Beer percentages OOP WAS:Re: [Sca-cooks] MY DAY IN CLASS

[Terry Decker]

"Proof" as a measure of alcoholic strength is twice the percentage of
alcohol in the beverage.  Because it is used to measure distilled alcohol
rather than simple fermentation, proofing actually starts about 20% or 40
proof.  It derives from the test or "proof" of the quality of the alcoholic
beverage.  Whiskey that will let gunpowder burn is usually double or triple
run and the gunpowder test is "proof" of the higher quality.

Technically, you can get 199 proof alcohol, but opening the container to the
air hydrates the solution to about 190 proof (IIRC), which I believe is
Everclear's stated proof.  Twenty years ago I was using 199 proof methanol
to flash dry photographic negatives.

Bear


-----Original Message-----

>Proof was supposedly (as I remember being told) determined by whether upon
>burning a set amount of the liquid on some gunpowder, the powder would be
dry
>enough to fire after the liquid was burned (GOD I hope that makes sense).
>That works out to something like 52 or 54 percent alcohol apparently. For
>some reason we here in North America settled on 50% as the number for
>"proof", therefore something is proof if it's 50% alcohol. Everclear is
>almost 200 proof, as it's almost pure alcohol. Keeping alcohol from taking
on
>water is difficult because (A) there's so much of it on the planet and (B)
>the Alcohol molecule is sort of a ring that accepts the water molecule
quite
>well thankyouverymuch...
>
>Corwyn