Abv

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LiquidLunch5211 said:
Is it possible to calculate ABV after beer has been carbonated if I have OG?

If you have the OG and feel you can safely assume the FG then you can calculate the ABV. Most of my beers finish around 1.010 unless I am aiming higher.
 
forstmeister said:
If you have the OG and feel you can safely assume the FG then you can calculate the ABV. Most of my beers finish around 1.010 unless I am aiming higher.

The pre boil was 1.105
OG 1.062
I measured FG at 1.035
If my calc is right it's only roughly 3.4%
I was just wondering if I could take another reading but its already carbonated
 
I would pour a beer and let it go flat (you could help it along through agitation), then measure the gravity of the now flat beer.

Will it be perfectly accurate, not sure. Will it get you close, I would think so.
 
I would pour a beer and let it go flat (you could help it along through agitation), then measure the SG of the now flat beer.

Will it be perfectly accurate, not sure. Will it get you close, I would think so.

This.

Just make sure you account for temperature, if the sample is still cold then you must adjust for the difference (there's calculators out there for this) as hydrometers are set for 60f or 65f. Otherwise your reading will be out (too high, if it's below 65f).
 
Psych said:
This.

Just make sure you account for temperature, if the sample is still cold then you must adjust for the difference (there's calculators out there for this) as hydrometers are set for 60f or 65f. Otherwise your reading will be out (too high, if it's below 65f).

I use a refractometer does temp make a a difference?
 
LiquidLunch5211 said:
I use a refractometer does temp make a a difference?

Refractometers do not measure fermented wort accurately. You need a hydrometer for that.
 
cluckk said:
It looks right.
(( (OG-FG)*105)*1.25)=ABV

I am so lazy. I haven't calculated abv in forever. Once I put brewing software on my phone and computer I gave up doing actual math.
 
Ok thanks is my math accurate for final ABV

No. Not if measured with a refractometer.

A refractometer works because of the way light refracts in it. When alcohol is in the mix, this is completely inaccurate. There are some calculators that you can use to estimate actual FG with some formulas that should account for alcohol in the mix (which skews the reading), but I've never had one that was accurate.
 
Yooper said:
No. Not if measured with a refractometer.

A refractometer works because of the way light refracts in it. When alcohol is in the mix, this is completely inaccurate. There are some calculators that you can use to estimate actual FG with some formulas that should account for alcohol in the mix (which skews the reading), but I've never had one that was accurate.

All these numbers were from the brew day with refractometer. I just thought this beer had more ABVs then what I came out with and wanted to double check.
 
All these numbers were from the brew day with refractometer. I just thought this beer had more ABVs then what I came out with and wanted to double check.

But your FG, if taken with a refractometer, is wrong. Not even close to accurate. Unless you did take it with a hydrometer- then it would be correct.
 
Yooper said:
But your FG, if taken with a refractometer, is wrong. Not even close to accurate. Unless you did take it with a hydrometer- then it would be correct.

I just measured the brew with a hydrometer and its says 1.037 carbonated but flat and room temp. I am sorry if theses are poor questions but can u explain how to calculated the final gravity accurately to me please I think I am doing something wrong. Thanks
 
I just measured the brew with a hydrometer and its says 1.037 carbonated but flat and room temp. I am sorry if theses are poor questions but can u explain how to calculated the final gravity accurately to me please I think I am doing something wrong. Thanks

If it's flat, the 1.037 is the FG. That's awfully high, but that's another issue.

With 1.037 as the FG and 1.062, the formula is (1.062-1.037) x 131= ABV

so, that's 3.28% ABV

With such a high FG, there was something wrong with the fermentation. It's too late now to fix it, but please be aware of the possibility of bottle bombs.

for next time, make sure you don't rack or bottle the beer until it's actually finished and at an acceptable Fg.
 
Yooper said:
If it's flat, the 1.037 is the FG. That's awfully high, but that's another issue.

With 1.037 as the FG and 1.062, the formula is (1.062-1.037) x 131= ABV

so, that's 3.28% ABV

With such a high FG, there was something wrong with the fermentation. It's too late now to fix it, but please be aware of the possibility of bottle bombs.

for next time, make sure you don't rack or bottle the beer until it's actually finished and at an acceptable Fg.

Ok it was in primary for 7 days and secondary for 14 days and in the keg conditioning for 7 days before I put it on tap. I gues from what your saying is it was not finished fermenting?
 
Ok it was in primary for 7 days and secondary for 14 days and in the keg conditioning for 7 days before I put it on tap. I gues from what your saying is it was not finished fermenting?

Or, if it was, that something caused it to be stuck. Depending on the type of beer, I'd expect a FG of 1.010-1.016 or so. For some sweet stouts, 1.020 would be ok.
 
My question is how did you have an Pre-boil of 1.105, but an OG of only 1.062? Seems like something went wrong there.
 
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