Refractometer Wort vs Cider - Help?

I just purchased a refractometer, so I was doing some reading about it.

I wanted to clear something up - Does Cider read different than Wort?

If I were to show 12.5 Brix from an Apple Juice sample, and from a wort sample, can I assume both samples are about 1.05 gravity?

If I take an original reading of cider in Brix, then I let it ferment and take the final reading can I use the calculators, that are on line and intended for wort, to figure out my AVB and or final gravity?

Thanks

Yes, brewing refractometers measure degrees Brix which is the percentage by weight of dissolved sugar in an aqueous solution. It doesn't matter if that aqueous solution is fruit juice or wort.

that's what I figured. Awesome... thanks for the quick response.

Unfortunately, the response is not quite right.
Brix is the percentage of dissolved sucrose in an aqueous solution, and will be accurate for cider, but will not be accurate for wort which is made up of predominately maltose.

When using a refractometer to estimate the SG of wort, it will give a value that is approximately 4% higher than the true SG. The actual value will depend on the composition of the wort.

For more information, Google "Brix Correction Factor"

-a.

Ok.... Now that is what I read that sparked my question. I was't sure

So correct me if I'm wrong....

For cider I just want to take my brix reading then convert it over to a gravity reading and I can figure my AVB using standard means.

Wort needs the calculator to figure out that 4% difference?

Ya? Thanks for clearing that up.

insanim8er said:

Ok.... Now that is what I read that sparked my question. I was't sure

So correct me if I'm wrong....

For cider I just want to take my brix reading then convert it over to a gravity reading and I can figure my AVB using standard means.
Yes. If you use any of the tables or on line calculators you should be good.

Wort needs the calculator to figure out that 4% difference?

You can get a reasonable approximation by dividing the Brix by 1.04 and using a conversion table or on line calculator to convert from Brix to SG, but if you want to be completely accurate, download BeerSmith or Promash and follow the help instructions to get a very accurate translation.

Ya? Thanks for clearing that up.

Click to expand...

-a.