Refractometers - worth having?

[MTW]

Well, the new toy has arrived and I've had a little play with it.

I calibrated it with just tap water (will do a more accurate calibration with distilled later) and tested a bit of sugar solution mixed up in a cup, which was apparently just a hair under 1.020. Obviously I'll do some more thorough checks so that I know how accurate it is compared with my hydro, but to be honest I've no reason to trust that any more than the refractometer because neither have been tested against any reference standards.

I find it very easy to read, certainly far easier than using a cheap hydrometer (the only kind I've ever used); no bubbles, foam or meniscus to worry about. I'm almost at the point of kicking myself for not getting one sooner.

Mine (the same) came today too. I've reported on the hydrometer thread, seeing that's where I started on this, with pics and a quick test.

[DeGarre]

Sean Terrill's algorithms which are on a web are very accurate, matches exactly what I was getting with my hydrometer. Close enough for cooking.

[MTW]

Sean Terrill's algorithms which are on a web are very accurate, matches exactly what I was getting with my hydrometer. Close enough for cooking.

Loads of great research and info there which I have yet to fully get my head around, but I was relieved to see my new refractometer reads around 1.106 SG at 25 Brix rather than 1.100, which he cites as a quick test that they haven't just used the x4 rule on the scale. Also seems like more attenuative worts are less of an issue for the 'wort factor' than those with more maltose and maltodextrin. Will definitely invest some time getting to know the refractometer a bit better.

[robbarwell]

I got one recently, it has a BRIX scale and a OG scale on it reading from 1060-1000. I intend using it in the brewery to gauge where to finish sparging and for liquering back etc but will use the proper big hydrometers for the final OG prior to fermentation.

[Dave S]

So, the consensus seems to go with the Amazon offering then, is that right. I'm thinking of asking Santa for one, but no point asking Jim about it as he can't play with his until Santa's been

[barry44]

I've got some birthday money to spend and i'm considering purchasing one of these from Amazon.

What is the consensus now on the suitability of them?

[MTW]

Well I've used mine for one brew now, from pre-boil to end of fermentation, alongside hydrometers for now, and it was useful for the £20 off Amazon, though I couldn't justify spending much more than that seeing that it won't make a massive difference to anything. I might end up trusting it for pre boil gravity, rather than chilling a sample, when I've built up a big enough index of brews against the hydrometer. This last brew was with a yeast that ripped through in no time at all, but the refractometer will certainly save me losing beer to the trial jar along the way with the 3-4 week Belgian fermentations I sometimes do (or having to sanitise and return samples - even worse). That will be it's best use for me at the moment I think. As Aleman has said on here, as long as the reading is falling, it's still fermenting and I don't need to remove >70ml every time to establish that; just a couple of drops with a refractometer.

It's also a very nice little toy for £20 I'm glad I got it.

[barry44]

Would a single brix scale one be a better purchase?

One like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Signstek-Refrac ... pd_cp_ce_1

[vacant]

That's the one I have. They're under £12 delivered from HK or China (mine took a couple of weeks, there's no duty/VAT on this amount). It was meant to be dual scale but the one I got is just Brix, which is fine.

[fisherman]

I like my refractometer but dont use it much now. Since i changed to batch sparging the wort hits the sweet spot every time and i would never go back to fly sparging even though i have a manifold and a s/s perforated false bottom. My last runnings are always checked with the refractometer and noted in my brewing diary and vary between 1013 and 1016 . I dont mind a little sugar in the grain just to taste that sweet spot.

[BenB]

I like my refractometer. Like most I got the dual scale one off Amazon and it's great.

I'm still "fine tuning" my technique (IE making errors) so I find it reassuring to know I've got samples to test. I've just got a bag of urine collection bottles (unused!) as they have a label so I can write on it what sample it is (IE pre-boil, post-boil, first runnings) and just draw off samples at the appropriate time and leave them all cooling on the my workbench until later when I'm cooling the wort and at that point test them and write them in the journal. The samples are so small they cool v quickly and I could test as I go but with batch-sparging it's really just information for debugging any errors afterwards.

I also use it to monitor the gravity during fermentation until it stabilises for a few days then do a proper reading with a hydrometer to see if I've hit the predicted FG.

[barry44]

got mine today.

Calibrated it with tap water, was sitting at 0.

Made up alemans 90/10 solution and calibrated it against my hydrometer, 10 on the dot and 1.040.

took a sample from my recent brew, 6.5 brix, checked it and i have a current gravity of 1.004!!!

im going to use the hydrometer again later when i transfer the brew to dry hop it.

[barry44]

it ties in with my hydrometer.

my latest beer has went from 1.062 to 1.004!!

[lancon]

on Beersmith (and probably other software/online) there are refractometer calculators for before, during and end of fermentation.

[IPA]

Many refractometers intended for the homebrew market now come with the specific gravity graduations already so that there is no need for any calculations on the brewers part. I only wish that I had been able to control my urge to purchase a refractometer until I had seen one of these.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A ... MXSBXMW3W7

Cheers

Just made up my mind to buy this and guess what. THIS ITEM IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR DELIVERY TO FRANCE what's up with them? Don't they know that a probe has just landed on a comet 300 million miles away from earth? We are at the nearest point only 22 miles from the Un-United Kingdom