Sugar... yes please?

Measuring residual sugar in your homebrews.

Here is the 1 minute video explaining Cider Dryness

(This is a reading of a cider. It is semi-sweet by definition as it is > 1 Brix and < 4 Brix)

If you know me, you know I like to take really complicated things and try to make them as simple as possible. This topic can get crazy for a homebrewer. Should you get an expensive piece of equipment? That depends. One of the greatest questions I've ever heard in my experience on this earth, and one that slaps our overthinkers in the face, is what decision will you make with the information given? That means we can measure down to the nth degree, but why? If the information isn't going to inform better decisions for us, what is the point of gathering the information? Answer: There isn't any point.

That's just about how far down the rabbit hole you can go with this topic. MOST of us homebrewers just need a good idea of how much sugar is left in our experiments. Yes...I said experiments. Every time you homebrew. It is a little experiment. So buckle in and check out this dramatic oversimplification. For this, you will need one tool. That tool is extremely affordable. It is something every homebrewer should own. A hydrometer.

This is an amazing one: Hydrometer (Amazon)

If you already have one, get a backup. Trust me. When you have an accident with yours, and you will, you'll thank me.

First, some definitions. There are different levels of sweetness with ciders and meads. This can be measured on your hydrometer. Specific Gravity (SG) is used by a lot of brewers (myself included), but for this trick, it is easier to use Brix.

Ciders

1. Dry < 1 Brix (1.004 SG)

2. Semi-sweet < 4 Brix (1.016 SG)

3. Sweet > 4 Brix (1.016 SG)

Meads

1. Dry < 2.5 Brix (1.010 SG)

2. Semi-sweet <6.5 Brix (1.025 SG)

3. Sweet <12.5 Brix (1.050 SG)

Keep in mind this is only a way to ESTIMATE your residual sugar. This is not precise. Again, what are you going to do with this information? What specifically will you do? If you're entering a competition, or you're just wanting to define it for home use. This method will work great.

So here is the trick (add .004 for each level of Brix for SG for example 1 Brix is roughly 1.004 SG):

1 Brix = 1% residual sugar = 10g/L

2 Brix = 2% residual sugar = 20g/L

3 Brix = 3% residual sugar = 30g/L

4 Brix = 4% residual sugar = 40g/L

5 Brix = 5% residual sugar = 50g/L

And so on...

You can see why it is easier to use Brix. It just makes the estimation simple. If you find yourself wanting to know EXACTLY what your residual sugars are, then do the following:

1. What decision will I make knowing that information?

2. Am I a commercial brewer reporting to the Fed?

3. Is my wallet really thick?

Those questions should help you come back to planet earth and do what we do best RDWHAHB.

Cheers!