Beer Brewing Technique: Hit your gravity with every brew EASY GUIDE

A guide on how to always hit your precise gravity in beer brewing every time. This method is shown for brewers world wide with two different versions.
Channel links:-
groups/Brewbeer
www.teespring....
Introduction music:- Drink Beer (Till The Day That I Die) by Dazie Mae

[@michaelcooney7687]

A very tricky concept so well explained that I got it straight away... boom...!! Thanks again

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear Michael :)

[@rubene4403]

Thank you for making this easy. I already knew about this method but was a bit confused about the calculations.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Cheers Ruben, I am glad that you found it useful

[@zberteoc]

So we dilute by adding cold water to the wort. I assume that water has to be preboiled to make sure there is nothing in it that will compromise the fermentation. Also, what happens if the current gravity is less than the target? Continue boiling?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

That would be best advice yes. To add gravity I suggest adding DME. Boiling longer is not a great idea as the beer will become more bitter than intended.

[@MrDavidudon]

Thank you, David - your videos are are so informative and you are able to break down complex ideas to simple explanations. This video is a breakthrough (hopefully for me as many of my all grain brew are much stronger than I really wanted), and I look forward to having more control over my ABV. However, I am wondering how to take in the extra .5% from priming sugar when bottling. Would adding 15% more gravity in the recipe (for an average 5% ale) do the trick? Cheers and thanks for your time :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks David, great to hear :) When it comes to priming sugar this is added on top of the recipes ABV rather than as part of it. The main reason being that you really want to be very sure of your carbonation levels.

[@thomasnicoletto8912]

Hi David, if I change the boiling time from 60 to 30 minutes on Brewfather, it automatically reduces the water needed for the sparge, I think that's correct, or not? Thanks Bud

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Thomas, yes that is right 🍻

[@alexandrekauffmann7747]

just what I needed ! Thanks !

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Great to hear :)

[@kennethlarsen3687]

Brilliant David. Thankyou !!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Kenneth :)

[@vbsbkjer2]

Thank you, good video.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Many thanks Bob :)

[@EulogyAdd]

Watching this video while brewing the Dry Irish Stout from your last video.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Awesome, I am writing this while drinking my latest brew of that stout lol :p

[@1983markL]

Hi David, great video!! thanks for this.... I am still learning and although I've been brewing for almost two years, its only recently that I've begun doing my own recipes and actually started paying attention to readings and targets. I used to always just follow the all grain recipe kits from my local homebrew store and hope for the best.. Just some questions on this method in you video: 1. Could I apply the same rule/formula but not add the 10% extra (in other words, could I just use this as a guide to see where I'm headed OG wise during brew day?) 2. Could I also then "reduce" the amount of wort based off the same formula? If I'm over in my wort volume...could I just then extend the boil time to reduce wort. 3.Finally, could I do this with a hydrometer? Or does it have to be with a refractometer? Cheers, and thanks for all your excellent videos! I've learned so much watching you stuff

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Mark :) 1) Yes, sure 2) The thing to be careful of here is that this will change the BU:GU balance.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

3) The refractometer is ideal before fermentation but after this the hydrometer is the one to use.

[@CM-ef8fu]

Thank you very much Sir!

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you, glad you found it useful :)

[@Darge]

Hi David, Is the only reason to use a refractometer here that it's quicker to get a reading? Versus cooling down a trial jar sample to 20c?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes, thats it :)

[@trondbrattland6380]

Hi. Nice video. I have two questions. First, do you practice this method yourself, or do you try to hit the exact numbers from the beginning? Second, when the wort cools down it will compact some. Do you take that fact into consideration?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I have used this method yes but I do not use it for every brew. Yes, final volume is factored in when you use good brewing software but it can only estimate. You will need to see what you get and then dilute according to gravity and volume.

[@sdrhodes82]

Hi David, Is it acceptable to add this dilution water at the end of the boil rather than the start to avoid overfilling my Brewzilla. I'm guessing yes considering the BU/GU ratio has already been adjusted. Cheers 🍻

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Sure, no problem at all :)

[@1948gordy]

Hi David, I need to ask a beginners question. I've always used a hydrometer but decided to purchase a refractometer, all the way from China (yeah, I know). Anyway, it looks exactly the same as the one in your video. I've immediately run into a problem. Using my hydrometer I measured 1.020. Using the refractometer, I measured 1.035. This was at 20 deg C. Is my refractometer faulty? Apparently, they don't like measuring alcohol, which kind of makes them useless, or have I got that wrong? Apologies for a newbie question.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Gordon. A refractometer is only useful for gravity during the brew and up until the yeast starts. Ideal for fast readings during the brew.

[@jauld360]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew They are also useful to know when fermentation has stopped. Having the same reading for two or three days indicates completion of fermentation. Take a FG reading with your hydrometer at this point, bearing in mind the possibility of a stuck fermentation. If the FG is in the expected range, fermentation is complete.

[@nicolaiholrits5983]

Hi, do you take the sg Reading after the boil?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Yes and during to check how things are progressing.

[@jamesgoacher2433]

What about in the opposite direction? Malt Extract to add. Or maybe settle for less quantity. A similar thing could be done with the Pre-Boil SG and stop boiling when the volume has been reached, maybe.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi James, I have covered this in previous videos but this method makes the need for malt extract obsolete.

[@geraldmuldoon2199]

Hello David, thank you for this very informative video on a very important subject and the clarity you have provided. Can I suggest something regarding the volume addition of water to the brew. Your example shows a final addition of 2.27 litres of water as this is a very precise amount would it be an enhancement to your video to say that 2.27 litres of water equates to 2270gms by weight as this allows us brewers to hit the precise addition by weight and not by volume which is not as accurate to measure. Just a thought ?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Gerald. I've never really though that weight relative to volume would be of interest to people. Are you weighing your brews in this way? Why not simply go by volume? Interesting :)

[@andrewlevett4274]

Hi David, when you add water at the end, if it’s tap water do you add a small amount of campden? I am guessing you use boiled and cooled if it’s tap water.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

To be on the safe side I would use preboiled water. At homebrew levels you wont need much. So you could preboil say 5L the day before and just keep it in a pot to cool overnight. It is handy to use for accelerated cooling.

[@Dts1953]

Very helpful to me this video. I wondered why when I took a refractometer reading from pre boil wort at around 65 to 70 degrees Celsius I got for example a reading of 1.040 yet two or three minutes later it has gone up to 1.042 or 1.043. I wondered which one was correct and used the higher figure to give me higher brewing efficiency figures. I thought I was cheating a bit so which figure is likely to be correct?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

The later value :) Ignore the ATC stickers, they are nonsense!

[@petercoathup5305]

Hi David, My refractometer readings differ slightly from my hydrometer readings for my wort but much more so for my fermented ale (IPA). I've given time for temperatures to equalise, so what is the problem? My refractometer is always zero'd against water before checking the beer. Regards.

[@peterscandlyn]

FWIW I've always understood refractometer is no good for reading of fermented liquids, i.e. liquids that contain alcohol?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hi Peter. The refractometer is only useful before alcohol is present. They are both temperature sensitive but a drop of wort cools in less than 5 mins, hence the 5 min wait time. Hope this clears this up for you :)

[@paulomartins2523]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew I have been using refractometer to measure my FG with no problems too, it's only keep the device calibrated with water and wort... Only to keep monitoring if fermentation is working well , after 2 days with the same measure in the refractometer I change to hydrometer to the last reading....

[@LeightonSmithiii]

Peter Coathup, I had the same problem until I discovered that Refractometers don’t work well when alcohol is present after fermentation begins. You need to use a calculator such as the one in this link to adjust for this: www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/

[@petercoathup5305]

@@LeightonSmithiii Thank you for the reply and link. I'll check it out. Cheers.

[@A2an]

Nice video, please keep on. It is good with some technical stuff, it's hard to find.

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you, will do :)

[@noodle845]

So if you use this diluting method after the boil, you would throw the hop/malt balance out the window, so you'd have to allow for some more bittering hops at the start of the boil? Would it be easier to adjust the wort before the boil to hit the right preboil, and then as you near the end of the boil, check the gravity and end the boil early if needed?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

The trick here is to allow for an amount that gives a leeway. I also have to tell you that studies have revealed that BU:GU ratio balance in homebrew is at best 20% in differential either way. In most cases 30% off. We do not have a precise science here.

[@noodle845]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew interesting, thanks for the reply. I may use your method without adjusting the hops then just to see what happens! I dont think I'll be far out enough to worry in that case

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hope it goes well for you.

[@dominiks.2949]

Thank you very much for the video! I have a quick question - Can I dilute my wort day after brewing with the yeast already pitched?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thank you :) Yes you can. Just make sure the water has been either pasteurised or boiled and then allowed to cool. Best to add it at the same temperature as the wort. Do not stir :)

[@dominiks.2949]

@@DavidHeathHomebrew Perfect!! Thank you very much

[@skylandhumen]

Hi david . I just don't know that 1.why gravity multiply by liter 2.why barrel to plato Is the math problem? can I use plato to liter? Thank you

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I believe it will work, try it and match figures to test.

[@chrisgirardi1702]

Love your videos...wondering if there are any Home Brew books you’d recommend ? Father’s Day coming up :)

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Thanks Chris. Books by John Palmer (especially how to brew) and Randy Mosher.

[@chrisgirardi1702]

David Heath Homebrew great I just ordered How to brew !

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

@@chrisgirardi1702 It is a great book, that regularly gets updated to the latest information.

[@spawn2qc217]

I cheat and add dry malt extract if I am under my target OG. Feels good to say it 😂

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Haha no problem there. It just adds more cost 🍻🍻🍻

[@spawn2qc217]

You are right David. I'm going to try adding 10% more grain bill next brew. Do you keep the same hops volume or you also increase BU by 10% ?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

You will be watering it down so hops can stay the same

[@tonincx]

adding 10% more gravity ??? If starting gravity is 1,041 , add 10% equals 1,145. To get that kind of gravity I need to use 15kg of pils malt instead of the original 4,5kg to get 1,041

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Its 10% more malt :)

[@mtrout3394]

Pen and paper at the ready....

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

I hope this helps :)

[@kentericsolberg7958]

Hi David. What you are showing here is that you have a higher gravity than the recipe. (Sg/liters). What us homebrewer often encounter is that we are getting lower gravity then the recipe. Should we then remove some worth?

[@DavidHeathHomebrew]

Hey Kent, If you use this method then you will have a higher gravity than the recipe, thats the whole idea :) You add 10% plus more gravity to your recipe at the start by using more fermentables. This way you have a buffer to play with and it makes the whole thing far easier.