Finishing Hydrometer

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I have that one and this one https://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/special-beer-hydrometer.html its just so much easier to get the correct reading than the standard ones.
I'd thought about both for ages, but I got a Refractometer then realised it was only accurate for pre fermentation gravity :doh: but it's very good for that and sparge / pre boil readings. I tested the hydrometer today and it's so easy to read.
Cheers
 
I have used a refractometer to but found it looses calibration so easily I always had to check with a hydrometer anyway.
 
I have used a refractometer to but found it looses calibration so easily I always had to check with a hydrometer anyway.
Agreed, I tend to do that as well for my OG gravity reading. But during mash & sparge & pre boil I find the refractometer gives a very good indication.
Cheers
 
I have one of these - it is excellent. The scale is very easy to read.
 
Bear in mind your refractometer is not accurate for readings before fermentation either. They are intended for measuring sugar in fruit juice so you should calibrate your refractometer in a water sugar solution at different gravities. You can then work out a correction factor. This correction factor can be entered into Brewfather and it will then automatically correct when you enter readings. There is a YouTube video on this from the Short Circuited Brewer channel...link below.



There is also a correction method for refractometers for post fermentation measurements too. Not sure how accurate they are, but there are a couple of YouTube video's kicking about where people have run back to back experiments with hydrometers and found the results to be pretty good.
 
Bear in mind your refractometer is not accurate for readings before fermentation either. They are intended for measuring sugar in fruit juice so you should calibrate your refractometer in a water sugar solution at different gravities. You can then work out a correction factor. This correction factor can be entered into Brewfather and it will then automatically correct when you enter readings. There is a YouTube video on this from the Short Circuited Brewer channel...link below.



There is also a correction method for refractometers for post fermentation measurements too. Not sure how accurate they are, but there are a couple of YouTube video's kicking about where people have run back to back experiments with hydrometers and found the results to be pretty good.


This reminds me that I need to calibrate mine. Probably a stupid question but I assume you can do it with just sugar water as you say? Would be fairly easy to get 30+ readings by just making a strong solution and diluting down in increments, taking a hydrometer and refractometer reading each time.
 
Yep, if you watch his video that's what he does. You can do as many samples at different gravities...the more you do the more accurate the calibration, then use some clever witchcraft to calculate the correction factor. I've been lazy and not bothered to do this yet but will get around to it some time.
 
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