Racking To Secondary?

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Dan Pratt

Well-Known Member
Joined
28/1/10
Messages
3,279
Reaction score
1,274
Im fermenting an ale with American Ale 1272 and my gravity when from 1049 to 1024 within 4 days. ( 1 litre starter on stir plate for 2 days prior was pitched)
I decided to rack to secondary vessel because we got a lot of trub out of the kettle and we had big late hop additions and along with the cold break had a massive slurry on the base of the fermenter.
I hadn't racked to secondary before and I have had the FV at 20 degrees constant, checked SG when I racked 1024, 2 days later 1024 and last night still 1024???
You can see a yeast bed at the base so either my refractometer is broken or fermentation has stalled?
 
Im fermenting an ale with American Ale 1272 and my gravity when from 1049 to 1024 within 4 days. ( 1 litre starter on stir plate for 2 days prior was pitched)
I decided to rack to secondary vessel because we got a lot of trub out of the kettle and we had big late hop additions and along with the cold break had a massive slurry on the base of the fermenter.
I hadn't racked to secondary before and I have had the FV at 20 degrees constant, checked SG when I racked 1024, 2 days later 1024 and last night still 1024???
You can see a yeast bed at the base so either my refractometer is broken or fermentation has stalled?

Have look at the chart i have attached. With those numbers and adjusting the refractometer its finished at approx 1.010.

Refractometer_Calculations___70_30_b.jpg
 
I had no idea this was a thing! I've just reverted back to the trusty hyrdometer after comparing it with refractometer readings and concluding that the eBay jobbie was a dud.

Cheers for the chart!

NDH
 
I had no idea this was a thing! I've just reverted back to the trusty hyrdometer after comparing it with refractometer readings and concluding that the eBay jobbie was a dud.

Cheers for the chart!

NDH

me refractometer is an ebay $35 cheapie and i thought it was a dud too. i ran a trial with water and sugar additions. water reading 1000, added spoon of sugar and stirred reading 1005, added sugar and stirred repeated this 5 times going 1010, 1014, 1020, 1025 etc etc...seems ok but when ever i check FG on fermented wort it seems to be just above 1020>>>

reading this chart isnt easy either...lol
 
reading this chart isnt easy either...lol


Just pick the line closest to the OG then use the horizontal axis with your current reading and find this point on the line. Then the adjusted reading is on the vertical axis.

Goid
 
me refractometer is an ebay $35 cheapie and i thought it was a dud too. i ran a trial with water and sugar additions. water reading 1000, added spoon of sugar and stirred reading 1005, added sugar and stirred repeated this 5 times going 1010, 1014, 1020, 1025 etc etc...seems ok but when ever i check FG on fermented wort it seems to be just above 1020>>>

reading this chart isnt easy either...lol

Alcohol skews refrac readings. It's a common mistake.

There are online calculators if you struggle to read the chart. Here's one but you will need to convert brix to SG in the top section to get your figures for the bottom section.

http://onebeer.net/refractometer.shtml
 
this had me scratching my head recently too, kept getting readings of 1.025

Then a mate/fellow brewer told me that you will always get a reading of 1.025 (or thereabouts) if the wort has started to ferment & therefore has alchohol in it

tested again with a hydrometer & got the correct reading
 
... There are online calculators if you struggle to read the chart. ...
Ok, here's an updated version that might be easier to read
- especially if you can't print it out in colour.



You do have to follow the link, of course :lol:
 
This should probably titled refractometer reading or something as the thread isn't really about the racking...admin?
 
Back
Top