Most Accurate Way to Measure ABV without Anton Paar or U Tube?

[gladjar123123]

I am trying to look for methods that will give me the most accurate ABV readings without having to spend crazy amounts of money on density instrumentation. All I can use at the moment are hydrometers and possibly a distillation kit. Is there are detailed procedure out there that I can use? Intense equations and other ABV detailing ideas are welcome!

 

[VikeMan]

Using a hydrometer and a good ABV calculation gives an estimate (generally a pretty dang good one) of ABV. Is there a reason you need an exact ABV? Most commercial brewers don't even bother with anything other than hydrometers/refractometers.

 

[Qhrumphf]

As long as you use the long form equation (the "alternate" on Brewers Friend) and not the short (OG-FG)*131.25, the calculation is pretty darned close.

Without big bucks it's either that or distillation. Or sending to a lab who has the expensive stuff. I thought at one point White Labs offered ABV among other analyses but I could be wrong.

With distillation if you don't do it right/precisely/accurately enough you'll easily introduce just as large a margin of error as calculating in the first place. Distillation measurement is more useful when in a situation where the calcs won't work (removing alcohol, added booze from a barrel, etc).

 

[gladjar123123]

Using a hydrometer and a good ABV calculation gives an estimate (generally a pretty dang good one) of ABV. Is there a reason you need an exact ABV? Most commercial brewers don't even bother with anything other than hydrometers/refractometers.

I’m trying to find a method that is TABC certified, and I know a yeast lab in the area that doesn’t use fancy equipment but has TABC approved method of taking ABV and I’m trying to imitate it for a production brewery so they no longer have to go through them.

 

[gladjar123123]

As long as you use the long form equation (the "alternate" on Brewers Friend) and not the short (OG-FG)*131.25, the calculation is pretty darned close.

Without big bucks it's either that or distillation. Or sending to a lab who has the expensive stuff. I thought at one point White Labs offered ABV among other analyses but I could be wrong.

With distillation if you don't do it right/precisely/accurately enough you'll easily introduce just as large a margin of error as calculating in the first place. Distillation measurement is more useful when in a situation where the calcs won't work (removing alcohol, added booze from a barrel, etc).

I assumed it was that easy (longer equation method) and I questioned if distilling the wort was absolutely nessesary. I mean, I’d do it, I’ve worked with distillation before plenty of times but if it’s not a reliable method I’ll just use the equation method. Thanks for the input.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I assumed it was that easy (longer equation method) and I questioned if distilling the wort was absolutely nessesary. I mean, I’d do it, I’ve worked with distillation before plenty of times but if it’s not a reliable method I’ll just use the equation method. Thanks for the input.

If you've got (or are willing to buy) some worthwhile labware for precise/accurate measurements (both volume and mass), and are willing to spend the time it's plenty reliable. But if you're not selling the product, the question becomes "why?". If it's purely scientific curiosity, then by all means distill away. But for normal beers, the equations are close enough.

 

[gladjar123123]

If you've got (or are willing to buy) some worthwhile labware for precise/accurate measurements (both volume and mass), and are willing to spend the time it's plenty reliable. But if you're not selling the product, the question becomes "why?". If it's purely scientific curiosity, then by all means distill away. But for normal beers, the equations are close enough.

 

[Qhrumphf]

There's an ASBC method for it that IIRC is TTB approved.

 

[gladjar123123]

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