Please enlighten me.

[baldmagicguy]

I keep seeing recipes and threads here where everyone is referring to drams.

"I added a dram of this liquid extract to the secondary." or "I just bought a few drams of this or that."

I did a Google search to find out how much a dram is in ounces and came up with several definitions and explanations. Now I'm more confused than ever.

So... Can someone enlighten me on this?

Thanks,
Marty

 

[IslandLizard]

Can you point us to some examples of those recipes, or post some?

I've never seen anything in beer brewing ever specified in drams, it's such a small amount.

FYI: Dram (unit) - Wikipedia

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

Maybe a typo for grams?

 

[jrgtr42]

A lot of whiskey / Scotch people tend to use dram when talking about having one - "a wee dram of ..." I always presumed it didn't have a specific volume, but more whatever that person tended to drink - an ounce or two, with or without ice.
Guessing when it's referring to adding in secondary, it's more or less to taste - so they'll toss in what they have around - and this is mostly in barrel aging or approximation thereof.
|I have a couple jars of wood chunks soaking in booze - I didn't measure any of it - it's to cover what;s in there. If I use some in a beer, it's to taste.

 

[MaxStout]

Originally, 1/8 fluid ounce. But if someone orders a "dram" of whisky in a bar, they will likely get quite a bit more than that. "Dram" is basically a figure of speech, as no bartender would pour 1/8 oz of whisky.

I've never heard it used in reference to brewing, but maybe some old British recipes call for some additive in drams.

 

[baldmagicguy]

Can you point us to some examples of those recipes, or post some?

I've never seen anything in beer brewing ever specified in drams, it's such a small amount.

FYI: Dram (unit) - Wikipedia

Sure. This recipe and thread references drams multiple times referring to flavoring extract...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/successful-peanut-butter-stout.394302/

 

[hottpeper13]

A pinch of this and a handfull of that!

 

[IslandLizard]

Sure. This recipe and thread references drams multiple times referring to flavoring extract...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/successful-peanut-butter-stout.394302/

Yeah, now you mention it, those little Lorann bottles with flavoring are indeed in drams. But there is a fluid ounce (and ml) equivalent on the label too:

• 1 dram
• 0.125 fl.oz. (that's 1/8 fl.oz.)
• 3.7 ml (for comparison, a standard measure teaspoon is 5 ml)

https://www.lorannoils.com/1-dram-size
But many also come in larger sizes:
https://www.lorannoils.com/products-search?qs=peanut+butter+flavor

 

[baldmagicguy]

Thanks. I did not know that about the Lorann extracts.

Cheers!

Yeah, now you mention it, those little Lorann bottles with flavoring are indeed in drams. But there is a fluid ounce (and ml) equivalent on the label too:

• 1 dram
• 0.125 fl.oz. (that's 1/8 fl.oz.)
• 3.7 ml (for comparison, a standard measure teaspoon is 5 ml)

https://www.lorannoils.com/1-dram-size
But many also come in larger sizes:
https://www.lorannoils.com/products-search?qs=peanut+butter+flavor

 

[IslandLizard]

I did a Google search to find out how much a dram is in ounces and came up with several definitions and explanations. Now I'm more confused than ever.

Thanks. I did not know that about the Lorann extracts.

Cheers!

Saturday at our Big Brew gathering, where a few were brewing, we were also samling a plethora of craft beer and homebrew. One of our brewers said, while measuring out his brewing salts in grams, one of the 2 biggest mistakes the U.S. made was by not going Metric...
A (brief) discussion started.

I think we concluded from our discussion that even in those days it was much too impractical (and costly) to convert to metric because of all the existing SAE equipment already in use everywhere. As an example, the wood and metal industry.

But I agree, not being metric here in the U.S. is a damn pitfall. Me being raised and educated strictly metric in the Netherlands, I've been on the other side. For continental folks, visiting England was always a "cultural" education in that regard too.

When I moved to the U.S. I had to install the SAE module in my brain and learn to think with it. Of course I brew in SAE measurements. I have to use a converter to know that a 61°C sacch rest is not OK (142F).

 

[baldmagicguy]

I feel your pain, but I have the opposite problem. When I see something metric, my brain locks up and I have to pull out a calculator.