Page 31 - Beverage MasterAprMay 2021
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Craft Brewery
“Benchtop density meters are invaluable for All in for Peace of Mind
determining the proof and quantity of distilled
spirits for TTB reporting purposes,” said Zavich. Or, you could go all in and buy the Rudolph
“Handheld versions can determine mash extract Research Densitometer, the same machine that the
efficiency before fermentation, measure distiller’s TTB uses to send off samples for auditing. That’s
beer to ensure fermentation is complete, calculate what Greg Pope, Master Distiller of Missouri Ridge
alcohol by volume, and measure proof during the Distillery, did when he opened his distillery in
distilling process that aids in making cuts. Branson, Missouri.
“To measure density, the distiller has three avail- “It was pricey for sure,” said Pope. “At the time, it
able options,” said Luke Soposki, marketing spe- was a huge investment, around $6,500, plus anoth-
cialist for Mettler Toledo’s Analytical Chemistry er couple of thousand in training costs. It easily
division. “They can use a hydrometer, which is inex- outpaced the cost of other densitometers, but it’s
pensive and offers several industry measurement the one piece of equipment I thought was worth
scales, but they are fragile, dependent on the user it based on time value savings, and in our case
for results and have longer measurement cycles. specifically, the frequency of the breakage factor
Pycnometers are also inexpensive and can achieve of common hydrometers. I use it every day for my
a level of accuracy, but they require a higher level spirits as well as my beers, so for me, it’s a quality
of training and have limited measurement scales investment.”
available. The best choice is a digital density meter.
They are more expensive but easier to use, more Accuracy and repeatability are always priorities
consistent and reliable, and have a shorter mea- in the distillery, and Pope told Beverage Master
surement cycle. They cover a wide density range, Magazine that he’s tried all the gadgets, getting
have automatic temperature compensation, and hands-on experience at American Distilling Institute
are available in a variety of models to meet the conferences and conventions. With the Rudolph
specific needs of the distiller.” Research Densitometer, he proofs a barrel in 25 to
30 minutes versus the 24 to 36 hours needed using
“Density meters are quite durable,” said Zavich. traditional proofing methods.
“Benchtop units are quite self-sufficient with a sug-
gested yearly preventative maintenance. They have “When I got audited, and the agents saw that we
an expected lifespan of around 10 years, but we’ve have the same equipment that the TTB uses, we
seen operational units well beyond that mark. were already in favorable standing for trying to
Handheld units have no specified terms of use do the right thing,” said Pope. “This one piece of
but are equally self-sufficient and expected to last equipment holds all of our historical data that is
many years under normal use.” time-stamped, properly labeled as tester batches,
bottling runs, etc. and is transferable to a thumb
“The main thing is to ask questions before pur- drive for easy auditing. It’s designed for upgrading
chasing,” said Soposki. “Mettler Toledo offers a rather than obsolescence, saving money in the long
full suite of testing solutions that include density run. We added the refractometer package when
meters, refractometers, titrators, spectrophotom- it came available for true and corrective proofs on
eters and pH meters. We can also talk about auto- our line of cordials.”
mation and multi-parameter options when needed.
Distillers’ needs are always evolving, and we know Pope said that the training was an intensely mon-
that they are still looking for an easier way to itored, two-day affair, but by the end of those two
release product after testing, specifically with TTB days, he was comfortable using the equipment for
approved handheld density meters. Ask specific all of his applications and performing all necessary
questions about the instruments related to your tests independently.
process applications. Ask for a demo, either onsite,
virtually, or even in a try-and-buy program when “The only hiccups I’ve had with this equipment
available. Look for manufacturers that can support has honestly been because of human error,” said
you across your business needs and offer service Pope. “Our machine is set to give us a recalibra-
and support beyond just the equipment purchase.” tion reminder every Monday at midnight, and we
can’t do any further testing until that recalibration
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