Hey there,
I'm hoping someone can clarify how hydrometers work. I understand how to use them and how to read them but I don't quite understand why they work.
My understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that it's basically a weighted density meter. The more sugars present in the wort the denser the fluid , the higher the meter floats. After fermentation there are less sugars, the meter sinks further and the difference is essentially how much sugar was consumed.
I guess what I'm not grasping is why it's assumed that only sugars change the density of the fluid. Wouldn't dissolved salts, gases, other by products, flavor and aroma molecules, hop particles etc all effect the density? Aren't there other changes occuring outside of sugar consumption?
Example: Beer 1 is a single malt light color low hopped wort at og 1.060.
Beer 2 is a dark complex stout at 1.060.
Wouldn't beer 2 og be artificially inflated by all the other "junk" dissolved in the wort in comparison to beer 1?
I know everyone uses it so it must work, I'm just trying to understand the science behind it. Thanks ahead of time, Please feel free to get technical , I'm happy to learn.
I'm hoping someone can clarify how hydrometers work. I understand how to use them and how to read them but I don't quite understand why they work.
My understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong) is that it's basically a weighted density meter. The more sugars present in the wort the denser the fluid , the higher the meter floats. After fermentation there are less sugars, the meter sinks further and the difference is essentially how much sugar was consumed.
I guess what I'm not grasping is why it's assumed that only sugars change the density of the fluid. Wouldn't dissolved salts, gases, other by products, flavor and aroma molecules, hop particles etc all effect the density? Aren't there other changes occuring outside of sugar consumption?
Example: Beer 1 is a single malt light color low hopped wort at og 1.060.
Beer 2 is a dark complex stout at 1.060.
Wouldn't beer 2 og be artificially inflated by all the other "junk" dissolved in the wort in comparison to beer 1?
I know everyone uses it so it must work, I'm just trying to understand the science behind it. Thanks ahead of time, Please feel free to get technical , I'm happy to learn.