BrewCipher 6

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by VikeMan, Dec 17, 2019.

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  1. riptorn

    riptorn Pooh-Bah (1,776) Apr 26, 2018 Georgia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Hydrometer OG = 1.107
    °Brix FG = 13.2 with two refractometers, one a dual scale that corresponded to ~1.055 SG.

    As info, two online calculators converted 1.107 SG to 25.3°. BC converts 25.3° Original Brix to 1.1022
     
    #81 riptorn, May 12, 2021
  2. riptorn

    riptorn Pooh-Bah (1,776) Apr 26, 2018 Georgia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yeah, that's what I did originally, entered 26.4° for Original Brix. Leaving that as is when entering the current Brix of 13.2 to FG in BrewCipher it returns 1.0184, which is still > 6 points lower than predicted FG, 6 days in. I suppose it's possible that it fermented out that quickly and beyond completely. It's a 5-gallon batch split between two fermentors, pitching a whole pack of Nottingham into each fermentor.

    FWIW 13.2 was measured with two refractometers, one a dual scale. The dual scale and two online calculators (well, one is actually a chart) all come in at ~1.055 for 13.2 °Brix.
     
    #82 riptorn, May 12, 2021
  3. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    There are Brix/SG conversion calculators that convert a true brix to SG and vice versa. These are not for beer wort, because they don't have a wort correction factor. Refractometer calculators (like the one in BC) do.

    Re: the 1.055 for 13.2 Brix... You can't use the charts or the true brix to SG converters, especially after fermentation starts.. Not only do they not have a wort correction factor, but they also don't take alcohol into account, which is necessary.

    Re: 6 points lower than expected... my advice is always, when in doubt, double check with a hydrometer.
     
    #83 VikeMan, May 13, 2021
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  4. riptorn

    riptorn Pooh-Bah (1,776) Apr 26, 2018 Georgia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Thanks for the lesson.:slight_smile:
    There was a time when I used only a hydrometer. Now I use one for first and last readings, and use a refractometer in the interim (because of the small sample needed) to get a feel for when it's stable.
    Maybe I'll eventually be comfortable enough to use a refractometer more effectively, but I do enjoy those samples from the hydro.
     
    #84 riptorn, May 13, 2021
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  5. SpaceBrewer135

    SpaceBrewer135 Initiate (39) May 27, 2021

    Hi @VikeMan,

    Great looking tool! I've been playing around with it a bit and I don't suppose it can be used for step mashes without water infusions (i.e. heating to the next step in a kettle)?
     
    #85 SpaceBrewer135, May 27, 2021
  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Well, you could specify your strike water to grain ratio (on the recipe tab or override it on the Step Mash tab), and enter your step temperatures on the Step Mash tab for reference. Then, just ignore the step water volumes and water temps (except for the first one, if that one is going to be infused).

    But if you mean switch back and forth between direct heating and infusing in the same mash, no, there's really no way to do that.
     
    #86 VikeMan, May 27, 2021
  7. SpaceBrewer135

    SpaceBrewer135 Initiate (39) May 27, 2021

    Isn't the extra mash time for heating up between the rests gonna mess up the calculations? It adds up to about 25 minutes extra in the recipe I'm looking at right now. Anyway, I'm just gonna try it sometime, maybe play with the step times a bit to account for the heat-up time.

    Thanks!
     
    #87 SpaceBrewer135, May 28, 2021
  8. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes. But the truth is, nobody has attenuation data or models that address the impacts of this. If its your standard practice, you may find the "Step Infusion Attenuation Power Factor" parameter on the Brewhouse Parameters tab useful for dialing in the predictions.

    ETA: If you have data from previous batches, you could compare actual to predicted attenuations and find the value for the power factor that minimizes the average difference for your process.
     
    #88 VikeMan, May 28, 2021
  9. riptorn

    riptorn Pooh-Bah (1,776) Apr 26, 2018 Georgia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    @VikeMan I'm considering adding ripe/dried hatch chiles and green, roasted, frozen & thawed hatch chiles to a 4.75-gallon batch secondary. Do you have info (or a gut feeling :nauseated_face:) about the impact of chiles during beer fermentation.

    Trying to tag @GreenKrusty101 (self-proclaimed Grand Poobah of Smoked Hatch Chile Porters) but it appears he's inactive.
     
    #89 riptorn, Jun 2, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2021
  10. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Like any fruit, they'll contribute water, sugars, and non-sugar carbs. So they'll change the effective combined OG, FG, and ABV. But peppers aren't usually used in large amounts, so it may not even be worth doing the math. How much were you planning to add?
     
    #90 VikeMan, Jun 2, 2021
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  11. riptorn

    riptorn Pooh-Bah (1,776) Apr 26, 2018 Georgia
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    No more than 5 oz. each of ripe/dried and green/roasted/frozen/thawed in 4.75 gallons of beer.
     
    #91 riptorn, Jun 2, 2021
  12. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Eh, I probably wouldn't bother figuring this out, but the May/June BYO has a model if you want to do it.
     
    #92 VikeMan, Jun 2, 2021
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  13. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Version 6.8 is now up for download.

    New/Updated in v6.8:

    - added BrewHouse Efficiency Display (calculated based on user input Mash Efficiency, BrewHouse parameters, and Recipe)
    - added Residual Alkalinity Display to Water Tab (I was reluctant to add this, since RA is not (shouldn't be) a target in and of itself, but folks asked for it, so it's displayed for info)
    - added Total Fermentables Weight Display to Grain Input Section
    - added Plato to SG and SG to Plato conversion calculators to the SG Correction tab
    - improved some misc Displays
    - added/tweaked some Ingredients

    BrewCipher runs in Excel, Apache Open Office, Google Sheets App, and the iOS Excel App. Download it from -> Google Drive <- or -> DropBox <-. Go ahead. Don't cost nothin'.
     
    #93 VikeMan, Aug 23, 2021
    KeyWestGator, riptorn, Beer_Life and 1 other person like this.
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