ATC Refractometer

Northern Brewer General
1

I’m trying to gain confidence in it so I can do away with hydrometer readings. Most of the time it is dead on but a few times it’s off a bit. I think I may be on to something after brewing this weekend. Even though it is ATC I don’t think it likes really hot liquid. I was trying to measure my gravity into the boiler and it was off by 2-3 points but then I let the wort cool a few minutes and it was spot on. I usually take three reading.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks,

Mike

2

See if your LHBS, a friend who works in a lab setting, or maybe our sponsor will hook you up with a few of these (so you don’t have to buy FIVE HUNDRED!) Since you are taking such a tiny amount of liquid into it, it will cool to ambient temp PDQ.

http://www.zorotools.com/g/00050791/k-G ... g_Feed&kw={keyword}&gclid=CL30nITs5bUCFYdT4AodB0kAWA

or just figure out a way to take a tiny sample and let it cool for a minute or two (spoon, small turkey baster, etc.)

3

I’ve only checked my refractometer against my hydrometer once. They were a few points apart, but it could be the hydrometer that was off or it could be that I just wasn’t reading the refractometer correctly (lines are just a hair apart on mine). I use my refractometer when I’m happy to be in the neighborhood. I use my hydrometer if I really care about the measurement.

Good suggestion from Pietro regarding use of pipettes. You can get 100 for almost free on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IQ … UTF8&psc=1

4

Don’t try to pull boiling wort into a pipette though - the steam will blow the wort back out again and it’s not fun to get that on your skin. I freeze a small ceramic cup and put a tablespoon of wort in it, swirl to instantly chill, then take the reading.

5

If you hold the pipette with the nozzle facing directly down, it will stay in the pipette.

6

[quote=“Pietro”]If you hold the pipette with the nozzle facing directly down, it will stay in the pipette.[/quote]Not my experience - the wort steams and builds pressure in the top of the bulb and it squirts out. Might be the cheapie pipettes that I was using, though.