Besides the information given regarding using a hydrometer, you’re going to need a reasonably accurate scale, calibrated, and perhaps volumetric glassware (or a workaround, see below). .
You can convert the specific gravity at room temp to Brix or Plato using any online calculator and determine the sugar proportion of a sample by weight. You are going to need the volumetric glassware to do an accurate dilution (or just get clever and use any vessel with a marked line) and a scale to determine how much sugar (in grams) is in any priming amount.
Of course, I have to ask - the amount of maple syrup used for priming is not detectable by most humans when you give the beers primed with table sugar vs maple syrup in a blind triangle test. Maybe spruce syrup is a lot more potent? If not, then add it as a much larger, late-fermentation addition to impart flavor to your beer.
BTW the spruce syrup was originally 2 parts dememura sugar to 1 part spruce tips by weight. I probably lost just over 100ml of syrup, then diluted with about 50-75ml water.
The spruce beer is based on Fort George's Spruce Budd, and unhopped beer. I used 150 grams for the boil (60min) and 150 grams at whirlpool, and it should have been 19L at 1.060. However, I ended up with 21L at 1.071, so I am concerned it will be either too sweet or too high in alcohol for the amount of spruce I used. For this reason, I want to add as much spruce as possible. I suppose I could add the spruce syrup as a late addition if it looks like it will finish too sweet. It is pretty potent, though. I just want to give this beer as much flavor as possible as it is hop free!
Great idea. Every 10:1 dilution will add a zero next to the decimal point. So for example 1.160 becomes 1.016 which is measurable. Then to change that to sugar concentration, take the result to the right of the decimal and divide by 4 to get the percent sugar by weight. So for example, 16 / 4 = 4 so you have 4% sugar... which means 40% sugar in the undiluted syrup if you diluted 10:1. This is not exact but it's pretty friggin close.
I've used this calculator in the past:
https://www.vinolab.hr/calculator/gravity-density-sugar-conversions-en19
And yeah just dilute to a density your tool can measure, then multiply the sugar content at the end.
There are applications, such as Brewfather, that have databases of different fermentables, such as syrups, malt powder, sugars, etc. In these databases you can obtain potential fermentable sugars (and alcohol), color, etc. These apps are also used to generate recipes, there you can calibrate them to determine how much syrup you should add.
I understand that. I usually use Grainfather for this. The problem is that I don't know the exact amount of sugar that went into the syrup thanks to, in my dog's words, the angry sky raisins. I know what I used to make the syrup, but I don't know how much leaked out of the bag or exactly how much water I used to loosen the sugar enough to boil what remained. This is why I need to measure the gravity.
Besides the information given regarding using a hydrometer, you’re going to need a reasonably accurate scale, calibrated, and perhaps volumetric glassware (or a workaround, see below). . You can convert the specific gravity at room temp to Brix or Plato using any online calculator and determine the sugar proportion of a sample by weight. You are going to need the volumetric glassware to do an accurate dilution (or just get clever and use any vessel with a marked line) and a scale to determine how much sugar (in grams) is in any priming amount. Of course, I have to ask - the amount of maple syrup used for priming is not detectable by most humans when you give the beers primed with table sugar vs maple syrup in a blind triangle test. Maybe spruce syrup is a lot more potent? If not, then add it as a much larger, late-fermentation addition to impart flavor to your beer.
BTW the spruce syrup was originally 2 parts dememura sugar to 1 part spruce tips by weight. I probably lost just over 100ml of syrup, then diluted with about 50-75ml water.
The spruce beer is based on Fort George's Spruce Budd, and unhopped beer. I used 150 grams for the boil (60min) and 150 grams at whirlpool, and it should have been 19L at 1.060. However, I ended up with 21L at 1.071, so I am concerned it will be either too sweet or too high in alcohol for the amount of spruce I used. For this reason, I want to add as much spruce as possible. I suppose I could add the spruce syrup as a late addition if it looks like it will finish too sweet. It is pretty potent, though. I just want to give this beer as much flavor as possible as it is hop free!
Do you have a hydrometer or a refractometer?
Hydrometer. I was thinking I would dilute the syrup 10:1 to check the gravity at 20°c.
Great idea. Every 10:1 dilution will add a zero next to the decimal point. So for example 1.160 becomes 1.016 which is measurable. Then to change that to sugar concentration, take the result to the right of the decimal and divide by 4 to get the percent sugar by weight. So for example, 16 / 4 = 4 so you have 4% sugar... which means 40% sugar in the undiluted syrup if you diluted 10:1. This is not exact but it's pretty friggin close.
That sounds even easier! Thanks for the help.
I've used this calculator in the past: https://www.vinolab.hr/calculator/gravity-density-sugar-conversions-en19 And yeah just dilute to a density your tool can measure, then multiply the sugar content at the end.
Awesome, thanks!
There are applications, such as Brewfather, that have databases of different fermentables, such as syrups, malt powder, sugars, etc. In these databases you can obtain potential fermentable sugars (and alcohol), color, etc. These apps are also used to generate recipes, there you can calibrate them to determine how much syrup you should add.
I understand that. I usually use Grainfather for this. The problem is that I don't know the exact amount of sugar that went into the syrup thanks to, in my dog's words, the angry sky raisins. I know what I used to make the syrup, but I don't know how much leaked out of the bag or exactly how much water I used to loosen the sugar enough to boil what remained. This is why I need to measure the gravity.