So the amber lager was my first batch. I missed a hop packet and went in and added that last, but other than that, no problems.
The beer came out with a nice color, citrusy notes and a ton of head. Also fairly sweet. All agreed that there didn't seem to be much alcohol there. So I decided to figure out what the ABV was, at least approximately.
If you look on the back of the packs, it tells you the original Brix value of the wort: OG __ BX. In the case of the Amber Ale, it says 11 ~ 11.5. Let's use the mid-point for the original Brix value which would be 11.25.
So I got a refractometer on Amazon, calibrated it with distilled water at 69 degrees F. Then I measured the Brix of the final product just now. 9.
Using the calculator at https://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/, I plugged the before and after Brix in and got an ABV estimate of 2.08%. Not impressed.
Have a batch of Pale Ale on the go right now. Hope it does a little better. Has anyone gone to the length of measuring the ABV of the iGulu beers yet? I don't think the refractometer is that far off, because then my mouth would also be wrong. So if it's not the instrument, then it's either the ingredients, or the fermentation program.
Anyway, fingers crossed the Pale Ale packs more punch. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime would love to hear any feedback.
