luckybeagle
Making sales and brewing ales.
I brewed a Belgian Blonde with WY3522 10 days ago.
I took a post-boil gravity reading at pitch temperature (67F) with my hydrometer. It was 1.068. I tested the same sample with my refractometer, which was 16.6 BRIX (also 1.068). Recipe goal was 1.072 but I slightly oversparged. No big deal.
Today I took a sample of my beer and my hydrometer says 1.012. My refractometer said 7.1 (which is 1.004). I am using the Brucrafter calculator, which takes the presence of alcohol into account.
If I trust my hydrometer, that means I achieved 82% attenuation, which seems about right for this yeast. If I trust my refractometer, that's 94% attenuation, which does not seem right.
The beer tastes great and finished, but this number discrepancy has me concerned. Refractometer reads 0 with plain old water from the tap, so I know it is calibrated. Should I toss this thing, or shop for a new hydrometer??
I took a post-boil gravity reading at pitch temperature (67F) with my hydrometer. It was 1.068. I tested the same sample with my refractometer, which was 16.6 BRIX (also 1.068). Recipe goal was 1.072 but I slightly oversparged. No big deal.
Today I took a sample of my beer and my hydrometer says 1.012. My refractometer said 7.1 (which is 1.004). I am using the Brucrafter calculator, which takes the presence of alcohol into account.
If I trust my hydrometer, that means I achieved 82% attenuation, which seems about right for this yeast. If I trust my refractometer, that's 94% attenuation, which does not seem right.
The beer tastes great and finished, but this number discrepancy has me concerned. Refractometer reads 0 with plain old water from the tap, so I know it is calibrated. Should I toss this thing, or shop for a new hydrometer??