aquarium refractometers suitable for reading SG in homebrew?

[DaveDesign]

As title are they suitable for reading the gravity in homebrew? would be much easier than using the float type hydrometer.

http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/aquarium/therm ... ometer.asp

 

[screamlead]

Dont look as thought it goes high enough and no prices either? Do a search on ebay then can be had for 20 quid or so going upto 30 brix - -like this scale.

 

[prolix]

I got a 0-18 refractometer as I don't brew beers over 1070 cost about £20 inc postage from hong kong, just search ebay, I know sugar fruit juice and oil can be done on same refactometer do not know about salt, someone else will have to answer that.

 

[Aleman]

As title are they suitable for reading the gravity in homebrew? would be much easier than using the float type hydrometer.

http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/aquarium/therm ... ometer.asp

No it's not suitable.

Although I do know someone who uses a protein in urine refractometer to measure wort gravity . . . but they did compile a conversion table

Get a Brix one from eBay

 

[DaveDesign]

Thanks guys, think i will get a brix type. Much easier than a float type hydrometer.

 

[Godsdog]

Just been given one of these and still a bit confused about them (thought i was a lucky sod)but in layman's terms can it be used solely to measure the OG if nothing else before pitching the year and refer back to the hydrometer for FG,a simple yes or no? As determined as as to whether I bin it or not,thanks

 

[mirsultankhan]

Just been given one of these and still a bit confused about them (thought i was a lucky sod)but in layman's terms can it be used solely to measure the OG if nothing else before pitching the year and refer back to the hydrometer for FG,a simple yes or no? As determined as as to whether I bin it or not,thanks

As far as I am aware brewers use it to measure pre boil gravity as well just to make sure they are on the right tracks.

 

[peebee]

Refractometers commonly measure sugar in water (fruit juice, etc.) and make those measurements in BRIX.

Other substances in the water also affect the reading but generally not by enough that they can't just be ignored. So with a suitable table you can read off OG like the dual scale example in the earlier post.

But alcohol in the water isn't something that can be ignored! So a wort that has started fermenting needs another table for the alcohol/water mix that the sugar is dissolved in now. As it would be impractical to have lots of tables for different alcohol contents you need a little calculator that can use the original reading (OG) to figure out the alcohol content and come back with an accurate SG (or FG if fermentation is done) for the Brix being read off now.

So the dual scale example shown earlier is pretty useless! Except for measuring OG. And if that all sounds complicated, yes it is. But if you've got a nifty tool on your computer/mobile (I use the one in Beersmith), then no it isn't.

A hassle having to use a calculator tool to get your reading; but nothing like as big a hassle as using a fragile hydrometer! The sample for a refractometer is a couple of drops. The sample for a hydrometer is about 1/4 pint!

 

[peebee]

Ah, because Godsdog wanted a "yes or no" answer...

Yes, you can use it solely for measuring OG (you haven't got the necessary conversion tool or haven't got the OG for the fermenting wort being measured).

No (you've got the required conversion tool and know the OG).

So don't ask for a simple "yes or no" answer when your question can't give you one!

 

[Godsdog]

Refractometers commonly measure sugar in water (fruit juice, etc.) and make those measurements in BRIX.

Other substances in the water also affect the reading but generally not by enough that they can't just be ignored. So with a suitable table you can read off OG like the dual scale example in the earlier post.

But alcohol in the water isn't something that can be ignored! So a wort that has started fermenting needs another table for the alcohol/water mix that the sugar is dissolved in now. As it would be impractical to have lots of tables for different alcohol contents you need a little calculator that can use the original reading (OG) to figure out the alcohol content and come back with an accurate SG (or FG if fermentation is done) for the Brix being read off now.

So the dual scale example shown earlier is pretty useless! Except for measuring OG. And if that all sounds complicated, yes it is. But if you've got a nifty tool on your computer/mobile (I use the one in Beersmith), then no it isn't.

A hassle having to use a calculator tool to get your reading; but nothing like as big a hassle as using a fragile hydrometer! The sample for a refractometer is a couple of drops. The sample for a hydrometer is about 1/4 pint!

But the question I asked was unfortunately it being an aquarium refactometer without the brix scale,can I still use the SG scale for a pre fermentation reading as opposed to the hydrometer?baffling me with science there peebee

 

[peebee]

It hasn't got a Brix scale? Forget it, get one that has (and only a Brix scale). But don't forget, you will need a dandy little conversion tool!

 

[peebee]

Actually...

Do hang on to it, but you'll have to make yourself a little conversion scale so you can get a "Brix" reading which can then be converted with an appropriate tool if measuring fermenting/fermented wort. Which has possibly just convinced you to bin it! Sorry!

 

[peebee]

Here go:

http://www.winning-homebrew.com/specific-gravity-to-brix.html
http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/refractometer-calculator/

And you might look at:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/brix-converter/
Which suggests the Plato and Balling scales are very much alike to Brix. What is the other scale on your refractometer?

So don't bin it yet! And apart from the various practical advantages of refractometers, you really feel like you know what you're doing staring into one of these!

 

[Godsdog]

Here go:

http://www.winning-homebrew.com/specific-gravity-to-brix.html
http://www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/refractometer-calculator/

And you might look at:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/brix-converter/
Which suggests the Plato and Balling scales are very much alike to Brix. What is the other scale on your refractometer?

So don't bin it yet! And apart from the various practical advantages of refractometers, you really feel like you know what you're doing staring into one of these!

Saline on the right SG on the left which goes up to 1070

 

[peebee]

"Saline"? Hum... might of guessed. You will then need a conversion scale like the one from "winning-homebrew".

It's been a useful exercise this: I hadn't realised you can approximate the OG and alcohol content for a finished beer if you've got both a refractometer and a hydrometer. (See northernbrewer link). Cool?

 

[peebee]

Ooops! Having been accused of blinding folk with science, seems I could blind myself too!

A saline solution at 1.050 is going to bend light quite differently to a sugar solution at 1.050. So a "refractometer" who's job it is to measure how much a solution is bending light is going to have a specific gravity scale for measuring salt solution that's (probably) quite different to a scale for measuring sugar in solution.

Right, quite enough about refractometers, I'll stop before my head explodes.

 

[Godsdog]

yup when I did the hydrometer reading on todays brew I got 1064 and sampled it on the aquarium refactometer and it was way above the 1070 SG limit scale,so in the bin it goes

 

[Hoddy]

You do know you can calibrate them with the screw on the top right?

 

[Godsdog]

You do know you can calibrate them with the screw on the top right?

Yup I know, but you calibrate them to plain distilled water to zero, if I calibrated it to 1064 which is what my beer is then what will it read for plain water? Complicated and useless as a beer refactometer