Refractors / Hydrometers

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Fatgodzilla

Beer Soaked Philosopher
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My ability to stuff up happened again last week and I proved glass hydrometers don't bounce when dropped on concrete. Third one in twelve months. Enough ! I cried. I'm gonna buy that there refractor thingie that people swear by. On to Frank's site and all but hit the buy button then read that this thing measures "unfermented wort" and that adjustments in reading fermented wort need to be done using brewing software. What the .............?

So tell me wise men and women of the AHB.

1. Is a refractor thingie good and easy enough to use at all levels of reading specific gravity ?

2. Is a refractor really only good at the hot end of the brewing cycle and I should still be looking at a hydrometer for the (cool) fermented end of the brew ?

3. On a different tangent, are there digital gyzmos to measure gravity at all levels of the brew and are they readily useable by home brewers (never seen anything like them but someone here has an answer) .
 
FG
Refractometers are an excellent bit of gear, IMO, and can be used at all ends of the brewing process. Do yerself a google search on "fermenting wort sg + refractometer" or similar, and you will find someone that has already done the work and put it on the web for all to use. I used to use one to keep reading my gravities as the beer fermented - now I just use it on brewday, and use my hydrometer at racking and bottling. No reason you cannot just use the refractometer on both those days instead, though.
All the best
Trent
EDIT - The reason the refracto needs to be worked out on fermenting wort, is that alcohol skews the refraction, giving a false high reading, so say you start at 12 brix (1048) and finish at 1010 on the hydro, the refractometer will probably tell you your finishing gravity is 1022 or something like that, when it is clearly much lower.
T.
 
Good for all FG, if you use Beersmith use the Refractometer tool and simply select Fermenting wort and enter the OG for the reading.

Screwy
 
Cortez the Killers excellent calculations spreadsheet is here

Only problem using a refractometer rather than a hydrometer, is you don't get a big enough sample to drink :)

cheers

grant
 
Only problem using a refractometer rather than a hydrometer, is you don't get a big enough sample to drink :)

Yeah but it doesn't feel wrong to lick your refractometer clean. ;)
 
LOL iv gone the skull out the hydro only to find mould at the bottom of the hydro container after id finished.. :D tasted ok though.
 
I certainly would not be without one. Temp is not a problem as even boiling wort will quickly stabilise in temp for an accurate reading. I was not aware that alcohol skewed the readings and this threw me when I first tested it.

I use it many times on brew day. I get a pre boil OG and then one at 30 mins, 60 mins and 90 mins. This has helped me to hone my skills tremendously. Buy one off ebay. for $60 it is just the best tool to have. I use my hydrometer only when bottling/kegging - So I can have a taste.

Cheers.
 
I certainly would not be without one. Temp is not a problem as even boiling wort will quickly stabilise in temp for an accurate reading. I was not aware that alcohol skewed the readings and this threw me when I first tested it.

Cheers.

+1. I thought my eyes had gone, as the FG was way too high!

Love my refractometer, my hydrometer also broke a while back - and I wont be bothering to replace it...

I think mine set me back around $50 from Hong Kong on Evil Bay.
 
just brought the one from ross that has SG and BRIX. tested it on the weekend and its ace. but yea it did feel a bit weird not having the sample to taste. upside is when i brew 40L's i'll end up with 40L's and not 39.5 cause ive taken hydro readings.
 
love the refracto - the hydro is at the bottom of the ever increasing "box full of brewing stuff" ... occasionally if I am bored I will take it out and make sure the refractometer agrees with it.

Do remember to calibrate the thing regularly though... I did mine last brew day and it had swung almost a full degree out over a dozen brews - distilled water, tiny screwdriver, 2mins... fixed

I am jealous of Fent's Brix + SG model.. I have been trying to train myself to think in plato (brix) rather than SG, but I'm not there yet and its a small but persistent PITA to have to convert all the time.

There are hand held density meters (Anton Parr make em) that work at all stages of the brewing process - you only need a few ml of wort... but it needs to be cooled and probably more importantly for the homebrewer.... they are worth at least a couple of thousand bucks a pop. When one went missing from our department at work... there was some very very suspicious glancing in the direction of the homebrewer in the room. Wasn't me... I like the refracto better than the damn Antons anyway.
 
Speaking of brew toys, a mate just told me that M$tre 10 has remote temperature probes for cooking meat for $20.
Apparently the probe is remote from the display so you stick the probe in and walk around with the receiver.
It has temp setting and countdown timer, i am going to check one out this week if i can.
Not sure how well the probe can be immersed.
 
Speaking of brew toys, a mate just told me that M$tre 10 has remote temperature probes for cooking meat for $20.
Apparently the probe is remote from the display so you stick the probe in and walk around with the receiver.
It has temp setting and countdown timer, i am going to check one out this week if i can.
Not sure how well the probe can be immersed.


Goddammit.... I spent months researching those damn meat thermometers looking for one that wasn't too expensive, I finally find (and buy) the $15 ikea ones... and now you tell me about $20 ones that have remote probes.

Goddammit I say again

I'll probably buy one of them as well..........
 
I just got a standard one from Evilbay last week, but now i'm gonna have to check out the remote ones.... my mate raved about it, he's not a brewer, he is using it on his bbq for medium rare steaks.
I thought for medium rare you just waft the steak over the smoke for 2 seconds each side.... ;)
 
Thirsty Boy, we await your excellent review.

I do hope there is a Mitre 10 near you.

A remote probe thermometer sounds like an excellent brew toy.
 
I am jealous of Fent's Brix + SG model.. I have been trying to train myself to think in plato (brix) rather than SG, but I'm not there yet and its a small but persistent PITA to have to convert all the time.
Lovin' my xmas present! The readings are a little difficult to see perfectly though (small spacings between SG point divisions) - not like the clear markings on a hydrometer. Even more of a reason for me to get around to calibrating it properly.
 
Bad news Thirsty, i got the last one at Bayswater.

The probe is a bit longer than a bic biro, then has a 90* bend and a couple of cm longer then turns into braided tube.
I haven't opened the pack yet so i'm unsure of the length.
The braided tube goes into a base unit with a standard plug/jack. The base unit is wireless and sends the signal to the receiver which has a long range, beeps at the set temperature has a timer and a torch.... takes 3 AAA batteries and it all costs 20 bucks.
Due to previous posts i may heatshrink the end of the probe where the braid comes out.
Cant wait to test it but will be a week or 2 yet until i get my BIAB bag sorted.
 
Luv the refractometer
I got one from Ross and it is adequate.
I had it checked agains out work $345 version of it and it is very accurate when liquid is ambient temperature.

As for using it at end of fermentation you need to use a tool or calculator.
 
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