BIAB and Boiling Again

I think plastic straws are outlawed in Canada.
Plastic shopping bags too.
Don't worry though, we have a multitude of single use plastics that we can still inflict upon this planet!
 
Craigerrr said:
I think plastic straws are outlawed in Canada.
Plastic shopping bags too.
Don't worry though, we have a multitude of single use plastics that we can still inflict upon this planet!
Click to expand...
Humorous, but sadly true in some US states.
 
Craigerrr said:
I think plastic straws are outlawed in Canada.
Plastic shopping bags too.
Don't worry though, we have a multitude of single use plastics that we can still inflict upon this planet!
Click to expand...
I just happen to still have a pack of them and I figure I may as well use them.
Throwing them out unused doesn't serve any purpose
 
Craigerrr said:
I think plastic straws are outlawed in Canada.
Plastic shopping bags too.
Don't worry though, we have a multitude of single use plastics that we can still inflict upon this planet!
Click to expand...
I do like that most of the paper straws, that don't work worth a crap, are packaged in plastic. lol
 
Toddsgate said:
I have a refractometer, though I'm not 100% convinced of it's accuracy. Can a refractometer handle the 2 drops of boiling wort, and does it need to be corrected, or should those drops be cooled before application?

Todd
Click to expand...
Most, but not all have ATC (Automatic Temperature Correction) however, if you read their instructions, that usually takes 20–30 seconds to fully settle down depending on how hot the wort is. Same goes for pH meters. Always calibrate your instruments before brewing using distilled/RO water. For a refractometer, that involves adding a few drops and while reading it, adjusting the fine tuning calibration screw near the eyepiece to read precisely zero Brix. (and adjust your focus)

Finally, be sure you are using one that measures Brix and not Specific Gravity. The function of a refractometer is more closely aligned with sugar content than the gravity of the liquid. (that is what a hydrometer is for) While some have both scales (or sadly only SG) the translation is not exact or linear. Safer to use Brix and enter that in BF.

Finally, check out the instructions for determining your Wort Correction Factor for the refractometer. What you are doing there is calibrating it to your hydrometer for consistent readings. I know 30 readings looks daunting, but you can fudge that a bit and knock it out in 2 or so brews. Just take 5 refractometer readings for Mash Complete, Pre-Boil & Boil Complete/BrewDay Complete and compare them all to the same hydrometer reading. That will get you 15 readings per brew. For even better accuracy, average the five readings in future brews once you've established the correction factor. I like to take one at each compass point on the kettle, and one in the center - after stirring.
 
ATC can't be doing much on refrac. You are putting 2 drops on a cold prism. Will be the temp of the prism is 5sec
 
Those drops DO cool down fast on the orism! But I notice the line gets sharper after 20 seconds or so. The reading is the sane but not as fuzzy.

I exclusively use sg on my refractometer, and I’m happy. Brix may be more better, but I’m just homebrewing.
 
Mont Y. Märzen said:
Most, but not all have ATC (Automatic Temperature Correction) however, if you read their instructions, that usually takes 20–30 seconds to fully settle down depending on how hot the wort is. Same goes for pH meters. Always calibrate your instruments before brewing using distilled/RO water. For a refractometer, that involves adding a few drops and while reading it, adjusting the fine tuning calibration screw near the eyepiece to read precisely zero Brix. (and adjust your focus)

Finally, be sure you are using one that measures Brix and not Specific Gravity. The function of a refractometer is more closely aligned with sugar content than the gravity of the liquid. (that is what a hydrometer is for) While some have both scales (or sadly only SG) the translation is not exact or linear. Safer to use Brix and enter that in BF.

Finally, check out the instructions for determining your Wort Correction Factor for the refractometer. What you are doing there is calibrating it to your hydrometer for consistent readings. I know 30 readings looks daunting, but you can fudge that a bit and knock it out in 2 or so brews. Just take 5 refractometer readings for Mash Complete, Pre-Boil & Boil Complete/BrewDay Complete and compare them all to the same hydrometer reading. That will get you 15 readings per brew. For even better accuracy, average the five readings in future brews once you've established the correction factor. I like to take one at each compass point on the kettle, and one in the center - after stirring.
Click to expand...

I took a gravity reading last night only using the refractometer. I first calibrated with distilled water, then wiped dry. I then took a pipette to gather and dispense a couple drops of beer onto the glass. The resulting readings are in the pictures below. I did not take a hydrometer reading last evening, nor did I take a refractometer reading prior to yeast pitch. I will, however, be utilizing both instruments from now on. The beer is at 10 days fermentation and reading 1.018 on the refractometer as of last night. The OG prior to yeast pitch, according to my hydrometer (shown previously) was 1.046 prior to yeast pitch.
Does the 1.018 reading last night seem off for any reason? The recipe final gravity has me shooting for 1.009, which I may reach at the 2 week mark.
Thoughts anyone?

Thanks,

Todd

IMG_1862.jpeg

IMG_1860.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1793.jpeg
    IMG_1793.jpeg
    135.5 KB · Views: 19
Last edited:
A refractometer is for liquids WITHOUT alcohol (for OG). If you don't have a conversion formula, you need to use the hydrometer once you have alcohol.
If it were correct, 1.046 to 1.018 would be low alcohol. Most of the fermentation is done in the first 3 days. Ten days would be almost terminal if not terminal.
 
Donoroto said:
Agree: a refractometer will always read high in the presence of alcohol. 1.018 is not accurate.

Nice photos though!
Click to expand...
High, as in the hydrometer reading, had I taken one, would be less than 1.018, as in 1.017 or lower? Just to clarify, as I am hoping it is a much lower number this close to bottling day.

TG
 
Sandy Feet said:
A refractometer is for liquids WITHOUT alcohol (for OG).
Click to expand...

That^ Once it's beer and not wort, you're mostly guessing.
It's possible to calculate accurate gravity readings with a refractometer but it varies with wort color, etc so the best way to use it is for comparing readings during the mash. I use it throughout the mash to indicate when I'm getting to the end of the process. Once the wort is sparged into the boil kettle and I know the volume, I cool down a sample and get a good hydrometer reading. That's the pre-boil gravity of record. At the end of the boil, I get a good measure o the volume. When it's in the fermenter, cooled and before I pitch, I get another hydro reading and that's the OG. Sometimes, I'll compare the refractometer to the hydro so I know about how far off it is with different worts but mostly I just use it as an auxiliary to the hydro.
 
Toddsgate said:
High, as in the hydrometer reading, had I taken one, would be less than 1.018, as in 1.017 or lower? Just to clarify, as I am hoping it is a much lower number this close to bottling day.

TG
Click to expand...
At 10 days, you should be finished. Check with a hydrometer to find out what it actually is. The refractometer will probably be okay to tell you whether it's changed over a day or two. When you get the same reading for 2 or 3 days (ideally with a hydrometer for accuracy), the beer is done. Sometimes you'll get a stall but most likely at 10 days, your beer is somewhere between .010 and .012 which would be fine.
 
Toddsgate said:
I took a gravity reading last night only using the refractometer. I first calibrated with distilled water, then wiped dry. I then took a pipette to gather and dispense a couple drops of beer onto the glass. The resulting readings are in the pictures below. I did not take a hydrometer reading last evening, nor did I take a refractometer reading prior to yeast pitch. I will, however, be utilizing both instruments from now on. The beer is at 10 days fermentation and reading 1.018 on the refractometer as of last night. The OG prior to yeast pitch, according to my hydrometer (shown previously) was 1.046 prior to yeast pitch.
Does the 1.018 reading last night seem off for any reason? The recipe final gravity has me shooting for 1.009, which I may reach at the 2 week mark.
Thoughts anyone?

Thanks,

Todd

View attachment 33329
View attachment 33330
Click to expand...
BF has a Refractomer Calculator *with* alcohol to be used after pitching yeast. (so for fermentation samples and packaging) You'll need the OG for it to correct properly. You may also need to 'flatten' the beer by letting it sit out a bit, or pour it back and forth to release any suspended CO2, though unless you are fermenting under pressure, that probably isn't critical.

That reading is *not* 1.018 sg.

That scale is calibrated for ethanol/water mixtures. It will not work for beer, wine, or other non-distilled beverages. The sugars and proteins in the solution will interfere with the reading.

I'd either buy a Brix scale Refractometer, or just stick with the hydrometer.
 
Last edited:
You can use a refrac to determine if fermentation is done. Take 2 readings 3 days apart. If they are the same, it's done. The reading itself, will not be accurate though
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Want no ads? Go Premium and unlock all our brewing tools!
Copyright © 2007-2026 Brewer's Friend, Inc. - Send Feedback - Terms - RSS Feed - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Back
Top