Density is an important characteristic of beer, which directly affects its quality. On the label of a beer bottle, in addition to other important information, the density of the drink must be indicated. This figure, in fact, indicates the density of the beer wort, which was put on fermentation. This indicator can be called "wort extract" or "wort initial gravity". Measurements of this value are carried out before the start of the fermentation process. Usually, percentages are taken as the unit of measurement for density, but sometimes you can also find indicators of the density level in Balling degrees.
In non-alcoholic beer drinks, the extract content of the initial wort can be no more than 5%, in light beer this figure ranges from 11 to 13%, and in dark beer it can range from 12 to 20%. The denser the drink, the brighter and richer its taste characteristics will be.
What does density affect?
The density of alcohol and its strength are not directly related. The percentage of solids rather affects the taste of the beer itself. Varieties with low to medium densities combine fairly light and full flavor. These beers are great for refreshing. But dense varieties have a taste that opens gradually. It is very bright and vibrant.
How density is determined
- To determine the density, a hydrometer tool is used. It measures the density of the dry matter in the primary solution. Knowing the density of the initial product, the manufacturer has the opportunity to adjust it in order to influence the further quality of alcohol. The measurement is made before fermentation and at the end of this process. To do this, a small amount of beer is poured into a beaker or narrowed glass. A hydrometer is immersed there, waiting for the bubbles to disappear. Before fermentation, the device will show the initial density of the drink. During the preparation of light varieties, it can be from 9 to 10%, for stronger varieties, this figure ranges from 13 to 15%. Gradually, sugar turns into alcohol, and the density drops, and the device sinks deeper. At the end of the measurement, the hydrometer readings will be about 2% (this is the final density). Before bottling, manufacturers make sure that the instrument readings are stable for two days. The vast majority of these devices are set to a temperature of 20 ° C, this fact is important to take into account during the measurement.
- The density of beer is determined in another way - in England, the number of solids is determined relative to the density of water. Measurements are also carried out before and after fermentation.
Density and strength
The strength of beer is the alcohol content in the finished product, which is measured as a percentage or volume fraction of alcohols. The alcohol content in Russian beer, according to the standards, must not be lower than indicated on the bottle. Therefore, the strength of the beer may turn out to be even higher - this is how the manufacturer secures itself. But European standards show not to exceed the specified volume fraction of alcohols.
The strength depends on the initial amount of sugar used. In many cases, the proportion is fair: the denser the beer, the stronger it is. But at the same time, one should take into account the quality of brewer's yeast, their fermentation conditions and full compliance with the fermentation technology, so there is no need to talk about strict dependence. The vast majority of beers have a strength of 3-6% alcohol. When the indicator reaches 12%, then the yeast already stops multiplying and dies, therefore it is simply impossible to brew a stronger beer by fermentation. To increase the strength, brewers use various tricks: adding champagne yeast or freezing the product to separate water from alcohol and in this way increase the strength.
The ratio of density and strength is the main indicator of the quality of this foamy alcohol. If, with a high alcohol content, beer has a low density, this indicates unscrupulous producers. Knowing the density, you can calculate the strength of alcohol. Density should be divided by approximately 2.25. So, beer with 4.5% gravity has 2 degrees of strength.
There are many varieties of beer, and something new is added every year: the producers are on the alert. Since consumers have different preferences, in many variations.
Some drink only what is stronger, others like softer. We are sure that the taste and smell of foam for the most part depends only on how much alcohol it contains and what kind of malt was used for preparation.
In fact, the density and strength of beer are important - that is, not one, but two characteristics. Is there an interdependence between them?
Any brewer will tell you that gravity is one of the most important qualities of foam. This term refers to the density of the wort taken as a basis. This value is measured before it starts and at the moment when it ends.
Strictly speaking, the concept of "density" means amount (weight) of extract in 100 g of solution prepared for fermentation. On the bottle, this indicator can be seen in Balling degrees or as a percentage.
What does it affect?
It would seem that the value of this indicator is so important? But let's think: the higher the density, the more saturated the taste of the drink should be and the brighter the aroma. This is quite logical and true.
Weak, too “diluted” beer is rated by beer lovers as watery, tasteless, devoid of an attractive smell.
The hydrometer will help us
Is there some more hydrometer- a device similar to a hydrometer. It is used mainly in England, while the hydrometer is popular in Russia, France, the United States and other countries.
This is just a small excerpt from the table. Brewers use it because it gives ready-made values that allow you to calculate the final gravity and strength of the resulting drink.
The densest
The maximum that this indicator can be is - 30% . In order to determine what the indicator is equal to at any particular moment of production, the winemaker must, starting from the 5-6th day from the start of fermentation, measure the final gravity. If the indicator does not change significantly for two days in a row, then the drink is ready - fermentation is over.
If the taste is perceived as watery, the fermentation process can be continued by adding must.
Beer and water
Determining the value of the indicator of interest to us, manufacturers based on the density of water. Conventionally, this value is considered to be unity. Before the start of fermentation, the specific gravity of the must is higher, then, after fermentation, it decreases.
The decline after fermentation reflects the amount of glucose converted to alcohol.
Fortress
Foam lovers, studying the label, pay attention to the fortress much more often than to the indicator described above.
How many degrees can be in beer?
Intoxicated is considered a low-alcohol drink, although some varieties refute this statement. But these varieties are made only with the help of certain tricks, for example, adding champagne yeast to the wort. Such beer can even reach 30% in terms of alcohol content.
Normally, if the manufacturer uses traditional technologies, the drink turns out to be 3-5 degrees. That is, the amount of ethyl alcohol released after fermentation of the wort will be 3-5, sometimes 6 percent of the total volume.
The strongest beer brewed according to the traditional recipe, that is, using only hops, malt and water, can reach 14% ABV.
What determines the strength of beer?
There is no single factor that would determine the exact alcohol content of a finished drink. Everything is important:
- which one was used;
- how much must was taken;
- what type of fermentation was used.
There are two types of fermentation:
- Grassroots.
- Horse.
The first type is also called camp. In this case, the entire cooking process takes place at sufficiently low temperatures - from 4 to 9ºС.
Such a drink turns out to be stronger, the alcohol content in percentage terms is up to 5.
Top fermentation allows you to get a richer and more aromatic drink. However, its taste may be heterogeneous.
This technology involves heating the wort up to 25ºС. The method is ancient, known to people from time immemorial. This is how ale and porter are made.
Some believe that light varieties are weaker in relation to the alcohol component. However, this is not the case: a lighter one may well turn out to be slightly less intoxicating than a young wine, or even equal to it.
How to determine degree?
On the label of the bottle with the finished drink, the strength is indicated: perhaps this is a value equal to 3.5, maybe 5, or maybe 12.
If you yourself are engaged in home production, pay attention to the density: usually this figure is 2.5 times higher than the fortress. Therefore, by measuring with a hydrometer at the end of fermentation, you will have an idea of how much alcohol will be in the finished product.
The lightest
The lowest alcohol content in hops is 2.5%. If you decide to buy something light, pay attention to Nevsky Light or Miller. In these varieties, about 3.2% alcohol.
The strongest
Want something more substantial? We can recommend our Baltika No. 9. In general, the Scots produced the strongest beer, their Brewmeister reached 67.5% abv! Of course, there were tricks here - for example, the same champagne yeast or some other additives.
How to increase the degree?
Do you make homemade beer? To make it completely different from its non-alcoholic “brother”, take a denser and more saturated wort. It is important that it contains a sufficient amount of sugar: the more glucose, the greater the percentage of alcohol in the end.
Fermentation stopped when the drink seems weak to you? Add yeast.
You can also freeze the wort - as a result, the "excess" water will separate.
Density and strength: is there a connection?
The denser the beer, the higher its strength. But the process is not endless: when you prepare a drink and the density reaches 12%, they die - therefore, the percentage of alcohol content will no longer increase. But this can be achieved artificially by adding yeast: let the solution ferment more.
And what strength of beer did you manage to brew? Maybe the Scottish record has long been beaten? Share your secrets!
To understand why a brewer needs a hydrometer, let's delve into the concept of wort gravity.
We measure the density of the wort
In short, wort is an aqueous hopped extract of beer malt. It is from the initial and final density of the beer wort that the strength of the beer depends. To determine the density of the wort, a special device called a hydrometer is used.
The hydrometer is immersed in a container (measuring cylinder or test tube) with beer wort before it ferments, we look at the hydrometer readings and record, we get the initial density of the wort. We repeat the measurement process after the wort has fermented, thereby knowing the final gravity of the wort. Now we are ready to calculate the strength of the beer, or rather the alcohol content per volume.
Calculate the strength of beer
Knowing the initial density of the beer wort before putting it on fermentation and the final density of the wort after fermentation, you can calculate the strength of the beer. Alcohol is defined as the difference between the alcohol corresponding to the initial gravity of the wort and the alcohol corresponding to the final gravity of the wort. As a result, we get the following formula:
Alc(%)=Alc(P1)-Alc(P2).
For example, the density of the wort during fermentation was 9.85%, which corresponds to an alcohol of 4.75%, and after fermentation, the density of the wort was 3%, which corresponds to an alcohol of 1.25%. We get: Alc(%)=4.75-1.25=3.5% - final alcohol content per volume.
STOP! After the beer has fermented, we add sugar syrup to it and leave it to ferment for a natural carbonation process. And this means that the beer after carbonation will become a little stronger. To take into account this error, we will add another 0.4-0.5% to the final alcohol content per volume. As a result, the alcohol content Alc(%)=3.5%+0.5%=4%
Now I think everyone understands that a hydrometer is simply a necessary thing for any brewer, both beginner and "experienced".
Below I have given a table of correspondence between the density of beer and alcohol, you can also calculate the final alcohol content using the calculator on the site.
Table of beer density and alcohol correspondence
| Alcohol, % | Density by hydrometer | Alcohol, % | Density by hydrometer | Density by hydrometer grew. scale, % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0,00 | 1,002 | 0,50 | 7,50 | 1,060 | 15,00 | |
| 0,25 | 1,004 | 1,00 | 7,75 | 1,061 | 15,38 | |
| 0,50 | 1,006 | 1,50 | 8,00 | 1,063 | 15,75 | |
| 0,75 | 1,008 | 2,00 | 8,25 | 1,065 | 16,25 | |
| 1,00 | 1,010 | 2,50 | 8,50 | 1,067 | 16,75 | |
| 1,25 | 1,012 | 3,00 | 8,75 | 1,069 | 17,25 | |
| 1,50 | 1,014 | 3,50 | 9,00 | 1,071 | 17,75 | |
| 1,75 | 1,016 | 4,00 | 9,25 | 1,073 | 18,25 | |
| 2,00 | 1,018 | 4,50 | 9,50 | 1,075 | 18,75 | |
| 2,25 | 1,020 | 5,00 | 9,75 | 1,076 | 19,13 | |
| 2,50 | 1,022 | 5,50 | 10,00 | 1,078 | 19,50 | |
| 2,75 | 1,024 | 6,00 | 10,25 | 1,080 | 20,00 | |
| 3,00 | 1,026 | 6,50 | 10,50 | 1,082 | 20,50 | |
| 3,25 | 1,028 | 7,00 | 10,75 | 1,084 | 21,00 | |
| 3,50 | 1,030 | 7,50 | 11,00 | 1,086 | 21,50 | |
| 3,75 | 1,032 | 8,00 | 11,25 | 1,088 | 22,00 | |
| 4,00 | 1,034 | 8,50 | 11,50 | 1,090 | 22,50 | |
| 4,25 | 1,036 | 9,00 | 11,75 | 1,092 | 23,13 | |
| 4,50 | 1,038 | 9,50 | 12,00 | 1,093 | 23,25 | |
| 4,75 | 1,040 | 9,88 | 12,25 | 1,095 | 23,75 | |
| 5,00 | 1,041 | 10,25 | 12,50 | 1,097 | 24,25 | |
| 5,25 | 1,043 | 10,75 | 12,75 | 1,098 | 24,50 | |
| 5,50 | 1,045 | 11,25 | 13,00 | 1,100 | 25,00 | |
| 5,75 | 1,047 | 11,75 | 13,25 | 1,100 | 25,50 | |
| 6,00 | 1,049 | 12,25 | 13,50 | 1,104 | 26,00 | |
| 6,25 | 1,051 | 12,75 | 13,75 | 1,105 | 26,25 | |
| 6,50 | 1,053 | 13,25 | 14,00 | 1,107 | 26,75 | |
| 6,75 | 1,055 | 13,38 | 14,25 | 1,109 | 27,25 | |
| 7,00 | 1,056 | 14,00 | 14,50 | 1,111 | 27,75 | |
| 7,25 | 1,058 | 14,50 | 14,75 | 1,113 | 28,25 |
Now, having a comparison table at hand, you can fully control the brewing process, knowing what you will get as a result. If you decide to take the brewing process seriously, I recommend downloading and printing the table so that it is always in front of your eyes.
In future articles, when we will consider the brewing process step by step, I will describe how you can influence the strength of beer, although I think you have already guessed it yourself.
Good luck with your fermentation process!
It can be very different. Manufacturers offer many variations of this alcohol.
The main characteristics that should guide the selection are strength and density drink.
Why? The fact is that both of these criteria are decisive when questions arise about the saturation of taste and the amount of ethyl alcohol.
Is there any relationship between these indicators? For example, should strong beer be heavy, or vice versa? And how many degrees is beer really?
All "beginners" lovers, as well as those who are going to start mastering brewing, are probably wondering what is "beer strength"?
The concept of "fortress" gives an idea of how much ethyl alcohol is in the drink. The fortress can vary from 3 to 8%. The “gold standard” is considered to be 4-4.5%. Non-alcoholic beer also has its strength, but the alcohol content in it is so low that it is comparable to the content of this component in kefir and kvass.
What determines the percentage of alcohol?
The more sugar in the wort, the stronger the end product will be after fermentation is complete.
However, sugar is not the only factor. It is necessary to take into account:
- quantity and quality of yeast;
- the temperature at which fermentation takes place;
- accuracy of compliance with all the nuances of the technological process.
Any violation of the standard of preparation leads to the fact that the drink will turn out to be more or less strong than planned.
The strongest beer in the world
Once the brewers of Scotland decided to set a world record. They brewed a foamy drink, the equal of which in terms of strength does not yet exist (that is, equal to all types of beer - of course, or may well surpass the value achieved by the Scots).
So, the manufacturers set a world record: Beer "Snake Venom" has a strength of 67.5%! Of course, in terms of taste, the product does not even remotely resemble beer, but the champions did not pursue this.
The main thing is that they completely retained the technology and ingredients, without adding anything superfluous to their super-strong beer. Only malt, water, yeast, hops - nothing else!
What is density?
The second important indicator for foam is density. The density will depend on how concentrated was the wort taken for fermentation, that is, how much dry matter it contained. There are concepts of "initial" and "final" density.
The initial is measured before fermentation. It should be from 5% (for non-alcoholic products) to 20% (for dark saturated varieties). In this case, a device called " hydrometer by immersing it in the wort.
When we buy a product of industrial production, we need to find the inscription on the label: "The initial density of beer." She will give information about what was the concentration of the wort.
Is there a relationship between density and strength
Both indicators are closely related. The higher the density, the more alcohol will be in the purchased drink.
Since the density, in turn, depends on the volume of sugar-containing substances, it turns out that the beer will be stronger, the more sugar was initially in the raw materials.
Sugar is converted into alcohol during fermentation. Consequently, a lot of sugar - a high degree of the final product.
Determining the amount of alcohol in beer
When we buy a drink in a store, there is no difficulty in knowing how many degrees are in beer. Just look at the label: manufacturers are required to indicate this information. It should only be remembered about the features of the packaging of Russian and European manufacturers.
In our country, according to the law, it is impossible to prescribe a lower degree than the drink actually contains. That is why brewers play it safe and sometimes write a figure that is slightly less than the actual alcohol content. As a result, you can buy beer weaker than you would like.
"They" - everything is exactly the opposite. In Europe, it is forbidden to indicate a higher degree. Therefore, sometimes the purchased beer will be stronger than you wanted.
If you are making foam at home, you can judge the final strength based on the density of the drink.
To do this, measure with a hydrometer. The higher the initial density, the better. Weak wort will not make good beer. The initial density should be in the range of 5-18%.
If you follow the technology, carrying out fermentation, then as a result you will get beer with a strength of 4 or 4.5%. After the end of fermentation, the final density is measured. She must be less than 2.5%.
If we multiply the density index by a factor of 2.5, then we get the strength of the finished beer. Example: the final gravity turned out to be 2. Multiply by 2.5 - as a result we get 5. This will be our beer. The calculation is not 100% accurate, but it will show an approximate strength.
The final measurement should be carried out several times. If the figure remains at 2.5 and there is no downward trend, and the fermentation process is completed, then some additional actions will be required from you.
The beer is poured into containers and carbonized, that is, we add substances that ensure the continuation of fermentation. What can serve as such a catalyst? Any sugar-containing products:
- malt extract;
- sugar.
You will have to show a little more patience: the drink should ferment a little more. Then we measure the density again. Less than 2.5? Everything, all sugar was transformed into alcohol. The beer is ready.
Gravity and ABV are two metrics that sometimes cause a lot of questions because beginner brewers can confuse the two. We hope you now have a basic understanding of these main characteristics of foam.
Perhaps you have invented your own way to determine the strength of the final drink? Or do you know how to bring the strength indicator back to normal without adding sugar? Write to us - we will gladly tell all our readers about it!
The label of any beer can tell a lot about the contents of the bottle. First of all, I advise you to look at the density and strength of the beer, since these are the most important characteristics of the drink. We will understand what these indicators mean and how to interpret them correctly.
beer density is the concentration of solids in the initial wort. Density is measured before the start of fermentation (fermentation), it is indicated in percent or Balling degrees (weight of extract in 100 grams of solution). The denser the beer, the richer its flavor.
To find out the gravity of the beer, you should look for the inscription “initial wort extract” or “initial wort gravity” on the label. For non-alcoholic beer, this figure is no more than 5%, for light light beer - 11-13%, dark varieties have a density of 12-20%.
Another important indicator is beer strength- this is the alcohol content in the finished drink, expressed as a percentage or volume fraction of alcohol (vol.). According to Russian standards, the alcohol content should not be lower than stated on the label. As a result, the strength of our beer is slightly higher than indicated. So manufacturers insure themselves. In turn, European standards require brewers not to exceed the volume fraction of alcohol indicated on the label, so the percentage of alcohol in their beer is slightly lower than the declared one.
The strength of the beer depends on the amount of sugar in the wort. In most cases, the denser the beer, the stronger it is. But you need to make adjustments for the quality of brewer's yeast, fermentation conditions and compliance with production technology, so there is no strict relationship between the density and strength of beer.
Most types of beer contain 3-5.5% alcohol. When the concentration reaches 12%, the brewer's yeast stops developing and dies, so it is impossible to brew a stronger beer through fermentation.
To make beer stronger, brewers use various tricks: they add champagne yeast (an unconventional method) or freeze the beer in order to separate water from alcohol (the crystallization temperature of liquids is different) and thus increase the strength of the drink (traditional method).
The world's strongest beer "Snake Venom" was brewed by Scottish brewers, its strength is 67.5%, the price is $ 81 per bottle. To get such a high alcohol content, the master had to freeze and thaw it 15 times. From 350 liters of traditional beer, only 35 liters of strong beer came out.
Snake venom is the strongest beer in the world
