Refractometer calibration solutions?

[WissahickonBrew]

Does anyone know of a source for calibration solutions (other than distilled water) for checking refractometer accuracy?

Thanks!

 

[Bobby_M]

plain tap water is close enough.

 

[b-boy]

Are you looking for a series of solutions to test a range of values as opposed to just calibrating to 0 with distilled H2O? Sounds like you don't trust it?

 

[WoodlandBrew]

Brewers Friend has a procedure and spreadsheet for that:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/how-to-determine-your-refractometers-wort-correction-factor/

 

[WissahickonBrew]

EXACTLY!

My refractometer does not agree with my hydrometer!

Are you looking for a series of solutions to test a range of values as opposed to just calibrating to 0 with distilled H2O? Sounds like you don't trust it?

 

[riderkb]

EXACTLY!

My refractometer does not agree with my hydrometer!

You can make up sucrose solutions by weight that have a defined Brix density. As long as you also know the temperature, you can look up the SG.

BTW, my friend and I found a case of Busch hidden in Wissahickon Creek. I tasted one and found it disgusting, so we shook up the cans and smashed the against a bridge. I was 12 years old and it was 1984.

If that was your stash, I'm really sorry, man.

 

[Calder]

1 lb table sugar made up to 1 gallon will give you 1.046. 1 lb made up to half gallon will get you 1.092. Make them up as best as you can and see which is more accurate.

 

[WissahickonBrew]

I prefer to hear that 12 year olds played with beer rather than drank it. :cross:

However when WE were twelve, we'd have drank that case that night back the Wissy Creek! ... disgusting taste notwithstanding! By 1984, I was not stashing beer back the 'crick!

You can make up sucrose solutions by weight that have a defined Brix density. As long as you also know the temperature, you can look up the SG.

BTW, my friend and I found a case of Busch hidden in Wissahickon Creek. I tasted one and found it disgusting, so we shook up the cans and smashed the against a bridge. I was 12 years old and it was 1984.

If that was your stash, I'm really sorry, man.

 

[WissahickonBrew]

Spot on advice sir and I thank you! I will post results before this weekend! Thank you and Cheers!

1 lb table sugar made up to 1 gallon will give you 1.046. 1 lb made up to half gallon will get you 1.092. Make them up as best as you can and see which is more accurate.

 

[phug]

You don't have to mix up that much. Bust out a scale weigh out some sugar, 10 grams for instance, now weigh out some distilled water, 90 grams. Divide the sugar weight by the total weight. When you dissolve it you have a solution that is 10 brix or whatever percentage of sugar to total weight is the brix value. Mix up a few if those in different amounts.

My refractometer reads 3% low and my hydrometer 6% high

 

[pdxal]

EXACTLY!

My refractometer does not agree with my hydrometer!

Is the refractometer not agreeing with the hydrometer when you measure gravity after fermentation, or before?

 

[WissahickonBrew]

before

Is the refractometer not agreeing with the hydrometer when you measure gravity after fermentation, or before?

 

[WissahickonBrew]

Humor me on this!

According to this method the amount of sugar in solution is a % of weight of the total solution. I thought hydrometers & refractometers were measuring the % of sugar by volume (a function of solution density?).

Am I way off?

You don't have to mix up that much. Bust out a scale weigh out some sugar, 10 grams for instance, now weigh out some distilled water, 90 grams. Divide the sugar weight by the total weight. When you dissolve it you have a solution that is 10 brix or whatever percentage of sugar to total weight is the brix value. Mix up a few if those in different amounts.

My refractometer reads 3% low and my hydrometer 6% high

 

[ajdelange]

Brix and Plato are grams of extract per 100 grams of solution.

 

[phug]

Humor me on this!

According to this method the amount of sugar in solution is a % of weight of the total solution. I thought hydrometers & refractometers were measuring the % of sugar by volume (a function of solution density?).

Am I way off?

With water it's easy to mix and match volume and weight, since a g of water is equal to 1 ml of water. The only trick is that the water's volume changes with temperature, which is why your hydrometer is calibrated at a specific temp.

much easier, and much more consistent to weigh it out, and then adjust your readings for temp.

but the definitions I got for brix indicated it was a ratio of the sugar % by weight of the total solution.

"Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is the sugar content of an aqueous solution. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and represents the strength of the solution as percentage by mass. If the solution contains dissolved solids other than pure sucrose, then the °Bx only approximates the dissolved solid content." wikipedia entry on brix.

I was initally confused by the 100 grams of solution bit, I thought I had to add 1g sugar to 100g of water, but the total sugarcontent of your 100g of sugar solution should be 1g per degree of brix. once I realized my error, my charts and numbers made a lot more sense.

 

[mtnagel]

Here's how I checked mine with sugar solutions.