I tried a refractometer- not so hot

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

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

Hammer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
46
Reaction score
0
So, I thought I'd use a nicer tool for my gravity measurement. Got a refractometer. It isn't very accurate at all.
It reads 10 Brix (1.040) on beer that's 1.020 by my float. I know the float's pretty close.
Anyone else use or try a refractometer? My hope was that I could monitor grav more often and not sacrifice a lot of wort. If it's not accurate, that's not working for me.
At first I tried to blame other things
So I cal'd the refractometer.
Clarified the brew, thinking yeast solids might affect it.
No change.
For $60, I thought I'd get more.
If I can't get better results, I'm sending it back.
 
there are tools that will try to adjust your refractometer reading for alcohol I think beersmith has one. but normally they are only for OG and brix readings.
 
Well, that explains it.
Thanks for the feedback. At least now I know why it's not accurate.
 
It's why I haven't bought one yet. It has very little utility. There are plenty of other more useful gadgets worth getting before a refractometer.
 
They're great for wine though. You can break a grape skin and find out how much sugar they have in there.
 
Why? What do you use it for?

I test the gravity of my wort three times on brew day. I use a hydrometer and sample tube.

My first test is of the tail of my runnings after I've collected all my wort, just to make sure I'm not over extracting. My second test is to get the gravity of the wort in the boiler, my pre-boil mash gravity, after I've collected all my wort. So test 1 and 2 are back to back. Test 3 is my OG in the fermenter before I pitch.

I can't think of a good reason to buy a refractometer. My hydrometer works fine.
 
you cant use it with alcohol in the sample- only pre fermentation. Also you need to calirbiate it with water before use.
 
I have both instruments- refractometer in the brewhouse, hydrometer in the fermentation room. I prefer using a refractometer for two reasons- the size of the sample is miniscule (just a drop) and the refractometer has automatic temperature adjustment. It gives me accurate results with no need to make adjustments to my calculations for temperature. Once it is calibrated to pure water, it's a valuable piece of equipment to my brewing process.

Once the yeast is pitched and fermentation has begun, it's time for the hydrometer. I ferment in a temperature controlled cabinet at 60 degrees so my hydrometer is already calibrated to those conditions, and a refractometer is useless once alcohol is introduced to the mix.
 
The refractometer is a tool I wouldn't be without on brewday. So much easier to take a gravity measurement. Couple drops on the lens and you're set. It would be sweet if they could be used for post-fermentation measurements.
 
If you're extract brewing, a refractometer is a giant waste of cash. If you're AG brewing, a refractometer can be very helpful.

If you are an all-grain brewer, a hydrometer is equally helpful. Either a hydrometer or a refractometer is essential. You need a way to measure gravity, while they are used differently, neither does the job better than the other.
 
I used a refractormeter for the first time on my second all-grain this week. It really helped me hit my desired gravity because I was able to take readings while the wort was boiling allowing me to see the gravity raise as the wort boiled down. Without it I would have had a hard time seeing where the gravity was headed. really nice to see the gravity in your wort in all the brewing stages.
 
I use my refractometer both on unfermented wort and fermenting wort and have found it to be very accurate. I use the refractometer tool in Beersmith during ferment to find my current SG and it's always within 1 point of the reading taken by a hydrometer. Far better testing one teaspoon than chucking 100ml from a trial jar down the sink. :)
 
If you are an all-grain brewer, a hydrometer is equally helpful. Either a hydrometer or a refractometer is essential. You need a way to measure gravity, while they are used differently, neither does the job better than the other.

I'm afraid this flies in the face of my experience. Let me list the steps for using each implement, then "we'll do the math".

Hydrometer

1. Remove a 100ml sample of wort - enough to fill the test jar three-quarters to the rim.
2. Refrigerate the sample until the heat won't shatter the hydrometer - approximately ten minutes, even in the freezer.
3. Immerse the hydrometer.
4. Spin the hydrometer.
5. Read the meniscus.
6. Repeat steps 3-5.
7. Record the reading.

Refractometer

1. Remove two drops of wort - approximately 0.5ml.
2. Place drops on refractometer lens. Close lens.
3. Peer into eyepiece. Read the blue line.
4. Record the reading.

Gee, what do you think? ;)

I think the hydrometer is a waste of time, wort and effort in the brewhouse. For example, how can you sample the tailings of your sparge runnings with a hydrometer? You simply can't, neither as quickly nor as effectively as with a refractometer. The refractometer is infinitely more useful in the brewhouse. In the fermenting room, not so much. But in the brewhouse, only a lunatic would continue to use the hydrometer if offered a refractometer.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. :D

Regards,

Bob
 
you cant use it with alcohol in the sample- only pre fermentation. Also you need to calirbiate it with water before use.
So not true! The refractometer is accurate (with alcohol present) if you know your starting SG and do a calculation. I use Beersmith. Just plug in the info and presto! Also, checking with water before use is not a big deal at all. Seldom do I have to adjust anything. AFAIAC why waste good beer taking SG readings with a hydrometer when a refractometer only uses a few drops?
 
I'm afraid this flies in the face of my experience. Let me list the steps for using each implement, then "we'll do the math".

Hydrometer

1. Remove a 100ml sample of wort - enough to fill the test jar three-quarters to the rim.
2. Refrigerate the sample until the heat won't shatter the hydrometer - approximately ten minutes, even in the freezer.
3. Immerse the hydrometer.
4. Spin the hydrometer.
5. Read the meniscus.
6. Repeat steps 3-5.
7. Record the reading.

Refractometer

1. Remove two drops of wort - approximately 0.5ml.
2. Place drops on refractometer lens. Close lens.
3. Peer into eyepiece. Read the blue line.
4. Record the reading.

Gee, what do you think? ;)

I think the hydrometer is a waste of time, wort and effort in the brewhouse. For example, how can you sample the tailings of your sparge runnings with a hydrometer? You simply can't, neither as quickly nor as effectively as with a refractometer. The refractometer is infinitely more useful in the brewhouse. In the fermenting room, not so much. But in the brewhouse, only a lunatic would continue to use the hydrometer if offered a refractometer.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. :D

Regards,

Bob

You're right Bob, I am entitled to my opinion, which your distorted comparison and compilation of irrelevant characteristics doesn't change.

mod edit- NO personal attacks

You are, of course, entitled to your delusion. :D
 
I use my hydrometer to read my wort runoffs, and its never shattered, have taken temp readings up to 150 degrees with it. Am I asking for trouble. This is the first ive heard of this. Usually they are 130-140 as the test jar cools rather quickly, or thief in my case. Not to diminish the refract. I just put the readings into beer recipators site to get the corrected values. I pour any test tube back into the boil pot, as boiling will kill any nasties. If I test a cooled ferminting, or fermented wort I just drink the sample, and think of it as part of the process.
 
You're right Bob, I am entitled to my opinion, which your distorted comparison and compilation of irrelevant characteristics doesn't change.

How is comparing the process irrelevant? You wrote, "neither does the job better than the other", which is patently incorrect. Thus I listed the processes involved in both instruments. Further, how is my comparison distorted? Them's the steps, at least as practiced in my brewhouse and recommended by every brewer worth the name.


Now that's just unnecessary. It's what's called an ad hominem attack. You can't refute my argument, so you call me names. Way to go, troll.



Slapping a smiley on rudeness that obvious wouldn't fool a child.

You are, of course, entitled to your delusion. :D

You're obligated to prove me wrong, sir, before you pronounce me deluded. You've only made pronouncements and attacked me personally. I've placed thoughtful comments before the group. Show me how I'm deluded, and I'll be the first to applaud you. Unless and until that happens, you'll be dismissed as the saddest sort of troll.

Bye-bye!

Bob
 
billtzk,

Why such hostility thinly disguised by internet smileys? That's just not cool. But I'll leave it at that for the integrity of this thread.

As I stated earlier, I use both a refractometer and a hydrometer at different places in my brewery, and my experiences with both instruments echo those related by Bob. On brew days, the simplicity and efficiency of using my refractometer on each of my runnings was well worth the $30 I spent on the instrument. Filling a test jar with the runnings, waiting for it to cool and so forth makes using a hydrometer on brew days cumbersome and tedious. A refractometer just streamlines the process- a few seconds vs. tens of minutes.

Neither instrument is the silver bullet under all circumstances, but are valuable pieces of my kit just the same.
 
I use my refractometer several times during brewday and just love it. I did fine for years before I got it, though. It's nice to have, but it is not necessary.


TL
 
I love the refractometer. I still do a hydrometer comparison for the OG and FG, but don't know how much longer I will do so. The Spreadsheet from morebeer and the calculator in BeerAlchemy have both been dead on so far.
The cases where they have not agreed have all been due to me not properly correcting for temperature in the hydro sample.

For the couple of people who mentioned reading the refractometer at temps over 100°F, make sure you are using the correct correction factor. One can be found here, or use this calculator.
I am not sure, but some of the corrections included on the sheet that came with the hydrometer may use the older formula that was only accurate over a narrower range.

Cheers.
 
billtzk,

Why such hostility thinly disguised by internet smileys? That's just not cool. But I'll leave it at that for the integrity of this thread.

Read the post I responded to again, then ask that same question of Bob.
 
I'll answer you just like I'd answer him: "What? What did I do?"

All I can imagine is you think I called you a name or something. If I did, I apologize. Just point out where I offended you, so I can steer clear of doing so in future.

Bob
 
Bill, I agree that EITHER tool is effective in the end goal of measuring gravity but I agree with Bob in the fact that the refractometer IS better. I don't read his response as a personal attack on you, just simply a well stated rebuttal with maybe a bit of smugness. However, I do read yours (even with the mod edit) as an aggressive response. That's how I see it.

FYI, I just bought a refractometer and can't wait to use it. I like recording a LOT of data during a brewday and chilling samples is a pain.
 
I'm looking forward to using mine to monitor step mashes with my upcoming lagers. My plan is to do my steps not based on time, but based on conversion level. Just for example, do a protein rest until 5% conversion, and then the Sacch. until 90% and then up to 158-160 to get some limit dextrins to have the FG a bit higher - I don't want to brew Bud light. I'll probably do my first lager of the season by time, but I'll monitor the conversion to give me a guide for future brews.

On one lager last year I got sidetracked and mashed longer at 150 F than I wanted and by the time I wanted to go to 158, the mash was already fully converted so that step was moot. The FG on this beer was lower than what I wanted.
 
I like to take a first wort gravity reading, and compare to the theoretical first wort gravity. If they match, I'm good, otherwise I don't have full conversion so I know I had better look for something amiss.

I also take readings of second and third runnings. It would simply be impossible to do all of that with a hydrometer. By the time the sample was cool enough, I would have moved onto the next step, without having time to adjust if I catch something awry.

Once the runnings are in the kettle, I put away the refractometer, but both tools have their place in my brewhouse.
 
Why? What do you use it for?

I test the gravity of my wort three times on brew day. I use a hydrometer and sample tube.

My first test is of the tail of my runnings after I've collected all my wort, just to make sure I'm not over extracting. My second test is to get the gravity of the wort in the boiler, my pre-boil mash gravity, after I've collected all my wort. So test 1 and 2 are back to back. Test 3 is my OG in the fermenter before I pitch.

I can't think of a good reason to buy a refractometer. My hydrometer works fine.

How do you cool a sample fast enough to make a hydrometer usefull? By the time its cooled enough that part of the boil is past.
 
If you are an all-grain brewer, a hydrometer is equally helpful. Either a hydrometer or a refractometer is essential. You need a way to measure gravity, while they are used differently, neither does the job better than the other.

Except with a refractometer you can take a small drop and place to measure your gravity almost immediately. With a hydrometer, you must take a much larger sample and cool it to about room temp before you can make the measurement. The refractometer is much quicker and easier. However you are correct that the hydrometer is sufficient.

Craig
 

Latest posts

Back
Top