Topic: Specific Gravity
An Unexpected Drop in Gravity
Digital and Plus Members OnlyI want to begin with a true confession about how I write this column. Using no special system, I select questions for discussion from those that are sent into BYO. The best questions are those with enough wiggle room to find some fun rabbit holes and angles. And most of the questions I select are
Better Hydrometer Readings on Carbonated Beer
Plus Members OnlyGetting accurate hydrometer readings is critically important to brewing better beer. However sometimes it’s really tough to get the best reading you can – especially after your beer has some carbonation built up after fermentation. All that foam in your hydrometer cylinder isn’t going to help you get accurate numbers not to mention even seeing
Managing Dryness: Malt enzymes and yeast choice
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA beer’s final gravity is going to be affected by so many minor decisions and will have a huge impact on the finished beer. Make sure you understand all the nuances as well as tricks brewers can use to control this aspect of their beer.
Calibrating Your Hydrometer
Plus Members OnlyThe hydrometer is one of the most important pieces of equipment for any brewer. But if the readings aren’t accurate your hydrometer is worthless. Brew Your Own Magazine’s Technical Editor Ashton Lewis shows you how to calibrate your hydrometer to make sure your numbers are correct so your beer can be the best it can
Forced Fermentation Tests
Plus Members OnlyBrew Your Own Magazine’s Technical Editor Ashton Lewis shows you how to conduct your own forced fermentation tests to help determine in advance the expected finishing gravity of a batch of beer that just had yeast added.
Ciphering Fruit Beers
Digital and Plus Members OnlyCalculating the impact a fruit addition will have on a beer’s ABV is tricky — so much so that even commercial brewers have gotten in trouble for miscalculating their influence on gravity. We take a closer look at the math required to get it right.
Inline Refractometer: Getting real-time density readings
FREEHow nice would it be if you could monitor your wort’s gravity in real time without constantly needing to pull samples? While this build is still a work in progress, its innovative
design is still impressive enough.
Post-Souring Gravity
FREEThanks for the interesting question, Duncan. The product you are using as your source of bacteria lists Lactobacillus plantarum as the only bacterial ingredient in this beverage. Lactobacillus plantarum is a facultative
Terminal Gravity Woes
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAlpha amylase can be added to the fermenter to aid in attenuation, but it has limited efficacy in converting dextrins and starch into fermentables. The primary role of the endoenzyme alpha amylase in the mash is as a debranching enzyme that chops up amylose and amylopectin into pieces from the interior of these molecules. Although
Adjusting Body and Gravity
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThings don’t always go as planned when brewing beer. Make sure you’re ready for those days when things go awry. Learn the basic remedial steps that brewers have in their arsenal to combat an “off-day.”
Understanding & Using Refractometer
Digital and Plus Members OnlyRefractometers are widely used in the wine and beer industry to track the progress of fermentation, but they are less commonly used by homebrewers. However, if used properly a refractometer can be a great tool to track specific gravity in place of, or to supplement, your hydrometer. It is used primarily in brewing beer to
Understanding Specific Gravity vs. Plato
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe simple hydrometer can tell us the gravity of our wort, and therefore the amount of extract we have recovered from our ingredients, and can even be used to tell us what extract we can expect from different malts. The hydrometer can also tell us how much extract the yeast has used during fermentation, and