Two OG readings

[Burrito]

Brewed a pale ale yesterday. After cooling I measured the gravity using both the hydrometer and a dual scale refractometer. Both readings were lower than expected but which should I go with?

Hydrometer: 1.043
Refractometer: 1.048

I calibrated my refractometer prior to using it. Has anyone experienced a hydrometer that was off before? Or should I assume the refractometer is wrong?

 

[ajf]

Never trust the specific gravity scale on a refractometer. It is not possible to convert the refractive index of a solution to a specific gravity, without knowing the makeup of that solution, Google "wort correction factor" for details on this.
You say you had calibrated the refractometer, but did you calibrate the hydrometer? If so, you can trust the hydrometer OG, if not, you can calibrate it now, and determine what the specific gravity should have been.
If you know what your Brix Reading was on the refractometer (it should be the Brix value that lines up with 1.048), and you know the Brix reading, you can use http://www.brewersfriend.com/how-to-determine-your-refractometers-wort-correction-factor/ to calculate a wort correction factor.

-a.

 

[hophop]

Calibrate the hydrometer. Mine reads .004 too low. My refractometer is spot on.


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