Hydrometer

[MackemBrew]

I've just smashed my hydrometer (again ) so needing to pick up another. Can you buy digital hydrometer that doesn't sit in the fermenter. I like the idea of the Tilt but I have 3 or 4 fermenters on at one time so don't like the idea of having 3 or 4 Tilts!

Any suggestions?

 

[LeeH]

I use a cheap refractometer from Amazon.

 

[MackemBrew]

I use a cheap refractometer from Amazon.

Do you find it pretty accurate and easy to take your readings from?
Also do you need to do any conversions with the readings? I feel like inread something before that it wasn't as straight forward as using a hydrometer

 

[Buffers brewery]

You can use a refractometer for SG of your beer but you have to apply a correction factor. There is a tool in the “Calculators” tab at the top of the page. I prefer to use a hydrometer to measure OG and FG.

 

[AlDaviz]

I've just smashed my hydrometer (again ) so needing to pick up another. Can you buy digital hydrometer that doesn't sit in the fermenter. I like the idea of the Tilt but I have 3 or 4 fermenters on at one time so don't like the idea of having 3 or 4 Tilts!

Any suggestions?

I use a glass hydrometer for my Og and Fg readings, but I also use a tilt in with my brews, it’s excellent to see when it’s finished fermenting, I always brew around 25L in my fermenter and only one brew at a time though, so I only need the one.

 

[mitch]

Just looking at the refractometers. You can get them specifically for wort measurement so no calculations over and above necessary.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Just looking at the refractometers. You can get them specifically for wort measurement so no calculations over and above necessary.

Wort doesn't have alcohol in it. Beer does.

 

[mitch]

Wort doesn't have alcohol in it. Beer does.

and it also contains sugars....

not sure what point you are trying to make...... apart from stating the obvious.

 

[Galena]

and it also contains sugars....

not sure what point you are trying to make...... apart from stating the obvious.

Because you don't need a correction factor for wort, for beer you do

 

[Buffers brewery]

Sorry, I should have explained. Wort is primarily a “sugar” solution and as such has a predictable refractive index that can be read by a refractometer. Beer is a solution of both “sugar” and varying amounts of alcohol. The alcohol changes the refractive index of the solution. The refractive index will depend on the ratio of sugar and alcohol and is therefore not a constant. This causes a varying error when a refractometer is used to determine SG and a correction factor has to be applied to obtain a proper result.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

@Buffers brewery is right, you’ll get wildly wrong readings from a refractometer if you use it after fermentation has started and alcohol is being produced.

A refractometer though is excellent for checking the gravity through your mash and the boil (to make sure you hit your numbers). You don’t have to worry that the wort is hot because you use so little that it cools almost immediately on the refractometer.

 

[HarryFlatters]

I bought a plastic hydrometer, can't remember where from or how much it was though

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I bought a plastic hydrometer, can't remember where from or how much it was though

Looks like you need a two-foot high trial jar for that!

 

[HarryFlatters]

Looks like you need a two-foot high trial jar for that!

I squirt it with starsan and drop it in the fermenter

 

[MackemBrew]

Cheers guys, like the idea of the tilt but like I say don't fancy buying 2 or 3. Was hoping to find a digital one but I don't fancy spending c.£2k on one .

Off to wilkos for another glass one which I'll break in another couple of weeks!!

 

[philguk]

Cheers guys, like the idea of the tilt but like I say don't fancy buying 2 or 3. Was hoping to find a digital one but I don't fancy spending c.£2k on one .

Off to wilkos for another glass one which I'll break in another couple of weeks!!

Have a look on eBay for “ispindel“. A bit of a faff to calibrate, but around £45 each for digital ain’t bad

 

[Hop_it]

I've just smashed my hydrometer (again ) so needing to pick up another. Can you buy digital hydrometer that doesn't sit in the fermenter. I like the idea of the Tilt but I have 3 or 4 fermenters on at one time so don't like the idea of having 3 or 4 Tilts!

Any suggestions?

I bought two plastic hydrometers covering different ranges from Beer Hawk a few years ago, but unfortunately they appear to have now stopped selling homebrew kit. They are made from polycarbonate (PC), so are very tough and durable. They are both labelled with a calibration temperature of 60 degF, so they probably originated in the USA. I can recommend them, so it might be worth searching further afield.
I also use a cheap refractometer, for checking fermentation progress because you only need a tiny sample. However, I would not rely on it for a final FG reading (and subsequent ABV calculation) because the reading you get is influenced by the alcohol content. There are conversion tables and calculators available on the web, but they are not very reliable.

 

[buddsy]

I recently dropped my wine thief bloody and bugger!

Was thinking about getting a plastic one of those.

buddsy

 

[Hop_it]

I recently dropped my wine thief bloody and bugger!

Was thinking about getting a plastic one of those.

buddsy

I use a plastic turkey baster to take samples during and at the end of fermentation . . . . . I have been told that they are occasionally used for other non-food related applications as well

 

[buddsy]

I was thinking about those turkey baster type things. The wine thief's didn't always seem too great to me any how.

buddsy