# Brix Refractometer



## Tim Hall (Sep 14, 2007)

I'm curious if anyone here is using a brix refractometer to make must calculations, and how well it's working out. Is it worth the investment, or better to just use a hydrometer?


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

Hello Tim!

Just to temper my comments: I'll be making my first batch of mead later this fall, and the only reason I have a Brix refractometer is because I got an incredible deal on one at the local Salvation Army. And, with that said:

When working with percent Brix scale, one needs to convert Brix to Specific Gravity (starting and ending) in order to have a working set of numbers that basically means anything to other homebrewers and meadmakers. So, essentially, you're adding an additional step in order to get S.G.

The real advantage, however, is in working with such a small amount of must. Rather than filling a cylinder with liquid and bringing it to the proper temperature before using a hydrometer (with consideration to the aeration and carbonation of the liquid), one only needs to take a couple of drops of must and place it on the lens of a refractometer in order to take a reading. And while there are temperature correcting refractometer models out there, I feel that they're really not necessary. Since your sample amounts are so small, they quickly come up to room temperature without much fuss, and false readings due to aeration aren't a factor.

That, and I'm a gadget freak.

Hope this helps.
BDDS


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Agree with BDDS' points. I'll add though that dissolved CO2 and temperature are rarely a significant deviation for a hydrometer. Typically they're temp-calibrated to 60F, but even if your must is 80F the correction is only +.002. It's easy enough to use a temp correction chart or, what I do WAY more often, is just let the sample cool in the freezer, a cold water bath or just on the counter to reading temp. And the price difference is pretty compelling too . 

And I think most honey refractometers are going to be for a range well outside what we use in meadmaking; they're for measuring much denser liquids (don't have a refractometer myself).

To me the sample size if the real issue. And since I top my carboys and measure before pitching, it's easy to sanitize the hydrometer and just read it right in the mead rather than using the sample jar for most readings (you don't usually want to return the sample to the mead, it risks contamination unless you have the two-piece sample jars that can be dismantled for effective cleaning and sanitation).


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## Tim Hall (Sep 14, 2007)

Thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking it might worth investing in since I'm working with small 1-gal batches, and I like the idea of only having to steal a couple drops. I live in a very small house, so everything I do has to be scaled proportionately...besides that my wife wouldn't be too crazy about gurgling 5-gallon carboys all over the place


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