Do I need a conversion for my refractometer?

[Nerdie]

I know you do new a correction factor after it ferments because of the alcohol... but how about OG?

I have a salt water fish tank and I am using the same refractometer... I am pretty sure it works because my salt water fish tanks are kept at 1.025 using the meter...

I wanted to measure plan apple juice to make apfelwein and I got about 1.073... my refractometer only goes up to 1.070 so I am estimating just a bit...

However, I looked online and someone else said it should be at 1.043 ish...

Am I missing a correction factor? Is this refractometer crazy?

 

[Nerdie]

btw I measured 2 different apple juices.. .Mott's and .... Benkin and jenson (sp.?) You know... from BJs...

 

[Nerdie]

bump

 

[wyzazz]

For your aquarium you probably have a salinity refractometer, you want one for juice/sugar content. Not sure that they are the same.

Do you have a hydrometer? Take a reading of the juice with that and compare.

 

[Nerdie]

I initially brought the refractometer for my fish tank so it was meant for salt water. J thought it was the same technology though and coughed up the cash since I figured I would use it for beer making.

I would use my hydrometer but I crushed it last week and the glass broke. I don't want to spend the money on a new one if possible since I have a refractometer and it is better I think since you use less liquid, easy to read, etc.

 

[wyzazz]

Possibly the below thread could help you out?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/shouldnt-refractometer-work-wort-beer-101163/

 

[Austinhomebrew]

There is a calculator on our website:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12574

 

[wyzazz]

There is a calculator on our website:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12574

I'm not sure that the calculator will assist in converting the Salinity Readings from that Refractometer to "Sugar" Readings that we use as brewers. If I'm not mistaken it's made to read a different type of liquid.

 

[Catt22]

I'm not sure that the calculator will assist in converting the Salinity Readings from that Refractometer to "Sugar" Readings that we use as brewers. If I'm not mistaken it's made to read a different type of liquid.

I think you may be right on this.

 

[Nerdie]

Possibly the below thread could help you out?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/shouldnt-refractometer-work-wort-beer-101163/

Well I knew that the final gravity would be messed up because of the alcohol but I don't think I am getting the original gravity correctly. I have apple juice to be 1.073 when it should be around 1.041-3 right?

There is a calculator on our website:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12574

Should OG be the same? I didn't know they had different meters for salt and sugar... I thought the technology was the same... I guess not...

RO water is 0.00, check ... fish tank is 1.025, check.... apple juice 1.073? I think that is wrong...

 

[malkore]

mix a pound of DME into a gallon of water. It should come out to like 1.046 or something.

or, in some way, make a known solution of sugar water and see if your refractometer reads it correctly.

 

[Bobby_M]

I don't know why they are different but I constantly see refractometers sold specifically as either salinity or sugar concentration, even from the same suppliers. If they weren't different, I'd think they'd list them as either salinity or sugar. If the difference was simply based on SG scale vs. Brix scale, you'd think they'd list those as the differentiation.

 

[a10t2]

You're right that the technology is the same, but you'll need some sort of conversion between salinity and sugar content. You can either find the refractive indices for both and use them to build a correlation, or take a few data points using known-SG solutions.

 

[wyzazz]

As much of a PITA as all that sounds, I'll vote that you head on over to eBay to pick up one for under $30.00 shipped that's made for sugar.