Dropped My Refractometer

[kymba]

don't you love how you buy a refractometer to replace all the dropped hydrometers, but then you drop the refractometer and find a crack the prism? ffs I wasn't even pissed!

will this do anything to my readings?

 

[Wolfy]

Maybe if you read it when you are drunk it will look the same as normal?

Have you tried it? It may be that the crack is in a place where it will have minimal impact on it's function.

 

[amiddler]

Looking at that kymba you might get away with it. I would be making up some wort and checking it against a hydrometer. Zero check with water would be a good place to start also.

Drew

 

[Punkal]

It may work but if it does it will probably not last long, wort may seep into the crack and start to grow interesting things...

Try to calibrate it and see if its still good...

Good luck

 

[kymba]

cheers guys

i'll make up sugary solution and check it against a hydrometer. odds are i'll drop that too!

maybe i should give up on the measuring equipment and just install airlocks. It sure would make estimating the gravity a hell of a lot easier - two 'gloops' every 8 minutes means it's reached terminal gravity, right?

 

[katzke]

Just let it set for 3 weeks. It will hit terminal by then or you have sick yeast. If that is the case it wil not matter what kind of mometer you have to drop.

 

[kymba]

yes, good idea katzke! i will do this at 32 degrees to make sure it has finished...reckon thats warm enough for the yeasties to finish everything?

Just let it set for 3 weeks. It will hit terminal by then or you have sick yeast. If that is the case it wil not matter what kind of mometer you have to drop.

 

[cdbrown]

Looking at the crack in your avatar I see no problems at all - looks perfect in fact :icon_drool2:

 

[kymba]

Looking at the crack in your avatar I see no problems at all - looks perfect in fact :icon_drool2:

hah if my refractometer looked like that i'd be more worried about the hole in it

 

[katzke]

Guess you did not like my advice. Three weeks in the fermentor will not do anything bad for your beer. In fact it can only improve it if you are the type of brewer that bottles or kegs as fast as possible. This is one of the problems we have with local breweries. They start out with every intention of making the best beer possible. Sales pick up and brewing capacity is reached. The only way to brew more with out buying new equipment is to brew faster. They dump their styles that require time to mature and all of them end up making the same crummy beer.

I take gravity readings 3 times for a brew. To test my mash, to check the OG to see if my recipe worked out as planned, and then to check the final gravity when I keg as a final check of my recipe.

I do keep the temperature of my brew in the range I want for the flavor profile. Lots of easy ways to do that. After active fermentation has stopped temperature is not all that important. As long as conditions are similar to that of my stored beer. I would not knowingly store beer at 32c.

 

[kymba]

sorry katzke, i was very dry with my response there. i did not mean to sound like a prick - although i just re-read what i posted and it does read liek i am being one

I really did think you were making a joke about leaving it 3 weeks in the fermentor though, maybe emoticons were not used where they should have been