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Display Title Hydrometer/Digital Densitometer
Page Content
Tools Used in the Sampling Process
Specific tools are needed to analyze the samples taken during the sampling process. Select one of the tools below to learn more about it, including when and where it is used during the Sampling Process.
The Hydrometer/Digital Densitometer
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| Density is a fundamental property in beer quality that is used to monitor the progress of fermentation and calculate alcohol content. The two most common units of measurement in the beer industry are specific gravity and Plato. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water. Plato, on the other hand, expresses the density as an equivalent percentage of sucrose in water by weight.
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Density may be measured by several methods with substantial differences in price. The least expensive instruments are well known by homebrewers and professional brewers alike – the hydrometer and the refractometer. The next step up is the handheld densitometer, which greatly improves precision, robustness, and usability over imprecise refractometers and fragile hydrometers. The most precise (and most expensive) instruments are benchtop densitometers or alcolyzers.
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Regardless of the budget laid out for a densitometer, all breweries should be measuring starting gravity, terminal gravity, and gravity throughout fermentation to ensure quality.
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Hydrometer or
Refractometer |
Handheld
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Benchtop
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Cost
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< $50
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$2000-$4000
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>$15000
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Precision
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OK
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Good
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Great
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Robustness
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OK
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Good
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Great
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Portability
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Great |
Good
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None |
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