Hey guys, I've been using a basic kitchen scale for measuring hops and think I need to upgrade. It only measures to the tenth of a gram and would really like something to the hundredth to improve accuracy/reliability. I'd love to get into measuring out water additions but definitely don't trust mine to be accurate to the levels I need it. Any help is appreciated, thank you.
The Anvil scale is nice, sensitive and accurate to 0.1g. I actually use it to measure SG now. Not sure about cost because it it was on the prize table at a competition. Probably not cheap. 0.1oz is really good enough for hops.
I use this one and it is still great after several years of use... http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/jennings-jscale-js100x.html Note: Capacity is only 100g, but for hops and (especially) mineral additions, it's the tits. For grains, I use a postal scale. But the "JS100XV" has been out of production for a while. Here's its replacement... http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/jennings-jsr-100.html I don't remember mine being quite so inexpensive, but if this is a true equivalent replacement, it's a helluva deal.
Not sure I'm seeing the need. I use a kitchen scale from Walmart. Measures grams and tenths of an ounce. I suppose if someone showed me that in a five gallon batch I could tell the difference between a beer made with 28 grams of a hop and one made with 28.01 grams, I might reconsider.
OP also mentioned water additions, i.e brewing salts. Nice to see you back in these parts @jokelahoma!
Nice to be back! Yeah, with salts the difference could be slightly more important, but still, .01 gram is more than what's necessary for homebrew, IMO. But then we all pick and choose what to spend our money on, so there's that.
I got this scale a couple years ago, it works great, but it measures .1g https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012N1NAA Same company makes one that measures .01g https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SVLB8E
"How accurate is accurate enough?" does depend on one's priorities. I'd add that it also depends on batch size. A scale with 0.1g resolution has a built in resolution "error" of up to 0.05g. In measuring CaCl2 for a one gallon batch, that could mean a difference in pH of, say, 5.65 vs 5.59, which I would consider significant. In a 20 gallon batch, the same error (0.5g) could mean a pH difference that's not even measurable.
I use this one from Harbor Freight for weighing salts for brewing water. It's a little fussy, but it does have a resolution of 0.1 gm. For weighing out grains and hops I use this one, also from Harbor Freight. This scale has a resolution of 1 gm. I really like this second scale. Cheers!
