New Toys: Refractometer
One thing that has stuck with me since childhood is the excitement of getting something shiny and new. I like to think of it as being a child at heart. That being said, as we get closer to opening up we will be accruing some toys to help make our lives a bit easier.
A few weeks ago, Austin Homebrew Supply had a special deal going on for Refractometers. One thing that we always forgot and/or were too lazy to do was take gravity readings all throughout the brewing process to effectively measure efficiency and alcohol content of our beer. That and we hated wasting all that beer using the hydrometer tube. I think the technical usage is place liquid under the “flap” and look through the eye hole at a something bright.
Through the eye hole you can get a brix reading of just about anything in liquid form. Since we haven’t brewed since we got it, I have taken a reading of a blueberry, tap water, diet pepsi, and orange juice. When we actually get to brewing another batch of beer, we found this handy little spreadsheet from MoreBeer which helps track fermentation and alcohol percentages along the way.
Posted on December 8th, 2009 by tsmith
2 Comments
I so want one of these – I hate all the waste that comes with sampling. Sure, it probably only ends up being a pint or two, but still…
Plus, who doesn’t love gadgets?
Toys are great…especially beer toys. I have been wanting a refractometer, but there are so many other things I need, like more carboys or a HUGE fermentor. If the price is right though I’ll pick one up after tax return season.