Refractometer and Hydrometer

[DownHillonWater]

There are quite a number of comments in this forum on the limited utility of refractometer based final gravity measurements. Many are by brewers with much more experience than me.

For the last ten batches I've compared FG measurements between refractometer and hydrometer. I've found the two correspond very well and never seen more than 1 point difference with a wide range of ales.

Could someone pls comment on where difficulty is encountered so that I can be ready. Much appreciated.

 

[day_trippr]

I have to say my experience is more in tune with yours than otherwise. Indeed any difference I've noted between the adjusted refractometer reading and a hydrometer check comes down to resolving the tenths readings on both instruments and deciding which tenth is closer on each...

Cheers!

 

[FunkyMunk]

My difficulty has been in finding a consistently reliable calculator for converting the refractometer reading to SG. There's also the conversion factor to take into account. On my setup I found 1.04 to work for beer, but for reasons beyond my understanding it's closer to 1.00 for cider and mead (and also less consistent to get the numbers to agree when I manage to take measures with both instruments).

 

[day_trippr]

I would fathom it's due to the different sugar profiles between cider, mead and beer.
Beer has some sugars extant that I suspect don't occur in cider or mead (eg: maltotriose, for one).
Meanwhile, aren't most refractometers tuned for sucrose?

Cheers!