brew-abv

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr brew info

brew-abv [OPTIONS] --og <original_gravity> --fg <final_gravity>

--og <value>, -o <value>
    Specifies the Original Gravity (OG) of the wort before fermentation. This is a mandatory input.

--fg <value>, -f <value>
    Specifies the Final Gravity (FG) of the fermented beer. This is a mandatory input.

--method <simple|advanced>, -m <method>
    Chooses the calculation method for ABV. 'simple' uses a basic formula (e.g., (OG-FG) * 131.25), while 'advanced' might use a more complex, accurate formula for higher ABV beers.

--units <sg|plato|brix>, -u <units>
    Defines the units for the provided gravity values (OG and FG). Default is typically 'sg' (Specific Gravity).

--verbose, -v
    Outputs additional details about the calculation, such as the formula used and intermediate steps.

--quiet, -q
    Suppresses all output except for the final ABV result.

--help, -h
    Displays a help message and exits.

The brew-abv command is a conceptual command-line utility designed to assist homebrewers in calculating the Alcohol By Volume (ABV) of their fermented beverages. While not a standard Linux command distributed with most operating systems, it represents a common need within the homebrewing community for a quick and accessible tool to perform this calculation directly from the terminal.

It typically takes two primary gravity measurements as input: the Original Gravity (OG) and the Final Gravity (FG). These values are crucial for determining the amount of sugar converted into alcohol during fermentation. The command would then apply a specific formula to these inputs to output the ABV percentage.

Implementations of such a tool often include options for different calculation formulas (e.g., simple or more precise methods), support for various units of measurement (Specific Gravity, Plato, Brix), and flexible input methods. Its purpose is to streamline a frequent calculation for brewers, providing immediate results without needing external applications or manual calculations.

The brew-abv command is not a standard, pre-installed Linux command. It represents a hypothetical or user-implemented script often created by homebrewers for their specific needs. Therefore, its availability, exact syntax, and options can vary significantly depending on how it was implemented (e.g., a Bash script, Python program, etc.). Users would need to create or obtain such a script and ensure it's executable and located in their system's PATH to use it.

The most common simple formula for ABV calculation is:
ABV (%) = (OG - FG) * 131.25

For more accurate results, especially at higher ABVs, an 'advanced' formula like the following is often used:
ABV (%) = 76.08 * (OG - FG) / (1.775 - OG) * (FG / 0.794) or a similar complex polynomial equation. The specific formula implemented can vary between different versions of a brew-abv script.

• Specific Gravity (SG): The most common unit, representing the density of a liquid relative to water (1.000).
• Plato (°P): A measure of sugar content by weight, often used in professional brewing.
• Brix (°Bx): Primarily used in winemaking and fruit juice, similar to Plato but based on sucrose content. Conversion between these units is often handled internally by more robust brew-abv implementations.

The concept behind brew-abv stems from the long-standing need within homebrewing and professional brewing to accurately measure alcohol content. Historically, this involved complex laboratory equipment or manual calculations using hydrometer readings. With the rise of command-line tools and scripting, brewers began creating simple utilities to automate this calculation. While no single, universally adopted brew-abv command exists, various iterations have been developed by individuals over the years, often shared in brewing forums or as part of larger brewing software packages. Its development is driven by convenience and the desire to integrate brewing calculations into a command-line workflow.