Which should i trust, my waist is at stake!

[bracconiere]

so i just brewed a batch....i got about 10 gallons of 18.5lb's of grain.....my tried and true hydro reads 1.060 at 77f, but my spiffy new refractometer read 16 brix......

i know i'm nit picking here, but when i punch my effec into beersmith, well anyway...it's important to me....

 

[IslandLizard]

Most hydrometers are calibrated at 60F, but double check what the actual calibration temp for yours is. It's marked on the paper scale sleeve, usually near the bottom.
Make sure your hydrometer is calibrated in distilled water at 60F (or whatever the calibration temp of your hydrometer is). Always read the bottom of the meniscus, and note any deviation from the expected 1.000.
+ or - 1 or 2 points deviation is not uncommon.

When taking readings at a different temp than the calibration temp, use a calculator to correct your readings:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/In your case, the 1.060 reading at 77F, when corrected would come out to be 1.062 at 60F.

Refractometer reading correction:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/16 Brix = 1.063 with the wort correction factor set to 1.040 --for reading wort instead of sugar solution--

That's pretty damn close, well within the small reading error of using both instruments.

 

[bracconiere]

16 Brix = 1.063 with the wort correction factor set to 1.040 --for reading wort instead of sugar solution--

is the factor protein? would this factor effect a preboil refrac reading differently then a post boil?

 

[IslandLizard]

is the factor protein? would this factor effect a preboil refrac reading differently then a post boil?

No, not protein, it's maltose and maltotriose vs. sucrose, with a slightly different refractive index.

 

[bracconiere]

No, not protein, it's maltose and maltotriose vs. sucrose, with a slightly different refractive index.

but brix is for fructose right?

 

[Golddiggie]

Not all refractometers are created equal.

The first one I used had both SG and Brix scales on it. Not really accurate for either.
Then I spent good coin on accurate ones (with ATC) that are pretty much dead on every time. IIRC, they were just over $100 each when I bought them. Yes, each. I have two for beer (one is 0-20 and the other is 0-32) and one for much stronger things (ranges from 28 to 62).

Did you check the reading against clear water (they call for distilled most of the time)? That will at least let you see if it reads water (a 0 reading) properly.

Also, how are you putting the sample on the glass? I use micro pipets (either .5 or 1ml capacity) to transfer the sample over. These are use once items. If you're reusing a dropper to do the transfer, don't.

 

[DuncB]

Could i just drip some on from a clean spoon?
How do I know the refractometer is suitable for wort? Wife has borrowed one to assess the honey in the hive and I wanted to give it a brewing try.

 

[bracconiere]

well mine says ATC on it prominently, but only cost $30 with shipping....

i'll go with @IslandLizard with this for the post boil reading, even though i don't get the correction factor...but i'm wondering why when i used to use a hydro and temp correct it, the pre-boil prediction in beersmith was always 3 points lower, then my reading...and now refrac is spot on to pre-boil prediction, but low on OG,,,wondering whats better, refrac or temp corrected hydro....

 

[bracconiere]

Could i just drip some on from a clean spoon?
How do I know the refractometer is suitable for wort? Wife has borrowed one to assess the honey in the hive and I wanted to give it a brewing try.

when i was having fun with it, it worked good for me mixing whiskey water and table sugar? all by weight...

 

[DuncB]

Served in a pint glass?

when i was having fun with it, it worked good for me mixing whiskey water and table sugar? all by weight...

 

[IslandLizard]

but brix is for fructose right?

"One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and represents the strength of the solution as percentage by mass."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brix

 

[IslandLizard]

Also, how are you putting the sample on the glass? I use micro pipets (either .5 or 1ml capacity) to transfer the sample over. These are use once items. If you're reusing a dropper to do the transfer, don't.

Really(!)?
I've never had trouble reusing them, indefinitely, so far. Still on my first plastic sample pipette (those with a bulb at the top) for well over 7 years, IIRC.

 

[bracconiere]

"One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and represents the strength of the solution as percentage by mass."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brix

i'm j/k'ing, but could i use a cheap refractomer as an alaernative to a $1k UV.Vis Spectrometer? would i just need to work out a calc for a specific molucule?

edit: don't know where my train of thought was, just the wave lengths of different sugars, and correction values...and science projects...

 

[Bramling Cross]

Really(!)?
I've never had trouble reusing them, indefinitely, so far. Still on my first plastic sample pipette (those with a bulb at the top) for well over 7 years, IIRC.

I'll use a single plastic pipette throughout the course of a brewday. I've always flushed the pipette three times by pulling a sample, squeezing it out, etc. to avoid diluting the sample with previous samples (something I actually remembered from chemistry class). Out of curiosity, I'll sometimes pull a sample w/o flushing, then pull a second flushed sample and they're always in agreement. Refractometers aren't high-precision/high-accuracy devises, a little sample contamination isn't going to make much difference.

You've sold me. I'm going to start my quest for a decade on the same pipette.

 

[day_trippr]

Wow. Are you folks serious?
I picked up a pack of ten of these squishy pipettes somewhere around 2016, iirc.

I'm still on the 3rd one - and only switched to that when the second one's bulb split in half around a year ago.
That's like 20 batches per pipette

Cheers! (Star San, RO, and a good shake. NBD)...

 

[IslandLizard]

I've always flushed the pipette three times by pulling a sample, squeezing it out, etc. to avoid diluting the sample with previous samples (something I actually remembered from chemistry class).

That's what I do too. Suck up enough wort to make dilution with a few small clinging drops of water negligible. After 3 times it's about as pure as it can get.
I'm never sweating a 1-3 point difference from expected, either. Close enough for homebrew beer.

 

[VikeMan]

wondering whats better, refrac or temp corrected hydro....

A good hydrometer will always give you a more accurate wort gravity than a refractometer. (Or just as accurate, if they happen to match.) A hydrometer measures gravity directly, while a refractometer (with a calculator) has to estimate it, using a Wort Correction Factor which might or might not be the best correction factor for that particular wort.

 

[Golddiggie]

Wow. Are you folks serious?
I picked up a pack of ten of these squishy pipettes somewhere around 2016, iirc.
View attachment 724804
I'm still on the 3rd one - and only switched to that when the second one's bulb split in half around a year ago.
That's like 20 batches per pipette

Cheers! (Star San, RO, and a good shake. NBD)...

Wow, talk about skinflints.
I bought two bags, two different sizes, several years back. I haven't even come close to using up either bag. The 1ml size was a bag of 500 for a whopping $14. Just under 3 CENTS each cost. The .5ml size was a bag of $100 at $7. So 7 CENTS each cost. I have zero issue using one of these either per brew day, or per sample and tossing them.

As for accurate readings between a hydrometer and refractometer. With the ones I purchased, the readings were always the same. The fact that I no longer need to pull such a large sample to get the readings made the switch well worth it. Yes, once fermentation starts, you need to use math to get the corrected number. IMO, so what. It's easy to get the correction either via a readily available Excel file, online sites, or even in BeerSmith. Plus, it's one LESS piece of glass to keep from rolling off a surface and breaking.