Refractometer recommendations?

[WenValley]

Been looking around for a refractometer, what do you think of this?

I sent the vendor a message two weeks ago asking if this would work for beer brewing in the USA, and I haven't received a response.

Do refractometers come in metric? The temperature could possibly be in Celsius .

Any other suggestions? Thanks.

 

[wehumble]

This would work fine for brewing. I have a similar model, and $35 is hard to beat.

 

[Bobby_M]

Good vendor and there is no metric. Brix is brix.

 

[MMW]

That is the one I have. It's my new favorite toy.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I think the confusion is the he saw 0-32 as being degrees instead of brix Percentage.

 

[KYB]

Hmm so this is good? I may have to get one.

 

[IrregularPulse]

yeah this is looking like a soon to be purchase for me as well. Just to clarify, you can get away with JUST a refractometer and no hydrometer correct? with some calculations?

 

[Whiskey]

yeah this is looking like a soon to be purchase for me as well. Just to clarify, you can get away with JUST a refractometer and no hydrometer correct? with some calculations?

Sure, but having a hydrometer around to double check is pretty handy. Also once the beer is fermented you will have to adjust for the alcohol content. Hydrometers are cheap enough to keep one around for back up.

So far my refractometer has been my favorite purchase they really make a differance.

 

[Munsoned]

If you brew all grain, they are REALLY helpful. I can take wort readings on the fly, which makes the whole day go a LOT faster. Yes, you need to do some corrections to convert to SG, especially after fermentation has begun, but there are tons of resources out there (free) that do this for you with no problem. As long as you have a brix reading pre-fermentation, you're golden.

 

[shortyjacobs]

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-ATC-Brix-Re...in_0?hash=item35a32a2baf&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

30 bucks, free shipping, and ships from this continent!

 

[HarkinBanks]

That is the same one I got on ebay as well, I think I paid $25 with free shipping. It is the same unit everyone else sells for $50 or more and it works great. As long as it has ATC and 0-32% you are set. I always keep a hydrometer around to double check things at the beginning and end, and as mentioned, you need to run a calculation once fermentation has started to get the correct gravity. Here is a great spreadsheet from morebeer.com MoreBeer!™: Using a refractometer in brewing | MoreBeer

I keep the log for each new brew and test before I rack. The best thing about a refractometer is that you can test with a very small sample. No more need for a thief.

 

[IrregularPulse]

If you brew all grain, they are REALLY helpful. I can take wort readings on the fly, which makes the whole day go a LOT faster. Yes, you need to do some corrections to convert to SG, especially after fermentation has begun, but there are tons of resources out there (free) that do this for you with no problem. As long as you have a brix reading pre-fermentation, you're golden.

good deal, I hope to have enough get one on top of my E-HLT build and March pump.

The best thing about a refractometer is that you can test with a very small sample. No more need for a thief.

This is one benefit I'm looking forward to the most. The small sample size and near immediate reading at anytime.