Just got an email from Northern Brewer, as most of you have. They sell a set of 3 narrow range hydrometers for $60, link below. Anyone have experience with these or other PRO grade and expensive hydrometers?
It seems expensive to me for three hydrometers and a rack that are not also thermometers. Price aside though, I question the need for them.
Most of us probably got the NB email this morning.
I would like a more precise hydrometer. But only because my eyesite isn’t what it was even just 5 years ago. I’ve considered for over a year. But instead, just bought some reading glasses. LOL.
I have no need to be that precise. As long as 5 or 6 of my beers give me a nice buzz I don’t really care what the precise ABV was.
No doubt about it. But, as I can now legally sell my homebrew, I need a bit more precision.
I’d consider a more accurate hydrometer for reading FG if the price was right, but I don’t have a need for the other two. The difference between 1.006 and 1.010 may be significant enough if I was trying to dial in attenuation based on my process within a certain recipe or for deciding when to sulfite a cider, but the difference between 1.056 and 1.060 isn’t enough to concern me. Also, the highest they go is 1.130, and my meads (and some BW’s) go a bit higher than that.
That’s a pretty good deal. A typical three-hydrometer brewer’s set would run closer to $100 (example), though as Tom mentioned those would have thermometers and correction scales. Assuming the quality is decent, my other concern is that the ranges aren’t really set up well for beer. The professional models cover ranges of about 8°P, from 0 to 24. The ones NB is selling are 10, 17, and 16, give or take. They go way above and below the practical range, sacrificing precision.
So while the price is right, if I was set on committing that kind of money to a precision set, I’d pay a little more and get the real deal.
If you need 5 or 6, the ABV is not high enough and you should reformulate your recipe.
Oops, sorry. I was basing my feelings about the price on a set of three narrow range hydrometers with thermometers I ordered for the brewery about 6 months ago. Retail would be higher obviously.
Foxx Equipment have them for about $25.