How Much Hops? Supplier?

[passedpawn]

Off topic...

I wish i had never spent a penny on refractometers. I have a handheld optical and a digital, and both i'd qualify as damn near useless instruments. The digital takes subjectivity out of play, but you can get +/- 0.5 Brix between readings 3 seconds apart.

They can produce wildly different values from the same wort due to things like temperature difference between the sample and the instrument, or even suspended solids. Dealing with any reasonably warm sample (i.e. not cooled to room temp) also has appreciably evaporation so by the time you read it, it's no longer correct. About the only benefit is you can use 50mL vs 150mL (which is why we all buy these right???). During the mash i pour my samples back into the tun anyways so they aren't lost. Post fermentation i'm only taking a few, so my loss is maybe 1 pull, which can be compensated for.

The calculators IME are only ballpark accurate. The best investment i made was in lab grade precision hydrometers accurate to 0.1P. When you have a digital refract, and good precision hydrometers, you learn to trust the precision hydrometers.

As I mentioned, I use the refractometer during the boil. What I do is, as soon as the boil starts (and before I add any hops), I measure the gravity. Then I do a C1V1=C2V2 to determine how much I need to boil off to get to my desired OG. In this way, I never miss my OG. Sometimes I do a 45min boil, sometimes 1:15.

 

[schematix]

As I mentioned, I use the refractometer during the boil. What I do is, as soon as the boil starts (and before I add any hops), I measure the gravity. Then I do a C1V1=C2V2 to determine how much I need to boil off to get to my desired OG. In this way, I never miss my OG. Sometimes I do a 45min boil, sometimes 1:15.

The process makes sense to me.

But my point was that the instrument is only accurate to within a few points no matter when you use it.