MISCO Beer Calculator

1. Enter the initial refractometer reading (Original wort reading before fermentation)
   – Write this number down and save it!
2. Enter current refractometer reading (reading during or after fermentation)
3. Verify your unit of measure (scale used) and select the appropriate options
4. Click the Calculate button.

Sugars are the principal components dissolved in wort.  These dissolved “solids” are representative and inclusive of all beer sugars. The MISCO Dissolved Solids Scale is part of MISCO’s patented Digital Beer Refractometer and Pro-Brewing Scales. We scientifically derived this scale from a complex sugar profile based primarily on maltose and other common wort sugars – It’s not a repurposed sucrose-based Brix refractometer.

Equipped with an automatic temperature correction model specific to beer sugars, the Dissolved Solids scale is more accurate than sucrose-based temperature correction. You can use the dissolved solids measurements interchangeably with Brix and ºPlato in formulas, recipes, and calculations. However, since the scale is specific to beer sugars, you do not need to use a correction factor. 

Why is this better? The mathematical relationship between sucrose and refractive index characterizes the Brix refractometer. Also, Brix refractometers with temperature correction, correct temperature based on sucrose. However, since there is very little sucrose in the wort, a systemic error is introduced into measurements when using a Brix/sucrose refractometer. This error forces brewers to use a rule-of-thumb correction factor, such as 1.04,  in brewing calculators.

However, since we explicitly based the MISCO Dissolved Solids scale on dissolved BEER sugars, no correction factor is needed. Further, the automatic temperature correction for the MISCO Dissolved Solids scale is based on beer sugars and not sucrose, like a Brix refractometer.

Original extract (OE)

Original Extract (OE) is the mass in grams of sugars in 100 grams of wort, prior to fermentation, as measured on the °Plato, Brix, or MISCO Dissolved Solids scale. It can be measured directly on certain refractometers and hydrometers or converted from Original Gravity.

Apparent Attenuation (AA)

Is a measure of the amount of sugar consumed by yeast during fermentation and the extent to which the yeast has been able to successfully convert fermentable sugars into ethanol and CO2. It is calculated as the drop in extract during the fermentation divided by the OE.

Current/final gravity (FG)

Current Gravity (CG) or Final Gravity (FG) is a measure of specific gravity, at 68ºF (20ºC), at the conclusion of fermentation and is directly related to Apparent Extract (AE). Specific gravity readings can signal the end of fermentation when they stop moving. FG can be measured directly on a hydrometer or calculated based on OE and AE.

Apparent Extract (AE)

is related to Final Gravity, and represents that portion of the OE present as residual sugars which were not converted to yeast biomass, ethanol, or CO2 during fermentation. It can be expressed interchangeably as °Plato, Brix, or dissolved solids and is usually determined through calculations based on OE, or specific gravity as read on a hydrometer.

Alcohol by Volume (ABV)

Is an estimate of the percentage of alcohol per volume of beer.

º Plato from Current Gravity

This value represents the Current of Final Gravity converted to º Plato units. This number will not match the value read on a refractometer during or after fermentation.