The Only Benefit of a Refractometer

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Dr1nkBeer

Dr1nkBeer

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I've been using one since december... and the only reason i would guess to use it is so you dont need to pull out 3-4 oz. of beer each time you want to take a Gravity Reading? only a coulple drops.

Is it worth the hassle?
You have to take the sample and get it to ambient temp of the refractometer, then you have wait 30 secs once you place the drop on the glass to equalize the temps, Then you have record your brix reading lets say its 12.3 like my last beer, then you have to use some software to conver that into a figure you can actual use like 1.049...
Thats all before you ferment...
Then...
You have take a sample do all of the above except now your brix reading needs to be adjusted for Alcohol content before you can accurately get the FG or current gravity. Now you have to go download some excel sheet and or buy an appliation that calculates the alcohol and then gives you your gravity.:drunk:

Am I bugging or is 3-4 oz's of beer worth not going through this?...

I'm a cool tool guy so i got one and i use it, but man what we do for beer. :D
 
I use it for checking OG, and a hydro for checking FG (when I bother). My refrac is temp compensated so I don't have to cool the sample first, although pulling a few mls into a pipette cools it quickly.
 
My refract is temp compensated as well ad even if it wasn't, I am placing one drop on the plate so it cools almost instantly. I use the refract for OG during the boil because it is instant an I can confirm my gravity before starting to chill and then, like above, use a hydro for FG.

It terms of converting brix to gravity, I have a simple app on my phone that I got for 99 cents but I don't even bother with it... Just multiply the brix times four. There's your gravity.

I think the refract is absolutely worth it. It cuts down the time it takes to check gravity down to a few seconds.

It also helps that I got a great deal on my refrack and got it for about $30
 
My refract is temp compensated as well ad even if it wasn't, I am placing one drop on the plate so it cools almost instantly. I use the refract for OG during the boil because it is instant an I can confirm my gravity before starting to chill and then, like above, use a hydro for FG.

It terms of converting brix to gravity, I have a simple app on my phone that I got for 99 cents but I don't even bother with it... Just multiply the brix times four. There's your gravity.

I think the refract is absolutely worth it. It cuts down the time it takes to check gravity down to a few seconds.

It also helps that I got a great deal on my refrack and got it for about $30
 
Hydro works fine but my main issue with us that they are very fragile and have broken 4 of them. So I bought a refractometer for 30 bucks. Worth every penny.

Not having to wait to cool down is an added bonus.
 
I use my refractometer pre fermentation for checking the runnings, the preboil gravity, and the OG. It's great because it's instantly read, not like a hydrometer where the wort has to be cooled.

I've never had good accuracy with using the refractometer post-fermentation even with correction tables, so I use my hydrometer once before packaging.
 
I think you are thinking too much into it, lets compare steps:

Refract: (your list)
1. take the sample (use the pippette provided and it takes half a second and more sanitary than using a wine thief to get a big enough sample for a hydrometer)
2. get it to ambient temp of the refractometer, then you have wait 30 secs once you place the drop on the glass to equalize the temps (well no reason to wait an addition 30 secs if you are waiting and if you put it directly on the refract it cools almost instantly)
3. Then you have record your brix reading (half a second to look at it have to look at a hydrometer anyways)
4. convert that into a figure you can actual use (ok Ill give you this one but tons of free programs and for a rough estimate times it by 4)

now for Hydrometer:
1. Take sample (Need a lot more, so wasting beer and if you take multiple measurements that adds up, plus using a wine thief vs a pippette is a greater chance of contamination)
2. Wait 10+ minutes for it too cool to 60 degrees (which is what most hydrometers are calibrated at) (Id rather wait for a drop to cool than 3-4oz, and if you dont wait then you have conversion to do)
3. Read Sample (If you didnt wait for it to cool you have to use a program or do math to get the converted one so gaining a step)

So lets recap:
Pros:
-Smaller sample, equals more beer to drink and less chance of contamination when taking sample
-Quicker cooling for better accuracy
-Cant roll off the counter and break (havent personally had that problem but know a lot have)
-Easier cleanup (wipe of a lens vs washing the hydrometer and the tube and the thief)

Cons:
-Little more expensive, got mine for 30 off amazon and after one hydrometer break thats a mute point
-Have to convert to SG from Brix, ok Ill give it to you that it takes a couple seconds, but your waiting 10min+ (depending on chilling method) for your wort to cool
-Have to use calculations for post fermentation readings and arent as exact

Now not trying to be mean, but I dont see a negative to using a refractometer over a hydrometer, it is probably one of my best investments in brewing allowed me to take quick samples at every stage of brewing and get my setup dialed in and now I know my efficiency and can better predict recipe outcomes and repeat recipes. The only negative I could see is the post fermentation and if you need accuarte to more than 1.002 accuracy then use a hydrometer for the post, but mine has been within .002 of hydrometer on every case with the conversions
 
I can deal with a refractometer sample a lot faster than a hydrometer sample. For me, the biggest hassle of the hydrometer is dealing with the foam at the top of the sample. Also, having to take the temperature of the sample for a correction is a pain.

As for accuracy, I've never had any significant variation between my hydrometer and refractometer with FG readings. Those differences probably fall within the margin of error of my ability to accurately read the hydrometer.
 
Yeah... I like using it... and your probably spot on by saying its better used for SG... I have done so as well it allows you to adjust on the fly since its instant so if you need to add a little dme you can decide sooner. I suppose it was the post ferment with the alcohol correction you need to make.

And dont get me wrong i'm not hating on the tool, i actually think its cool and people really get a kick out the science of it when I use it. I like the fact that I can take miniscule samples during fermentation and appreciate the applications/sheets out there to factor the alcohol as well.

for FG i usually sanatize and drop in my hydro right into the carboy after I take a quick sample reading with the refracto...I have this nifty computer tool that can reach in and grab it to get it out. It does kill me to take out 3-4 oz. to fill my hydro tube I suppose if you sanatize you can always throw it back in..
 
Wow, I find the refractometer to me MUCH faster at taking a reading on hot wort! Pick up a tiny sample in a pipette, shake down to bulb and swirl in 60 degree water for a few seconds, then squirt onto refractometer and look in it. I use a phone app to convert to SG, but the math in the head method works if you can think faster than I do.

With a Hydrometer, I'd have to pull a MUCH larger sample and it would take MUCH longer to cool. So much so that even if I swirled in ice water, it takes 10 minutes. I could have taken 5-6 readings with the refractometer in that much time.

I have gone back to using the hydrometer for post fermentation readings, but mostly because there is no conversion to perform and I get to do a taste test. I've had very good results comparing the readings from the refractometer vs the hydrometer. I just get more benefit from the hydro at that point.
 
I think it's more about accuracy than anything. And yes, for that purpose, a refractometer delivers better than a cheap hydrometer.
 
The question I always have in these types of threads is: How many times are you measuring your gravity that you are worrying about 3-4 oz of lost wort/beer? As yooper does, I only measure once before packaging for most beers. I like the idea of using a refractometer on the hot side, but haven't gotten around to pulling the trigger yet.
 
bobbrews said:
I think it's more about accuracy than anything. And yes, for that purpose, a refractometer delivers better than a cheap hydrometer.
Click to expand...

I'd be surprised this is the case for measuring during/post-fermentation, given the necessity to have to correct for alcohol in the sample. I could be wrong and I haven't done enough research into it.
 
I may be jinxing myself but I have yet to break a hydro. I think the key may be to have a backup. That and use it, immediately rinse and store it in the hydro jar. Of course I've worked in labs my whole life and I've noticed some people are just prone to break things.
 
Lennie said:
I may be jinxing myself but I have yet to break a hydro. I think the key may be to have a backup. That and use it, immediately rinse and store it in the hydro jar. Of course I've worked in labs my whole life and I've noticed some people are just prone to break things.
Click to expand...

I have the same hydro that I bought back in '90 or so. I do the same thing. Use it, rinse it off, dry with a towel carefully and place it back in the storage sleeve.

I can't understand how people can keep breaking them. Once you find out you can't shake them dry it should be pretty obvious now delicate they are...
 
I bought one of the cheap one's of eBay and at first was worried about the accuracy so I'd check the gravity with the refractometer and the hydrometer. Turns out the refractometer is dead accurate.
I really like using it for pre and post boil gravity readings.
I use the hydro for gravity readings during fermentation. The fact that I was able to use the refractometer when brewing helps when taking FG readings.
 
passedpawn said:
Refract only comes out on brewday for measuring during boil. To convert to SG, I mentally multiply x4 and add 1.
Click to expand...

This is what I do. The mass of the refractometer pretty much instantly brings 3-4 drops of wort down to ambient, compensation or no. And a simple mental computation lets me know if the mash has converted. Then take another sample at end of boil for OG....I can't even imagine trying to do all that drawing samples and using a hydrometer.

When my fermentation is done, I just sanitize a hydrometer and my wine thief, stick in the bucket and determine FG. Quick and easy.
 
Just brewed last night, used my $30 Amazon Refractometer for OG and got 1.064. Double checking, I took a hydrometer reading...1.074! Will be using my hydrometer from now on. Refractometer will be sitting in the bottom of by gear box. :(

Does anyone know if there is a correction factor needed to read wort, rather than brix in wine making?
 
Homercidal said:
I have gone back to using the hydrometer for post fermentation readings, but mostly because there is no conversion to perform and I get to do a taste test.
Click to expand...

I found that I still had to do conversions with the hydrometer to adjust for the temperature of the beer. I found that quicker than trying to get to beer to exactly 60. It's just as quick to do the conversion for the refractometer. It may actually be faster since I don't have to check the temperature of the beer.

I make sure to pull enough of a sample when I'm using the refractometer to make sure I get a few sips of the beer. It's enough to get a sense of how the beer is and I'm still pulling out less than a quarter of what I needed for a hydrometer sample.
 
broadbill said:
The question I always have in these types of threads is: How many times are you measuring your gravity that you are worrying about 3-4 oz of lost wort/beer? As yooper does, I only measure once before packaging for most beers. I like the idea of using a refractometer on the hot side, but haven't gotten around to pulling the trigger yet.
Click to expand...

I'm with Broadbill. How many samples are you taking? And if 3 or 4 oz is really killing you then I don't know what to say. I suppose when I was a beginner the idea of losing any beer was a problem. But now days I have so much beer on hand that 1/4 of 1 beer is not going to kill me to lose.

Refractometer takes about 1 minute to get a reading from it. Like others said, multiply by four and you have a very close estimate. The speed of getting my measurement is why I use the refractometer, not less beer loss.

I never understood the broken hydro thing either. Still on my original one. Hope you guys can tame those squirrely things some day :mug:
 
Ital said:
Just brewed last night, used my $30 Amazon Refractometer for OG and got 1.064. Double checking, I took a hydrometer reading...1.074! Will be using my hydrometer from now on. Refractometer will be sitting in the bottom of by gear box. :(

Does anyone know if there is a correction factor needed to read wort, rather than brix in wine making?
Click to expand...

How do you know your hydrometer isn't off and your refractometer is accurate?

Both should read 1.000 with water at 60F.
 
TheMan said:
. . . How many samples are you taking? . . .
Click to expand...

Depends on the beer. For ales, I usually wait at least 3 or 4 days after active fermentation is over and use the hydrometer for a single sample before packaging.

For lagers, however, you need to monitor the progress of the fermentation if you want to do a diacetyl rest. For that, I use a fermenter with a spigot and take a sample each day until I'm down to about 1.020. Recently, that's been about 4 or 5 samples before the d-rest and usually another one or two after to make sure it hit FG before I cool it back down. That's a couple of beers worth if I used a hydrometer each time.

Oh and for the record, there are some simple spreadsheets for correcting refractometer readings for alcohol provided you know the OG. They're pretty accurate.
 
gr8shandini said:
Depends on the beer. For ales, I usually wait at least 3 or 4 days after active fermentation is over and use the hydrometer for a single sample before packaging.

For lagers, however, you need to monitor the progress of the fermentation if you want to do a diacetyl rest. For that, I use a fermenter with a spigot and take a sample each day until I'm down to about 1.020. Recently, that's been about 4 or 5 samples before the d-rest and usually another one or two after to make sure it hit FG before I cool it back down. That's a couple of beers worth if I used a hydrometer each time.

Oh and for the record, there are some simple spreadsheets for correcting refractometer readings for alcohol provided you know the OG. They're pretty accurate.
Click to expand...

I agree for a lager they would add up. I guess I just don't sweat losing 2 or 3 beers when I'm making 48 bottles worth at a time. I don't go through beer too quick and always have extra that I just give away. Again, when I began, the idea of losing a couple was atrocious...then after a few batches and my stockpile grew, I realized 1 batch leaves me with more than enough.
 
broadbill said:
How do you know your hydrometer isn't off and your refractometer is accurate?

Both should read 1.000 with water at 60F.
Click to expand...

I've checked this, both read 1.000 with pure water at 60F. I'm more inclined to trust the hydrometer than the Chinese refractometer. I suppose a more scientific calibration test could be done... both could be off for all I know.
 
An ATC refractometer is a great tool. Here's a table using ProMash I keep in my refractometer case for quick conversions. I've found that I get the best FG results from calculators where the Brix->SG OG was done in the same program. There can be Brix->gravity conversion difference between programs.

A bottle of distilled water lasts a long time for cleaning and calibrating.

Refractometer Table.jpg
 
If you're an extract brewer, there's not all that much of a need for a refractometer. It's one of those gadgets that if you have it, it's fun to use (and wastes less beer), but hardly a "necessary" item.

For all-grain, however, I find it to be tremendously useful. I can immediately get samples of runnings, pre-boil gravity, during-boil gravity, etc to know where I am in my process. For that I find it indispensible. If something goes horribly wrong gravity-wise on an all-grain beer, I can be making recipe corrections on the fly.
 
Ital said:
I've checked this, both read 1.000 with pure water at 60F. I'm more inclined to trust the hydrometer than the Chinese refractometer. I suppose a more scientific calibration test could be done... both could be off for all I know.
Click to expand...

The instructions that came with my refractometer say to calibrate it at 68*F. It also states, "When working temperature of the room or environment (not the sample) changes by more that 5*F, we recommend recalibration to maintain accuracy." Now that it's summer in Florida, I won't see 68 in the house or outside for months. What I do is take my refractometer and distilled water outside with me when I brew. I then recalibrate throughout the brew day, since it may be in the low 80's when I start but will be in the 90's when I finish. I did this last time as well as take hydrometer readings. My readings were within a few points of each other. I did the same thing just before I bottled last time. Using a alcohol correction calculator with the refractometer, both reading were the same, which makes me confidence in my refractometer readings and my recalibration process. YMMV
 
If you have Beer Smith software, it will adjust for both temp and alcohol

I pull a sample right out of my brew pot, take a SG reading (hydrometer) then take a temp, input both into the software and voila, corrected for temp

For the refractmeter, take a reading and the software will adjust for the alcohol

For now, I am still using the same hydrometer that I got almost 2 years ago, keep eyeing the refractometer though. Now that I admitted to not breaking mine, I am sure to do it real soon :ban:

Toy4Rick
 

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