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How do you determine the potential gravity of certain ingredients? I'm sure there are charts and the like online, but, let's say you want to use a new fruit in a beer.. What are the steps to determining the potential gravity?

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I don't view fruit as an adjunct, but that's for a different thread and I understand the spirit of your question and think its an important one to ask and have answered. – brewchez May 6 '10 at 12:53
What would you call fruit? I wasn't sure when I asked the question. Should I change it to "additive"? – hookedonwinter May 6 '10 at 14:52
I don't know, but in most applications adjuncts are used to lighten beers flavor. Fruit certainly doesn't do that. I guess I'd just call it fruit. I know we use that "additive" term on this site, but additives just have a bad sound to them. Like the things they put in processed foods that have biochemical names attached to them. This is all just my opinion though, none of its right or wrong. – brewchez May 7 '10 at 0:41
I agree with brewchez. I think the fruit and adjunct potential gravity questions are two totally different questions. – bfrederi May 7 '10 at 16:34
Can you suggest a different names for "things we add to beer that aren't the 4 basic ingredients"? – hookedonwinter May 7 '10 at 18:18
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2 Answers

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I believe Charlie Papazians Home Brew Bible goes into some detail about what fruit and specific gravity equivalent. Also a program like ProMash is excellent to determining potential gravity. You can use it with all grain or extract. Also if you are using something like Oregon Fruit purees you might be able to find out some nutritional info to determine the amount of sugar in a certain amount of fruit. I know the Oregon fruit is very popular but I prefer to use fresh or frozen fruit, then pasteurize it and add it too secondary. I am also a big fan of natural fruit juices. The purees seem very messy to me.

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This question has been answered here.

Combine one pound of your adjunct with enough water to make 1 gallon. Measure the potential gravity.

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I don't think its that clear cut. You can add one pound of flaked maize to water and get the gravity. The starches need to be converted and more important solubilized. If you aren't taking the necessary step to actually get the sugar into solution (not just in suspsension) you aren't measuring gravity. Down voted – brewchez May 6 '10 at 12:53
I don't think its that clear cut. You can't add one pound of flaked maize to water and get the gravity. The starches need to be converted and more important solubilized. If you aren't taking the necessary step to actually get the sugar into solution (not just in suspsension) you aren't measuring gravity. Down voted – brewchez May 6 '10 at 13:37
I take your point. This will work on ingredients where the sugars are readily available, like fruit in the OP. – Dean Brundage May 10 '10 at 14:03

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