pelipen

Recipes 

Is there any particular reason grain bills are given as the percent of the total? Did that originate from software? The problem is, it's annoying to calculate or adjust. Does anyone use Baker's math for grain bills? Perhaps an example:

Traditional: Everything expressed as percentage of the total.
9.57 lbs 2 row (80%)
1 lb golden syrup (8.3%)
1.2 lbs Crystal 60 (10%)
.22 lb Demerara sugar (1.8%)

vs

Baker's Math: Everything expressed as a percent of the base malt (in baking this would be flour weight)
9.57 lbs 2 row (100%)
1 lb golden syrup (10.3%)
1.2 lbs Crystal 60 (12.4%)
.22 lb Demerara sugar (2.3%)

In the first example, if you don't have the initial amounts, you have to work it out (unless the software does it, I don't use software)
In the second example, everything is a percentage of the base malt. Scaling and making adjustments is a cake walk with baker's math.

Not trying to change the world, just wondering if anyone else uses it? I'm so used to baker's math that everything I see percentages, I calculate based on percent of base malt.

conpewter

Recipes 

I don't get how scaling is easier with bakers math, could you do an example for me?

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mightynintendo

Recipes 

You're looking at two ways of successfully accomplishing the same goal. If you like baker's math why wouldn't you use it?

beerman0001

Recipes 

I still have old bread formulas based on 1gal.

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pelipen

Recipes 

Baker's math works this way:
Base = 100%
Ingredient 1 = x % of base
Ingredient 2 = y % of base

So if you have 8 lbs of 2-row and you had a formula like this:
2-row = 100 %
Malt 1 = 10 %
Malt 2 = 5 %

You immediately know you can make
2-Row = 8 lbs
Malt 1 = 8 * (10%) = .8 lbs = 12.8 oz
Malt 2 = 8 * (5%) = .4 lbs = 6.4 oz

The other way, you do something like:
8 lbs 2-row (87 %) = 8/(8 + x + y) = .87
Malt 1 (8.7 %) = x lbs = x/(8 + x + y) = .087
Malt 2 (4.3 %) = y lbs = y/(8 + x + y) = .043
Then solve for x and y to get x = 0.8; y = 0.4. One way, certainly not the only way.

If you're starting from an arbitrary amount, baker's math can be easier to use. Granted if you already have weights, percent is irrelevant and scaling is easy.

Yes it's two routes to the same end. I'm just curious if anyone else uses the other. It's interesting that the baking industry does it one way and brewing the other, yet both require ratios, which isn't to say either is wrong. just curious.

conpewter

Recipes 

Interesting point. I'm not sure why it started that way but I'm sure at this point software for the two industries, plus tradition is enough to keep it going in their own rut.

__________________
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." - V

Primary: Nothin
Secondary: Shady Lord RIS, Water to Barleywine, Pumpkin wine, burnt mead
Kegged: Crappy infected mild
Bottles: Apfelwein, 999 Barleywine, Oatmeal Stout, Robust Porter, Robust smoked porter, Simcoe Smash

asterix404

Recipes 

The reason is really simple the grain bill was always a ratio to scale to different volumes. A heff recipe that I have calls for 25% Munich, 75% Wheat with a BU:GU ratio of about .5. Typically the degree Plato was fixed for specific values (at least in Germany) or the mash tun size in Belgium. If you were going to change equipment it never helped to have it done by weight.

Here is the question that is answered: You need to brew a 54GP beer with a BU:GU ratio of .5
You know that to brew 5G you need about 10lb of grain to do this. You also know that to brew 31G you would need 31/5 * 10 pounds. To brew 50BBL you would need 310*10 (50*31/5 = 10*31 or 310) pounds of grain. When you are dealing with such huge weights, a few kilos or pounds going over your ideal ratio won't really matter at all. Got 5G this is a bit amplified, but think of the scale.

Most beer throughout history was brewed with a single grain or maybe two and a variety of other ingredients at home. This more or less lends itself to grain ratios to hit a specific OG and for ease of replication or larger scales if need be.

pelipen

Recipes 

thats a good point. 4, 5, 6 adjunct bills are more a recent advent I suppose. One or two ingredients in a fixed ratio is easy to eyeball. A modern commercial brewery doing the same thing day in and out likely doesn't care once the recipe is final.