Proper use of a refractometer for maximum accuracy. Excellent shop, competent salesmen Refractometer in brewing

A refractometer is a great tool that allows the brewer to determine the gravity of the wort from just one drop. You will not need to spend 150-200 ml each time. wort, as is done when measuring with a hydrometer. A drop of must falls on the surface of the lens, and a transparent plate is pressed from above, evenly distributing the liquid throughout the lens. Then the refractometer rises to the light source and you look into it like a telescope.

Pictured is the cheapest $40 refractometer made in China. With it, you get what you pay for. But there are also expensive digital refractometers that more accurately determine and display their readings on the dial.

• The refractometer must be calibrated in water to zero. Calibration may be required before each use.
• Ignore the Specific Gravity (SG) scale if your model has it - just pay attention to the Brix scale. The relationship between Brix and specific gravity is not linear!
• Like hydrometers, refractometer readings are temperature dependent. Some models support ATC - automatic temperature correction, and have varying degrees of success in doing so. I let my samples cool down to below 40°C before using them so I don't burn myself.
• Cheap refractometers are not always consistent in their measurements. I took 5 measurements of one wort, and only then calculated the average value. The difference was +/- 10% between measurements! Well, the trick. You get what you pay for and this device was a gift to me.

Refractometers and wort:

The convenience of refractometers comes at a cost, as refractometers are not that easy to set up when it comes to measuring wort.

Refractometers measure the angle of refraction of light as it passes through a solution. They are usually calibrated on a sugar-water solution. However, the must has a different density and contains more complex sugars, which changes the refractive index. Any measurement of wort with a refractometer must be corrected using "wort correction factor". For the homebrewer, the wort correction factor is a specific tool that must be determined accurately when measuring wort samples.

We have a complete guide, including measurement spreadsheets, to help you determine your wort correction factor.

To clear up the confusion in terminology, we have decided to refer to the Brix measurement of wort as a refractometer: Brix IPS (refractive index of wort). Only after dividing the Brix IPA by the wort correction factor we will calculate the actual value in Brix / Plateau. Keep in mind that Brix and Plateau are almost the same, and differ by 3 decimal places, so the resulting value can be considered as Plateau (°P).

Refractometers and alcohol:

In the presence of alcohol, accurate refractometer measurements are even more difficult to obtain. Alcohol changes the refraction even more. The good news is that this can be corrected if the initial density (IG) is known. On this issue, the following equation was revealed.

CP = 1.0000 - 0.0044993*RI i + 0.011774*RI f + 0.00027581*RI i ² - 0.0012717*RI f ² - 0.0000072800*RI i ³ + 0.000063293*RI f ³

Application of refractometer measurements on our website:

Using our software will greatly facilitate the use of the refractometer.

• See our online refractometer calculator.
• We have a complete guide with a table for finding the wort correction factor for your refractometer.

Food prepared by one's own hands is tastier and healthier than the one bought in the distribution network. This applies to drinks, canned foods and others.

home beer

The history of beer consumption dates back to ancient Egypt. Nowadays, beer has become one of the main low-alcohol drinks. But this drink for sale in stores is made using an accelerated procedure from a concentrate. In order to extend its shelf life, preservatives are added to beer that kill the taste. If beer is a favorite product, then it is possible to spend some time and other resources to prepare it at home.

Equipment for brewing

To make your own beer, you will need:

• enameled or stainless steel saucepan with a capacity of 30-50 liters;
• a chiller or, more simply, a coil needed to cool the beer;
• a container with a water seal of the appropriate volume for the fermentation process;
• thermometer;
• mill for grinding barley or rye malt;
• accurate scales.

Brewing Ingredients

To make beer at home, you need the following ingredients:

• malt;
• hop;
• Brewer's yeast.

And, in addition to all the ingredients, it will take a lot of patience. While you can make your own malt, it's best to shop for it if possible.

Brewer's laboratory

In order for the yeast (and this is a living organism) to sprout well, sterile conditions are necessary. Therefore, it is necessary to create sterile conditions using laboratory glassware. You will need hoses and bottle cleaners. Glass test tubes, flasks, stands for flasks with a round bottom are needed. Brewer's laboratory can be replenished with necessary items in our shop.

Homemade moonshine - a pleasant meeting

To distill moonshine at home, you must purchase moonshine stills, for example, in our store. The store has a variety of devices. Here are devices with two and one dry steamer, copper devices. They also have different sizes.

Items for making wine and canning

To make wine you need oak barrels different capacity. All products are made from dried oak. There are barrels with a capacity of three to twenty-five liters. Our barrels will allow you to age wine in them, which will have a delicate taste. They will keep it for a long time.

For canning in jars on the farm, it is necessary to have autoclaves with heating elements. Autoclave heating element will allow you to effectively process jars when cooking and preserving berries, meat, vegetables, and other products at home.

Brewed beer, wine, other drinks and products at home are always of excellent quality

This preparation requires patience. In addition, you will need brewing equipment, other items that can be purchased from us. Our managers are ready at the first request to advise, help with the choice ingredients for brewing, checkout and deliver the purchased items.

There are two scales for measuring the density (sugar content) of a liquid: Brix and Gravity. In fact, it is the same thing, but in different units of measurement, like temperature in Celsius and Fahrenheit. Hydrometers, which measure in units of Brix, are more popular in Russia, Hydrometers, where the unit of measurement is Gravity, are more popular in Europe and the world.

How to take readings

The initial gravity is very easy to measure, you simply put 1-2 drops of wort on the Refractometer before you put the beer on fermentation and determine its density in Brix. The border of the white field and blue clearly shows the current result.

C final density is a bit more complicated. When the liquid already contains alcohol, the refractometer gives a distorted reading, but there is a special calculator that allows you to determine the exact figures for the final gravity of your beer. It also helps to calculate the final alcohol content.

Brix to Gravity Initial Density Calculator

With this calculator you can convert readings from Brix to Gravity: insert the Measured Brix number, click Calculate and the calculator will calculate this figure in Gravity.

Brix to Gravity calculator during and after fermentation

Enter Original Brix (The initial density in Brix is ​​what the refractometer showed at the very beginning) and Current Brix (The final density in Brix is ​​what the refractometer shows you now). Click Calculate and the calculator calculates Current Gravity (Real final density in Gravity).

Calculator of Alcohol Content in % and Initial Gravity in Gravity

Enter Current Brix (Final density in Brix - what the refractometer shows you now) and Current Gravity (Real final density in Gravity, what you calculated in step 2). Press Calculate and the calculator will show ABV (Final Alcohol Content of your beer in %) and Original Gravity (Initial Gravity in Gravity).