Alc Content

[citizensnips]

why does the extract exel spreadsheet give really different estimates as to alc content compared to one such as this http://www.brewcraft.com.au/wa.asp?idWebPa...p;idDetails=172 ??.
If i was to have this what would my alc content be?
1.5 Liquid malt
.5 dme
.6 dextrose
sorry just need to clear the air...im a bit confused as to why the two are so different

 

[donburke]

why does the extract exel spreadsheet give really different estimates as to alc content compared to one such as this http://www.brewcraft.com.au/wa.asp?idWebPa...p;idDetails=172 ??.
If i was to have this what would my alc content be?
1.5 Liquid malt
.5 dme
.6 dextrose
sorry just need to clear the air...im a bit confused as to why the two are so different

would be 20.9% abv if you ferment only 5 litres of the stuff,

what volume you making ?

 

[citizensnips]

ha nah 21 litres

 

[citizensnips]

this is really anoying me! can anyone tell me why the extract and kit spread sheet gives such different alc content readings to this calculator http://www.brewcraft.com.au/wa.asp?idWebPa...p;idDetails=172 ? Its the brewers calculator down the left hand side. Which one is right????????

 

[Adamt]

How different is different? Which one is reading what?

 

[citizensnips]

i cant remember specifically what the recipe was but when i put in the same recipe on each calculator, there was a difference on .7% or something

 

[Adamt]

I just put it in both the spreadsheet and the brewcraft calc and these are the results...

Spreadsheet: OG1.041, FG1.008, ABV4.9% (bottle)
Brewcraft: OG1.041, FG1.009, ABV4.9%

 

[bconnery]

I don't know about the calcs used in the spreadsheet but I always found the brewcraft one seemed to produce results a little higher than what I saw later from online recipe tools and things like beersmith.

 

[brettprevans]

Its probably to do with your location
by the look of the link your using the Wetern Australian Brewcraft website. Since your located in Victoria use the Vic brewcraft website here. You have to adjust your recipe for where your lcoaeted in Australia. those sandgropers dont even have daylight savings. :lol: yeah ok so im being an idiot.

I get the same %alc no matter what i use. I think your probably making a mistake when your enetering the data. Its not the best calculator around but it will give you a good ballpark figure.

 

[Renegade]

Eddy, the gravity of your beer will differ depending on how far from the equator your fermentation took place. Do you live on a hill ? Meters above sea level are also a factor due to the lunar cycle's doppler impact on unstable, prepitched wort. You will need to calibrate your PC to correctly utilise the online calculators. Try:

Start > Admin Tools > Services (Local) then look for "Windows Brewing Gravity Calibration" and follow the prompts.

Or you could download Beersmith

Edit: The above may or may not be a tall tale.

 

[ianh]

why does the extract exel spreadsheet give really different estimates as to alc content compared to one such as this http://www.brewcraft.com.au/wa.asp?idWebPa...p;idDetails=172 ??.
If i was to have this what would my alc content be?
1.5 Liquid malt
.5 dme
.6 dextrose
sorry just need to clear the air...im a bit confused as to why the two are so different

I originally used data from the Brewcraft website for my calculations but subsequently found they gave high values compared with Beersmith and other software. The factors in the Brewcraft website are too high. A Kit and a kilo of Dex in 23 litres should be 1.039 whereas Brewcraft gives 1.043

The spreadsheet sg's should be similar to Beersmith except when using speciality grains. You can add heaps of speciality grains in Beersmith and it makes little difference to the OG.

This is due to the efficiency factors being used. Beersmith uses a very low efficiency factor for steeping grains (I think 40%) but Palmer in Brewing Classic Styles uses a factor of 70%. I found my recipes with a fair % of steeping grains also gave a higher OG than that obtained by Beersmith or my spreadsheet. So after upping it initially from 40% to 50%, in Version 1.1 I upped the efficiency factor from 50% to 60%. Now gives results nearer to what I get in practice.

hope that helps.

cheers

Ian

 

[The Big Burper]

Eddy, the gravity of your beer will differ depending on how far from the equator your fermentation took place. Do you live on a hill ? Meters above sea level are also a factor due to the lunar cycle's doppler impact on unstable, prepitched wort. You will need to calibrate your PC to correctly utilise the online calculators. Try:

Start > Admin Tools > Services (Local) then look for "Windows Brewing Gravity Calibration" and follow the prompts.

Or you could download Beersmith

Edit: The above may or may not be a tall tale.

Mr R, :icon_offtopic:

I think you may be wrong here, I think it is more to do with the coriolis effect,

unless he is brewing on a very fast train. <_<


BB

 

[bum]

Which negatively impacts efficiency and is not advised.

 

[Renegade]

Oh yes, if he is brewing on a very fast train. With the sirens on. I was going to say sun-spots, but that would have been plain silly.

Guess who's been drinking !?

 

[brettprevans]

coriolis effect has nothing to do with the moon. its to do with rotation - wiki. so maybe it has somethin to do with the speed at which he was stirring all the ingredietns in his fermentor? maybe if he waas ona very fast train travelling in the opposite direction in which to the world is spinning...

Renegade - i wish i had been.

 

[pdilley]

I just put it in both the spreadsheet and the brewcraft calc and these are the results...

Spreadsheet: OG1.041, FG1.008, ABV4.9% (bottle)
Brewcraft: OG1.041, FG1.009, ABV4.9%

Strange, my program I wrote yields 3.47% ABW and 4.33% ABV for 1.041->1.008

I use a formula that derives the same results as Calculating Alcohol Content Using Miller[88] (Dave Miller estimates the alcohol by volume using a very simple formula in his book "The Complete Handbook of Brewing (1988)". )

His formula uses: Alcohol by Volume = (Initial Gravity - Final Gravity) / 0.75 and Alcohol by Weight = ABV / 0.789.
Running Miller[88] derives 4.39% ABV

My formulas work differently first calculating ABW and then determining ABV by ABW. I use it for Meads and Beers and am comfortable working with values close to most of the documented formulas to date.

-----

In a separate formula Calculating Alcohol Content Using Fix[92] (George Fix suggested another formula on the homebrew digest back in 1992. His formula was based on work done by Karl Balling. This formula relies on Plato values and the "real extract".)

Alcohol by Weight = [Initial P - Real Extract] / [2.0665 - (0.010665 Initial P)]

The real extract is a measure of the sugars which are fermented in the solution, but it also takes into account the density of alcohol. The real extract is calculated using this formula:

Real Extract = (0.1808 Initial P) + (0.8192 Final P)

Fix[92] matches Miller[88] almost exactly in results.
I match them very closely.

Spreadsheet and Brewcraft, I don't know how they are claiming nearly 5% ABV. The closest formula I could find is a sourceless reference to (OG - FG / 7.46) + 0.5 which looks to the web page to have possibly come inside the packet the hydrometer the guy bought (Made in who knows where).


But there is a big difference (error rate?) between the values from Spreadsheet and BrewCraft. I'd love to learn and improve my formulas if they can point to the samples and studies that derives their formulas.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete


EDIT:
External Reference Calculator also backs up my formula and puts into question Spreadsheet and BrewCraft:

Calories, Alcohol, and Plato Calculator
Original Gravity: 1.041
Final Gravity: 1.008
Initial Gravity (Plato): 10.23 P
Final Gravity (Plato): 2.05 P
Real Extract: 3.53 P
Apparent Attenuation: 80%
Real Attenuation: 65.5%
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 4.4%
Alcohol By Weight (ABW): 3.4%
Calories (12 ounces): 134