemakers and brewers, and it can also be used in making sorbets and ice-creams. The first brewers' saccharometer was constructed by Benjamin Martin (with distillation in mind), and initially used for brewing by James Baverstock Sr in 1770.  Henry Thrale adopted its use and it was later popularized by John Richardson in 1784.
  It consists of a large weighted glass bulb with a thin stem rising from the top with calibrated markings.  The sugar level can be determined by reading the value where the surface of the liquid crosses the scale. The higher the sugar content, the denser the solution, and thus the higher the bulb will float.
caption: A 20th century Saccharometer.
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