European Brewery Convention Color Calculator

How to Use This Calculator

1. Measure the absorbance of your beer sample at three specific wavelengths using a spectrophotometer:
• 518 nm
• 628 nm
• 840 nm
2. Enter these absorbance values into the respective fields in this calculator.
3. Click the "Calculate" button to compute the EBC color value.
4. The calculator will display the EBC color value and classify the beer color based on standard brewing categories.

Understanding EBC Color Values

The European Brewery Convention (EBC) color system is the standard method for measuring beer color. It provides a linear scale where lower values represent lighter beers and higher values represent darker beers.

Beer Color Classification

Based on EBC values, beers can be classified as:

• Extra Light (Less than 5 EBC): Very pale beers like some lagers and ales.
• Light (5-10 EBC): Pale lagers and some pilsners.
• Pale (10-20 EBC): Most ales including pale ales and IPAs.
• Amber (20-40 EBC): Amber ales and some brown ales.
• Dark Amber (40-60 EBC): Darker ales and some red ales.
• Brown (60-80 EBC): Brown ales and some stouts.
• Dark Brown (80-100 EBC): Very dark ales and some porters.
• Very Dark (Greater than 100 EBC): Extremely dark beers like some imperial stouts and porters.

Important Notes

For accurate results, ensure your spectrophotometer is properly calibrated and your beer sample is well mixed before measurement. Temperature can affect absorbance readings, so try to maintain consistent sample temperature during measurements.