Ughhhh!! I just broke another Hydrometer (my third one). Does anybody use a refractometer in place of a hydrometer and is it worth the extra cost?
Ughhhh!! I just broke another Hydrometer (my third one). Does anybody use a refractometer in place of a hydrometer and is it worth the extra cost?
Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I need to start shopping for a nice refractometer and probably another hydrometer. Anybody here have one of the refractometers from China that are sold on Ebay?
Homercidal said:When I first got mine I checked the gravity on two brews against my hydrometer and it was dead on, both pre and post fermentation (using a phone app).
I was on the verge of buying a refractometer, but I didn't realize you really couldn't use them after fermentation begins. .
I use a refractometer through the entire process. I have compared readings, I don't understand why so many people have trouble using it. I thought it was people using a refractometer that was calibrated in Specific gravity rather than Brix having problems. Now I just wonder if this is the new version of using a boil pot made of SS or Aluminum. Old opinions based on what??
The issue is that once the wort has alcohol in it, the refractometer is no longer measuring the sugar content of water but rather the sugar content of a "varying mixture of water and alcohol". Since the water and alcohol have different densities the refractometer is no longer accurate. There are calculators which will attempt to compensate for the alcohol content by guessing at the alcohol content but many people don't trust them.
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