Big Beers
Specific gravity is a measure of the density of a liquid compared to the density of water. A liquid that is 5% denser than water has a gravity of 1.05. In the beer industry, this is commonly referred to as a gravity of 1050 or 50.
This measurement is useful to breweries because it can tell them roughly how much fermentable sugars are present in the beer before the yeast has done its work (original gravity), and after (final, or finished gravity). From these measurements, the brewer knows how much sugar the yeast converted to alchol, and can estimate how much alcohol is present in the finished beer.
You never used to see specific gravity on beer labels or beer lists. Although you still rarely see finished gravity, it is becoming more and more commong to see original gravity. For example, the Nerax website provides a beer list which includes both alchol content and original gravity. This is common at brewpubs as well.
If you only know the original gravity of a beer, you can roughly estimate the beer's alcohol content. A beer with a 1055 gravity will be about 5.5% alchol by volume. A beer with a 1042 gravity will be about 4.2% ABV. This is only a very rough estimate - there really are a lot of factors involved in how much of the sugars in the beer will actually wind up being metabolized by the yeast.
It has become obvious that I'm fond of higher-gravity beers (all my reviews so far have been of beers with an original gravity over 1050). Well, it appears that I am not unique in the preference (big shock). A quick examination of the Nerax beerlist shows that of almost 40 American beers making an appearance, only 4 have an original gravity under 1050.
Oddly enough, if you look at the British beer list, of over 26 beers, only 2 of them have a gravity OVER 1050. Not suprisingly, one of them, Fuller's ESB, is a long-time favorite of mine, probably my overall favorite British beer.
I've only been able to make it to one session of Nerax so far. I'm going to make it to the final one this evening, as well, and hopefully I'll have some tasting reports.
This measurement is useful to breweries because it can tell them roughly how much fermentable sugars are present in the beer before the yeast has done its work (original gravity), and after (final, or finished gravity). From these measurements, the brewer knows how much sugar the yeast converted to alchol, and can estimate how much alcohol is present in the finished beer.
You never used to see specific gravity on beer labels or beer lists. Although you still rarely see finished gravity, it is becoming more and more commong to see original gravity. For example, the Nerax website provides a beer list which includes both alchol content and original gravity. This is common at brewpubs as well.
If you only know the original gravity of a beer, you can roughly estimate the beer's alcohol content. A beer with a 1055 gravity will be about 5.5% alchol by volume. A beer with a 1042 gravity will be about 4.2% ABV. This is only a very rough estimate - there really are a lot of factors involved in how much of the sugars in the beer will actually wind up being metabolized by the yeast.
It has become obvious that I'm fond of higher-gravity beers (all my reviews so far have been of beers with an original gravity over 1050). Well, it appears that I am not unique in the preference (big shock). A quick examination of the Nerax beerlist shows that of almost 40 American beers making an appearance, only 4 have an original gravity under 1050.
Oddly enough, if you look at the British beer list, of over 26 beers, only 2 of them have a gravity OVER 1050. Not suprisingly, one of them, Fuller's ESB, is a long-time favorite of mine, probably my overall favorite British beer.
I've only been able to make it to one session of Nerax so far. I'm going to make it to the final one this evening, as well, and hopefully I'll have some tasting reports.
posted by Chris at 2:52 PM
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