FAQ and/or instruction manual?

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erichonour
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FAQ and/or instruction manual?

Post by erichonour »

Hi,

i'm relatively new to BeerTools. I've purchased the Gold membership and I'm enjoying the tools very much -- they're really helping me to hone my brewing!

However, there are a few things I don't understand. I've searched the forum but haven't found answers. I'll list them below, but first, is there an FAQ and/or instruction manual for each of the major tools? I haven't been able to find one.

My immediate question is: in the final beer analysis, what is "apparent" vs. "real?" I understand what degrees Plato are, and I get the ABW/ABV part. I also understand that the "original extract line" is talking about the amount of stuff I extracted during my mash, and that the attenuation is talking about how much of that stuff my yeast ate. I'm guessing that the line called simply "extract" talks about how much stuff is left at the end? The part I really don't understand is the difference between real vs. apparent in each of these lines.

Also, I don't really get the Zapomatic feature. Is the idea that if you're out-of-style, this thing automatically adjusts your ingredients to try to put you in style? Is there a way to hold certain things invariant?

Finally -- and this may be an issue of brewing technique, as opposed to the tools -- I am consistently finishing with lower SG readings than predicted; I am also consistently getting higher OG readings than predicted. I'm guessing that I need to adjust some settings in the calculator (efficiency and attenuation, I bet, and I bet they're related to my initial question above). Is that right?

Thanks for any help,
Eric H.
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jeff
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A few tips.

Post by jeff »

I am glad that you are enjoying the tools, here are a few things to keep in mind that will make things easier.
is there an FAQ and/or instruction manual for each of the major tools?
Much help can be found by clicking the small "?" near various elements on the entry forms and result pages. This gives access to the online help system.
My immediate question is: in the final beer analysis, what is "apparent" vs. "real?"
Apparent attenuation is the degree to which fermentable sugars have been consumed by yeast. It is "apparent" because yeast produces alcohol as a by-product which is less dense than water. This results in a measured attenuation which is lower than the "real" attenuation which takes into account the affect alcohol has on gravity readings.
Also, I don't really get the Zapomatic feature. Is the idea that if you're out-of-style, this thing automatically adjusts your ingredients to try to put you in style? Is there a way to hold certain things invariant?
The Zapomatic provides various ways to automate corrections to your recipe. Yes, you can use it to correct the recipe according to style if you use the "Global Correction" button. If you want to fine tune just one parameter while leaving the others in place, you can click on the graph to the left in the spot where you want that value to be. The Zapomatic will then attempt to adjust your recipe so that the sliders all end up where you want them.
I am consistently finishing with lower SG readings than predicted; I am also consistently getting higher OG readings than predicted.
You need to identify what the apparent attentuation you typically achieve is and use this value in the Recipe Calculator form. If you are creating all-grain recipes, the Final Analysis is also helpful in finding your mash efficiency which can also help you line up on your OG readings.

I hope these responses help, enjoy!
Jeff
BeerTools.com Staff
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