Hydrometer Temperature Adjustment Calculator

Mash Infusion - Strike Water - Rest Schedule Calculator for Beer Brewers

Brewer’s Beer Color Converter Tool

Bottling Calculator - work out how many bottles you need given wort size

Bottling Volume Calculator

Avoid the panic of running out of glass! 

Calculate exactly how many bottles you need to wash and sanitize based on your actual volume in the bottling bucket. 

Simply enter your post-fermentation volume and select your preferred bottle size below. 

The tool will instantly provide your required bottle count and case equivalents, ensuring a smooth packaging day.

Volume to Bottle (in Bucket)

Total liquid volume sitting in your bottling bucket.

Select Bottle Format

Bottling Day Requirements

0

Bottles Needed

0

Cases Approx

0

Total Fluid Vol

Brewer's Safety Margin: Always sanitize 2 to 4 extra bottles just in case of spills or overflow.

Mastering the Bottling Line

Bottling day is the final mile of the marathon. 

You have spent weeks monitoring fermentation, controlling temperatures, and waiting for the yeast to finish their work. 

The last thing you want is to scramble for glassware with wet hands, or worse, sanitize fifty bottles when you only needed forty.

Pro Tip: Do not rely on the markings on the side of your fermenter. They are notoriously inaccurate. For precision, measure the actual volume inside your bottling bucket (after transfer) to get the true "Volume to Bottle" number.

The Preparation Checklist

An organized brewer is a relaxed brewer. Before you even touch the auto-siphon, run through this list to ensure your packaging session goes smoothly.

• Count Your Caps: It sounds obvious, but ensure you have enough unused caps. Never try to reuse a bent cap.
• Sanitize the Extras: As calculated above, always prepare a few more bottles than the math dictates. Spills happen, and sometimes the siphon flows a little faster than you expect.
• Check for "Beer Stone": Hold your bottles up to the light. If you see a faint gray haze inside, that is calcium oxalate (beer stone). It can harbor bacteria. Scrub it out or recycle that bottle.

Choosing the Right Glassware

While the standard 12 oz longneck is the industry workhorse, mixing up your bottle sizes can be a strategic move for your homebrew cellar.

• The Standard (12 oz / 355 ml): Ideal for IPAs, Pale Ales, and beers you want to consume in a single sitting.
• The Bomber (22 oz / 650 ml): Perfect for gifting or for sharing. You cap fewer bottles, making the process faster, but you must drink the whole thing once opened.
• The Belgian (750 ml): Excellent for high-gravity styles like Saisons or Tripels that you plan to age. Thick glass handles pressure well.

Oxygen: The Silent Enemy

The single biggest flaw in homemade beer is oxidation, which creates a wet cardboard flavor. Bottling is the moment of highest risk. To mitigate this:

• Use a Bottling Wand: Never pour beer into a bottle directly from a spigot or jug. Use a spring-loaded bottling wand that fills from the bottom up. This prevents splashing and creates a protective blanket of foam.
• The "Headspace" Geometry: When you remove the bottling wand, it naturally leaves about an inch of empty space at the neck. This is not wasted space; it is vital for carbonation pressure. However, leaving too much headspace traps excessive oxygen. Trust the wand's displacement to set the perfect level.

The "Twist-Off" Trap

It is tempting to reuse commercial beer bottles, but you must avoid "twist-off" bottles at all costs. The glass threads on the neck are not designed to hold the crimped seal of a hand capper. They often chip, break, or fail to seal entirely, leaving you with flat, infected, or dangerous beer.

Use the calculator above to plan your session, clean your glass, and package your beer with the confidence of a Master Brewer.

The LME DME Extract Conversion Calculator Tool

The LME DME Extract Conversion Calculator

Precision is the hallmark of a great brewer. LME and DME are not a 1:1 swap by weight because DME is more concentrated (less water), so swapping without converting will shift your original gravity and change the beer. 

Use this tool any time you switch extract types due to stock, brand changes, or recipe rewrites. 

Enter the amount and select LME or DME, it will calculate the equivalent so your target gravity stays the same.

Brewery Units

Calculated Batch Size

LME to DME Transition

Source LME Amount

Required DME

Specific Gravity

1.000

DME to LME Transition

Source DME Amount

Required LME

Specific Gravity

1.000

Deep Dive: The Master Brewer's Guide to Extract

A master brewer understands that ingredients are fluid but the target is fixed. Whether you are scaling a recipe or substituting ingredients based on inventory, the goal is to maintain the specific gravity. 

This ensures your yeast has exactly the right amount of sugar to produce the alcohol and mouthfeel your style profile demands. 

Transitioning between liquid and dry formats requires more than just a simple guess because the physical composition of these products varies significantly.

The Science of Extract Density

Liquid Malt Extract (LME) is a syrup produced by evaporating a portion of the water from wort. It typically contains about 20 percent water by weight. 

In contrast, Dry Malt Extract (DME) undergoes an additional spray drying process that removes almost all moisture. This makes DME much more concentrated. If you swap them pound for pound, your beer will either be significantly thinner or much higher in alcohol than you planned. 

Our calculator uses the Points Per Pound Per Gallon (PPG) method to ensure your Original Gravity remains constant regardless of the extract format you choose.

• Standard LME Potentials: Most liquid extracts sit around 36 to 37 PPG. This accounts for the syrup weight which includes residual water.
• Standard DME Potentials: High quality dry extracts usually hit 44 to 45 PPG. They provide more "bang for your buck" per unit of weight.
• Gravity Balance: The calculator identifies the total gravity points of your source ingredient and then determines the exact weight of the substitute needed to reach that same point total.

Advanced Insight: Many brewers find that DME is more consistent over long periods of time. Because LME is a liquid, it is subject to faster oxidation and the Maillard reaction. This can lead to a "twang" or a soapy flavor if the extract is not fresh.

If your LME is more than six months old, you may want to consider using this tool to switch to a fresh batch of DME for better flavor clarity.

Best Practices for the 'Hot Side'

Success in the brewery is found in the details of the process. When you have calculated your new weights, follow these professional steps during the boil to ensure the best possible results for your finished pint.

• The Weigh-In: Always use a calibrated digital scale. Volume measurements like "cups" or "scoops" are notoriously inaccurate for brewing due to the varying density of powders and the surface tension of syrups.
• Kettle Management: When adding any extract, you should temporarily turn off your heat source. This prevents the sugars from sinking to the bottom and scorching on the metal surface, which creates burnt flavors that cannot be removed.
• DME Solubility: Dry extract is extremely hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air instantly. Add it slowly while whisking to avoid creating "dough balls" that refuse to dissolve in the boiling wort.
• Late Addition Strategy: Consider adding half of your extract at the start of the boil and the other half with 15 minutes remaining. This reduces the caramelization of the wort and helps produce a lighter colored beer.
• Sanitation of LME Cans: If using liquid extract, ensure you sanitize the top of the can or pouch before opening. Even though it is going into a boiling kettle, we maintain professional standards at every touchpoint.

Recipe Adjustments and Efficiency

It is important to remember that changing your extract source can subtly affect other parts of your brew day. If you are substituting a significant amount of grain for extract, or vice versa, keep an eye on your boil volume. 

Extract takes up less space in the kettle than whole grain, so you might need to adjust your water calculations to hit your final fermenter volume. Precision in these conversions allows you to brew with confidence, knowing that your final product will match the vision you had when you first designed the recipe.

Mastering the art of brewing involves a constant balance of chemistry and craft. By using professional tools to manage your fermentables, you ensure that every batch is a step toward perfection.