Why are beer recipes so uniform?

[AnOldUR]

I guess, though I would argue that the gram unit is more precise than the ounce unit since you would need to measure out to at least two decimal places in ounces to get the same level of precision of a a measurement made in grams. If I am off by 1 gram, I'm not that far off. If I'm off by 0.25 grams, I'm off by quite a bit.

But it wouldn't be a good argument because it all boils down to the precision of the scale you're using. My cheap Escali scale measures in whole grams, but in two decimal places for ounces (although the last digit is rounded to .05 increments.)

 

[JLem]

But it wouldn't be a good argument because it all boils down to the precision of the scale you're using. My cheap Escali scale measures in whole grams, but in two decimal places for ounces (although the last digit is rounded to .05 increments.)

Yeah, as soon as I wrote that I realized it didn't hold water. It all comes down to the number of significant digits one is able to measure accurately. If I had a scale that measured in 1/100ths of ounces I would probably use ounces instead of grams for my hop measurements (though at some point the number of significant digits would have no practical implication).

 

[KISS Brew]

Between unknown amounts of loss of AA% during storage and shipping and the fact that the stated AA% is just an average of that crop, you're only fooling yourself if you think that you're being accurate by using overly precise numbers.

I don't claim my IBUs are exactly what Beersmith spits out. My IBUs are, however, more consistent between recipes.

My scale measures to the gram or to the tenth of an ounce. If I put 15 grams of ahop in 3 different recipes, I'm adding 14.5-15.5 grams each time. If I put half an ounce of a hop in 3 different recipes, I'm adding .45-.55 ounces each time. Being off by a tenth of an ounce can make a difference in lower IBU recipes, and being off by at most a gram can help these beers be more consistent. This is obviously specific to my scale, which isn't the best to begin with, but it makes sense for me.

I don't understand why you're hostile to measuring hops in grams. For my scale in particular, it can't hurt, it can only help, and it takes zero extra effort. You can make great beer either way. I'm not trying to convince you to change your process. We might as well just agree to disagree on this one.

 

[AnOldUR]

Yeah, as soon as I wrote that I realized it didn't hold water.

I won an argument on the internet!
What do I win . . .what do I win?

 

[jonmohno]

Sometimes it doesnt even matter with hops. Ive found ive usually always needed more,probably do to the age of the hops.And the AAUs not being exactly what they say they are anyway. Ive tended to add more.The only more exact amout that i care about are the dark malts which can be overdone more easily,even said i still dont care about a few more grams with those malts. As far as small-batch brewing.

If you know particular grain tastes in beer than you will know the range to work with that you have with them. Depending on the yeast/and mineral content, the small grain amount may or may not matter as well. Its just like cooking and chefs who dont measure things out all the time.
Sorry if this is repeated info,didnt read through the whole thread.

 

[AnOldUR]

I don't understand why you're hostile to measuring hops in grams.

This really has nothing to do with the topic of precision vs. accuracy, but I apologize if I come off as being hostile. It's just suppose to be a little friendly discussion. And you misunderstand my position. There are no issues with using grams or ounces, it's saying that one system is more precise than the other that I would argue against.

 

[KISS Brew]

And you misunderstand my position. There are no issues with using grams or ounces, it's saying that one system is more precise than the other that I would argue against.

Thanks for clarifying - I guess we actually agree. Damn interwebs.

Grams are more precise on my crappy scale, but not as a unit of measure. YMMV.

Cheers!

 

[JLem]

I won an argument on the internet!
What do I win . . .what do I win?

Hell, if I knew you were going to gloat about it, I would've continued arguing

 

[theveganbrewer]

Talk about uniformity, pulled this up today and there were 38 views and 38 posts on this thread. Of course I was the one that came in and made it nonuniform, go figure. Now 39/38.

 

[Hopelesst]

For me it all comes down to asthetics, really. I like round numbers. From a more logical standpoint I will make two arguments for using uniform measurements:

1) Repeatability: I might not hit my goals exactly, over or under shooting a grain by hundreths or tenths of a pound, but I'm always shooting for the same number. Taking note of exactly how badly I missed the mark leaves me with only a more akward number to aim for next time.
2) Understanding the components: Everytime you complete any step of the brewing process you are building upon your previous experiences. Over time you can learn how different ingredients taste, how they interact with each other, and how strongly a change in quantity will affect a brew. Using nice round numbers helps me better quantify an ingredients impact on my beer. Adding a half pound of chocolate malt will stick in my brain much better than .637 lbs would.

 

[Netflyer]

It is a great question the OP poses... It could be that many 'stem' recipes started with simple ratios, Guiness 8,2,1, Pilsner 8,3,3,1 , (just made these up don't taze me for the wrong ratios) etc. and when people tweaked they tweaked in easy increments, probably 1/2 lb or the equivalent kg amount,