Re: refractometers vs hydrometers
Posted by matt - Sun 10/2/05 3:46

brix X4 should get you close enough conversion.

I don't think refractos can deal with solutions that have alcohol in them...meaning they are only useful pre-yeast. Limited duty.

In my homebrewery, I don't find much use in knowing that, I'm close enough every time that it doesn't matter(hitting OG)...

I don't take preboil or sparge gravitites anymore and haven't for a couple of years. Even when I did, there wasn't much I could do to alter the percentage anyway. Add some DME or more sparge? Dilute with water? Less messing the better. I've limited boiling capaciy.

If you are doing 20gal or more per-batch only a couple times a year...refracto would be useful...if you are doing 20gal+ all the time, I'd check runnings on every batch for awhile...after that, you may as well since you have the refracto...

doing 6-12gal batches, I have no use for a refracto.

Curiosity killed the cat.