Hydrometers Suck

[pauswa]

This morning I spent four hours doing Brew in a Bag. I used my new Corona mill to crush my grains for my two-gallon batch of beer on my stovetop. I had modified the mill with a few washers on it so the crush looks perfect. I made an English mild that is probably around 1.035 OG. Everything went perfectly with my BIAB, but when I was just about the measure the OG, the stupid hydrometer fell on the floor and broke! Now I'll never know what my efficiency was with my new Corona mill and this batch of mild.

When I was mashing, I put the whole pot in the oven that I had preheated to warm (170 degrees), then turned off right when I put the mash in. My mash stayed at 153 degrees for 75 minutes! Every 20 minutes or so I would turn the oven back on to warm (170 degrees) for about two minutes, then turn it back off. It was amazing to see the temperature didn't even fluctuate at all!

Anyway, I will buy a Brix refractometer since those hydrometers are crap. They are way too fragile. It broke on the kitchen floor, and I don't want my dogs walking in there and getting hurt.

Very annoying!

 

[makomachine]

Floors suck!

 

[pauswa]

Hahaha, you said it!

 

[IXVolt]

I'd rather have a broken hydrometer than a broken carboy.

 

[passedpawn]

Won't work with your mild, but for big beers you can try to float an egg in it. If it floats, you're better than about 1.080. It's not an eggxact measurement, but nonetheless an interesting eggsperiment.

 

[pm5k00]

Check out the "official page" for this situation.

 

[Clann]

Won't work with your mild, but for big beers you can try to float an egg in it. If it floats, you're better than about 1.080.

Is that over easy, sunny side up, hard boiled or raw?

 

[passedpawn]

Is that over easy, sunny side up, hard boiled or raw?

Raw.

After the test, I prefer mine over easy on top of a mound of mashed potatoes, an old dutch way of eating eggs.

Back on topic, there are plastic hydrometers. Refractometers are not the answer once the yeast get going.

 

[Clann]

That sounds really good. Can't believe I've never tried mash taters and eggs.

 

[tommybrew]

so......the hydrometer sucks because you dropped it? That's like Adam Dunn blaming the ball for not getting hit....

 

[C-Rider]

Raw.

After the test, I prefer mine over easy on top of a mound of mashed potatoes, an old dutch way of eating eggs.

Back on topic, there are plastic hydrometers. Refractometers are not the answer once the yeast get going.

Is the refractometer good for FG?

 

[logdrum]

There is a correction factor, spreadsheet available @ Morebeer:

http://morebeer.com/learn_vids/vids_refract

link @ bottom of page. Some feel the readings are skewed even w/ the correction. My experience (checking against a hydrometer) refutes this.

-d

 

[passedpawn]

Is the refractometer good for FG?

No. But is seems that some have success with this. I've revisited it a few times, working on calibration and such. I can get it to seem accurate, but then on the next beer it's off again. The accuracy is good if you always make the same beer

I use Beersmith's refractometer correction utility. If you calibrate your refractometer's calibration curve on a light beer (i.e., a pilsner), it will read way off on a dark or higher-ABV beer. I don't know exactly why.

Sean Terrill does. He's on here (HBT) and other forums, and has a few podcasts with James Spencer (Basic Brewing Radio) regarding this exact topic. I sure wish Brad Smith had contacted him before he released the new version of Beersmith.

 

[pauswa]

Hahaha, yes, the hydrometer sucks because I dropped it and it broke. How many of you have NEVER broken a hydrometer? They are just too fragile for clumsy homebrewers (like me).

But yes, better a broken hydrometer than a carboy.

 

[rjschroed]

so......the hydrometer sucks because you dropped it? That's like Adam Dunn blaming the ball for not getting hit....

bahahaha, Adam Dunn sucks. Thanks for the laugh

 

[unionrdr]

I was cleaning my hydrometer one day,& tried shaking it to get the drops of liquid off it. I guess I shook it too hard,cause the neck snapped in two. Good thing I ordered an extra one.

 

[Homercidal]

Hahaha, yes, the hydrometer sucks because I dropped it and it broke. How many of you have NEVER broken a hydrometer? They are just too fragile for clumsy homebrewers (like me).

But yes, better a broken hydrometer than a carboy.

Uh, I've never broken mine. I've had it since about 1990. Brewing on and off until about 5 years ago when I started getting into it much more.

I recently bought a refractometer and I can assure you that it's money well spent JUST for the pre-ferment readings alone. However, I have not noticed a differential in FG measurement for the first few beers when comparing to my hydrometer.

I used a downloadable spreadsheet and the Brewzor Android App for compensation.

 

[weirdboy]

You know, you could just save a sample of your pre-ferment wort in a sanitized container, maybe even stick it in the fridge/freezer, and then when you get a new hydrometer check the gravity after letting the sample get to room temp.

 

[makomachine]

I stand by my original statement - floors suck. Mine has claimed a digital thermometer and several pint glasses since I started brewing. It's not getting my carboys or my hydrometer! Damn you floor!!

 

[neko]

How many of you have NEVER broken a hydrometer?

Me. (knock on wood)

One time it fell off the side of the BBQ but the plastic tube saved it. My friend just brewed his first batch and he has one broken hydrometer already.

 

[Pappers_]

Damn you floor!!

*shakes fist angrily at floor*

 

[Pappers_]

Damn you floor!!

And don't get me started on gravity. Go to hell, Isaac Newton!

 

[bruin_ale]

Is the refractometer good for FG?

Mine's been pretty reliable for FG using BTP's SG calculator. I've cross checked it against a hydrometer many times and it's always been accurate. I've got one of the biggest beers I've ever brewed going right now (a belgian golden strong at ~11%) - refracto a few days ago said 1.007, I'll double check again today with both to see if they line up.

 

[makomachine]

And don't get me started on gravity. Go to hell, Isaac Newton!

Gravity and Floor are in cahoots for the fragile product industry! <Grabs pitch fork and rousts the other villagers>. Burn them!!!

 

[passedpawn]

I've got my original hydrometer. About 75 batches. I did kill the internal thermometer when I put it in boiling liquid (it wasn't built for that I guess ).

 

[AnonyBrew]

I love my hydrometer. I still use the original I bought when I started brewing 3.5 yrs ago.

I also own a refractometer and I challenge anyone to use it and get the same brix reading 3 times in a row. Maybe I got a bad one but my experience has been that refractometer reading vary up to 8 SG gravity points with simultaneous tests on the same wort. I therefore stick to my hydrometer since I cannot trust the refroctometers results.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Temp solution, save the amount of wort needed to measure the wort in a well sealed jar, in the freezer. When you have a new hydrometer, thaw out the sample, and measure.

Needs to be very airtight as the freezer as a tendency to dehydrate stuff.

M__C

 

[ozzy1038]

so......the hydrometer sucks because you dropped it? That's like Adam Dunn blaming the ball for not getting hit....

Or gun control advocates blaming the guns..... It's never the users fault.

 

[BonnieJ]

I haven't yet but I treat it like a piece of spun glass. It's just glass, after all, and it's very slender!

 

[Clementine]

I have two solutions to my gravity + floor + hydrometer issues after they claimed four in quick succession. Glued my hydrometer jar to a 12" squ piece of plywood and built a nice foam lined wooden box for it. Measure, take it out and put it straight back in the box, otherwise I turn around and knock it over.... or my two year old does the job for me!

Clem

 

[Homercidal]

I have two solutions to my gravity + floor + hydrometer issues after they claimed four in quick succession. Glued my hydrometer jar to a 12" squ piece of plywood and built a nice foam lined wooden box for it. Measure, take it out and put it straight back in the box, otherwise I turn around and knock it over.... or my two year old does the job for me!

Clem

That's basically what I have always done. It came in a clear plastic case with the instructions and I use it, rinse it off, dry with a towel, and right back into the case.

 

[unionrdr]

+1,I use it,star-san it,then put it back in the tube. Then back into the brew stand it goes.