The density of beer is Density of beer in relation to water and weight

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The variety of beer palette offered to consumers in modern conditions is able to satisfy the taste of any, even the most sophisticated connoisseur of amber drink. There is no need to talk about a single standard or the most popular variety. There is an admirer for any shade of the taste of a foamy drink. Someone appreciates the light bitterness of lager, and the pleasant aftertaste of wheat or corn beer also has its fans. And someone likes the spicy aroma and richness of porter. Even the exotic fruity sourness of lambic and the bright chocolate flavor of stout have their admirers.

Density is not subject to variety

With all due respect to established traditions, brewers are constantly adding something new to the popular drink. The production process is being improved, new ingredients are being introduced, and flavors are being added. Thus, all over the world there are more and more new, unlike traditional types of beer. Each variety can have unique, sometimes with national flavor, properties. And yet, there remain immutable beer canons that apply to allvarieties. One of these constants of the brewing process is the density of beer. You need to pay attention to it first of all. After all, the main indicators indicated on the label are the density and strength of the drink. This information characterizes the taste and saturation of the beer, the amount of alcohol, the drink belongs to a certain variety.

What is the density of beer?

The density of beer is the main characteristic for this intoxicating drink. Often, when choosing an “amber” variety, consumers assign it a secondary role. But sophisticated connoisseurs know that this indicator directly affects the taste and strength of the drink. In brewing, to determine the amount of alcohol in beer, the specific gravity of the liquid is compared before and after fermentation. It is a measure of density in relation to the reference substance - water, whose density is 1 (1 kg per liter). This is the same as the ratio of the mass of a substance to a reference filler of the same volume. The pre-fermentation value is called the initial gravity of the must. After fermentation, it is called the final density. The difference between these two values indicates the amount of sugar involved in the fermentation process.

The density of beer, indicated on the label, expressed as a percentage of solids in a certain volume, characterizes the specific gravity of the beer wort before the fermentation process. After fermentation, it always decreases as the sugar is fermented into alcohol. The percentage decrease in density reflects the amount of glucose converted to alcohol. Forfor non-alcoholic beer, this value of the initial density does not exceed five percent, for traditional light beer - 12%. Indicators from 12 to 20% are typical for strong and dark varieties.

How is the density of beer expressed?

Let's try to understand this issue. During production, the density of beer and the weight of the product in different countries of the world are measured using different metric systems. In most of Europe, including Russia, as well as in the USA, it is determined by the hydrometer scale. This device indicates the percentage of sugar in the liquid. So, for a standard light beer, such as Zhigulevskoe, this value is 11%.

In England and countries historically associated with it, a hydrometer is used. The scale of this device determines the density of any liquid in relation to water, whose density is taken as 1. This is a standard value. The density of beer and water is expressed as a value above 1. And the higher it is, the stronger the drink. The density of beer in relation to water corresponds to the amount of alcohol contained in the drink. It has always been like this.

Beer gravity is always measured twice - before fermentation in the initial wort and after fermentation. The extractivity of the initial product in the production of light light varieties is 1.035-1.050 (9-11, 25%). Strong varieties have an initial value of 1.055-1.060 (13-15%). If necessary, based on these values it is also possible to determine the density of the beer (kg/m3).

Final Gravity

As fermentation progresses, sugar is converted into alcohol. At the same time, the densitydecreases. For light beers, the final value of the wort does not exceed 2% (1.00), for strong and dark types, the scale readings should be within 2.5%. Some varieties are made from concentrated wort with a high initial gravity. In this case, this indicator at the end of the fermentation process may be even higher, but there is no sweet aftertaste.

Determination of potential alcohol content is determined in two steps:

1. Measures the density of fully prepared beer wort, but without yeast. This indicator is the extract content of the initial wort or the initial value.
2. Measurement of density after the end of the cooking process, just before bottling. This is the endpoint value.

Based on the obtained values, using the table, you can determine the potential alcohol content in beer, its strength.

Beer strength

The amount of sugar in the initial wort, which, when interacting with yeast, is converted into alcohol. And it determines the strength of the beer, in other words, the percentage of alcohol in the volume of the drink. The amount of alcohol declared on the bottle will not always correspond to reality. The fact is that according to the standard, the declared alcohol content indicated on the label determines the minimum, and not the actual value. In other words, the actual alcohol content of the beer will always be slightly higher than what is written on the sticker.

Raw materials, technology and taste

Notonly the dry matter content of the initial wort influences the strength. An important role is played by the quality of yeast and m alt. The conditions and completeness of fermentation, the technology of preparation are taken into account. All of these factors also determine the flavor characteristics of beer.

Traditional varieties and champions

The most common beers contain three and a half to six percent alcohol. The process of preparing a strong drink with an alcohol content of about 12% is quite complicated due to the early cessation of yeast development. It is a mistake to think that alcohol is simply added to make strong beer. In such cases, technologists often resort to various tricks in production. For example, they use special alcohol-resistant yeast, champagne components. They also freeze the drink to separate the alcohols from the water.

There are varieties-record holders, the strength of which exceeds 40 degrees. The production technology of such a drink is far from traditional. The high alcohol content is achieved by repeatedly freezing the original product to remove moisture. Such a drink is quite expensive, because, in addition to a complex technological process, the initial volume of the product is reduced by 11-15 times.

The strongest beer on the planet from existing varieties is the Snake Venom brand. It was made by innovative Scottish brewers, apparently, the whiskey was simply fed up. Its strength is 67.5%, the price is eighty-one dollars for a bottle of 0.5 liters. Forto obtain the final product, the initial material was frozen 15 times, which led to a decrease in its volume by 11 times.