ABV from Specific Gravity (Homebrew)
Enter the original gravity (OG) and final gravity (FG) of your wort or must and the tool instantly returns the alcohol-by-volume (simple Daniels formula plus the Cutaia correction), apparent and real attenuation, the equivalent °Plato readings and an estimated calorie count per serving. Useful for homebrewers and small-scale cider, mead or wine producers double-checking every batch.
Style presets
Enter OG and FG between 0.980 and 1.200 and make sure FG ≤ OG.
Alcohol by volume
—
—
- Simple (Daniels) (OG − FG) × 131.25
- —
- Alternate (Cutaia) 76.08 × (OG − FG) / (1.775 − OG) × (FG / 0.794)
- —
Attenuation
—
- Apparent attenuation
- —
- Real attenuation
- —
Estimated calories
- per 12 oz (355 mL)
- — kcal
- per 330 mL (small bottle)
- — kcal
- per 100 mL
- — kcal
°Plato readings
- Original extract OE
- — °P
- Final extract FE
- — °P
- Real extract RE
- — °P
ABV is estimated — residual CO₂, hydrometer calibration and temperature can introduce ±0.2 % error. Always correct refractometer or hydrometer readings for temperature and dissolved alcohol.
Formula
ABV(simple) = (OG − FG) × 131.25 ABV(alternate) = 76.08 × (OG − FG) / (1.775 − OG) × (FG / 0.794) Apparent attenuation = (OG − FG) / (OG − 1) × 100 %
- · The simple Daniels formula appears in Ray Daniels' "Designing Great Beers" ch. 7 and is accurate to better than 0.1 % for normal-strength beers (OG ≲ 1.080).
- · The alternate Cutaia formula (Cutaia, Reid & Speers, J. Inst. Brew. 115(4):318-327, 2009) is preferred for high-gravity ferments (OG ≥ 1.075) such as imperial stout, barley wine and sake. It typically reads 0.5–1 % higher than the simple form.
- · Apparent attenuation comes straight from OG/FG. Real attenuation uses the Brewer's Friend / Lincoln polynomial to convert SG to °Plato and then weights OE × 0.1808 + AE × 0.8192 to back out the alcohol contribution to gravity.
- · Calories follow Ray Daniels' formula (also used by Brewer's Friend): ((6.9 × ABW) + 4 × (RE − 0.1)) × FG × 3.55 per 12 US fl oz, with ABW = 0.79 × ABV / FG.
- · OG and FG inputs accept 0.980 – 1.200 — wide enough for very dry ciders or sours (FG < 1.000) as well as imperial-strength beers. FG must be ≤ OG, otherwise something is wrong with the readings.
- · Always correct hydrometer readings to the 20 °C reference temperature. Refractometer readings need the Sean Terrill correction (or the Brewer's Friend refractometer table) because dissolved alcohol shifts the refraction index.
Frequently asked
Which formula should I trust — simple or alternate?
Rule of thumb: under OG 1.080 the simple formula (OG − FG) × 131.25 is accurate to within 0.1 %. Between OG 1.080 and 1.100 (IPAs, Tripels, imperial pilsner) the two formulas differ by about 0.3–0.5 %, so it is worth reporting both. Above OG 1.100 (imperial stout, barley wine, quad, sake, wine) prefer the Cutaia formula — the simple form noticeably under-shoots because high-alcohol ferments depress the FG reading, making (OG − FG) look smaller than the actual amount that fermented. This tool always shows both numbers.
What's the difference between apparent and real attenuation?
Apparent attenuation comes directly from your hydrometer/refractometer readings: (OG − FG) / (OG − 1). But alcohol is less dense than water, so any alcohol dissolved in the beer pushes FG down — which makes apparent attenuation overstate how much sugar actually fermented. Real attenuation converts OG and FG to °Plato (weight percent) and removes the alcohol contribution, and is typically 4–5 percentage points lower than the apparent figure. BJCP style guidelines quote apparent attenuation because most homebrewers only have a hydrometer; real attenuation is used by labs and commercial breweries to track yeast performance.
Why does my refractometer read FG inaccurately after fermentation?
A refractometer measures the refractive index of the solution and converts to Brix or SG. Pre-fermentation wort contains only sugar, so the factory calibration works. Once fermentation starts, the solution contains both sugar and alcohol, and alcohol has a much lower refractive index than sugar — so the refractometer over-states FG (a typical post-fermentation reading is 0.010–0.020 too high). Three fixes: (1) apply the Sean Terrill correction formula or the Brewer's Friend refractometer table; (2) switch to a hydrometer for the final reading; (3) boil the sample to drive off the alcohol before measuring. Commercial breweries dodge the problem entirely with electronic density meters such as Anton Paar DMA series.
Can I use this for cider, mead, kombucha or wine?
Yes — the formula works for any sugar fermentation, as long as you can measure the gravity before and after. A few notes: (1) ciders normally have OG 1.045–1.055 and dry cider FG often drops to 1.000 or below (apple juice ferments out completely), which the 0.980 lower bound here handles. (2) Mead can have OG over 1.120 (sweet mead), so switch to the Cutaia formula. (3) Winemakers traditionally read Brix or Baumé instead — convert to SG first and you are good. (4) Kombucha picks up acetic acid that interferes with gravity-based ABV estimates, so this tool is only approximate there. The calorie estimate is most accurate for beer (it assumes maltose-rich residual extract); ciders, meads and wines have a different sugar/alcohol mix.
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