My son gave me a 60.00 gift card that I want to use from Austin Brew supply. I don’t want to use it for ingredients, but would like to have something that I can use and keep. I am thinking of getting the refractometer from them for 45.00 but don’t know much about them. It measures in BRIX, which would be new to me, but I am seeing that there are websites out there to convert to Gravity, so I am guessing it is not that big a deal. Any input on a newbie using a piece of equipment like this? I hate dumping a half a glass of beer down the drain when I use my hydrometer as well, so that is another reason I am looking at it. LOL.
i’ve never used a refractometer before, maybe others can explain reasons to get it, but i use a nice thin hydrometer tube that only uses about 180ml of beer to get a sample. for OG sample, i just keep it all sanitized and add it back into the carboy and for FG sample i end up letting it sit and decanting it into a glass and giving it a taste to get a feel for how the beer is going. i used to have a glass test tube that was tall, but perfectly fit my hydryometre, only took about 60ml or so for a test, it was great.
not sure what else is in/not in your setup. but i’ve got 3 carboys and definitely want to get at least one more. it allows for more beer in the pipeline.
Refractometers are great during the mash and boil because you don’t have to cool a sample to room temperature the way you do with a hydrometer. You just need a couple of drops to make a measurement, so you can do it quickly.
A refractometer is just a prizm used to check brix on all sorts of liquids. No moving parts unless you count the tilting window. I think $45 is a bit steep. All of a sudden it’s a “homebrew refractometer” and the price jumps. Like slapping “HD” on a pair of boots or”Corvette” on a jacket. $$$. Try another source for a cheaper one. I think mine was $20.
Whatever refractometer you get, be sure to check the zero regularly. I store mine in the garage, but I brew in the kitchen. In the winter, when the garage is cold and the kitchen is warm, the zero on the refractometer drifts considerably during the day as it warms up.
I love my refractometer. And while it may not always translate exactly to the specific gravity, even when using a calculator, the result is just as valid. Gravity itself is already an approximation of attenuation – apparent attenuation is the balance of alcohol (lighter than water) and the malt sugar solution left in beer (heavier than water). There is nothing magical about gravity as a measurement, and it’s generally worthless without knowing what the OG was. A refractometer reading is the same, and the benefit is that you can take a sample of your favorite commercial beer without wasting more than a drop.
Being hyper frugal, I initially bought one of those cheapo refractometers and was very disappointed in it. I eventually bucked up and bought a VeeGee and have been very pleased with it, the cheap one is forgotten on a shelf somewhere - you don’t always get what you pay for, but you always gotta pay for what you get. As for dumping the beer from the hydrometer sample jar, why are you throwing away perfectly good beer? It’s beer, albeit green beer, I drink it, kind of a teaser for the upcoming batch.
I agree with narvin about refractometer readings being just as valid as hydrometer readings once they’ve been run through a calculator with the proper wort correction factor entered. I use my refractometer for all readings, hot and cold side. I do, on occasion, check it against a hydrometer reading and for zero. It’s almost 4 years old and I’ve never had to re-zero it and it always reads within one gravity point of the hydrometer.
I bought mine from Agricultural Solutions. It reads both Brix and Specific Gravity, which is nice because it saves a step. It’s a good quality refractometer, costs about $50.
I went all in an purchased a digital refractometer a few years ago. Hydrometer samples we’re eating away at my small batches and my poor eyesight always seemed to have trouble reading an analog refractometer. It was pricey, but its a great instrument. Plus, this hobby is all about spending money on new toys.
I have older eyes too so I finally bought a Milwaukee Digital refractometer last year. Wish I got it sooner! A digital refractometer are fast and easy to read and well worth the expense if it fits a brewers budget.