Methodology
How We Research
Calculations come from published brewing equations. Product data comes from live Amazon catalog responses. Nothing on this site is tested in person, and every ASIN is checked against the product the page claims it is.
Where the numbers come from
Every calculation on this site runs through a single formula library, which means a figure shown in a calculator and the same figure baked into a reference page cannot disagree. That is deliberate: the usual cause of contradictory brewing numbers online is two different implementations of the same equation.
Each formula is labelled at the point of use:
- Standard means a published equation, a published constant, a measured solubility table or a manufacturer specification. The ABV formulas, the Tinseth and Rager bitterness equations, the specific gravity to Plato conversion, CO2 solubility by temperature, published yeast cell counts and the SRM to EBC conversion are all standards.
- Convention means widely repeated brewing practice with no governing document. The 0.75 million cells per millilitre per degree Plato pitch rate, the 60 minute boil, typical efficiency of 72 to 75 percent, grain absorption near 0.125 gallons per pound and the 1.04 refractometer wort correction factor are all conventions.
Refusing to answer
Where an input falls outside the range a published formula covers, or where inputs contradict each other, the calculator returns no answer and says why. It never falls back on a default that produces a plausible looking figure. A wrong number carries further than a missing one, because somebody will quote it.
How products are chosen
Products come from live Amazon catalog responses, never from memory and never invented. Every returned title is read against the product the page claims it is, because a live listing is not automatically the right listing. Candidates rejected during the build of this site included commercial fermentation tanks listed under a generic brand at several thousand dollars, hydroponics pH meters, kombucha heating wraps, a honey refractometer whose scale cannot read wort at all, heated stir plates that would kill a yeast starter, fermenting buckets sold without lids, and tap towers presented as complete kegerators.
Brand, title, price and image are taken directly from the catalog response. Short names, experience tiers and one line descriptions are editorial. No ASIN, price or product image on this site was ever written by hand.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you test the equipment you recommend?
- No, and no page here says otherwise. Recommendations are built from published manufacturer specifications, listed capacities, stated certifications and verified owner reviews. A site claiming hands-on testing of dozens of brewing systems is telling you a story, and we would rather tell you where the information actually came from.
- How are prices kept accurate?
- Prices are read from the live Amazon catalog when the site is built, and every total on the build pages is computed from those figures rather than typed in. They still change often, sometimes daily, so every page says plainly that a price is a planning figure and not a quote. Always check the listing before buying.
Researched from published brewing formulas, manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews. This is general guidance, not professional advice.