Refractometer-where to buy?

You can get an ATC 0-32 brix on ebay for about $45. I think the guy who is best known is NIS_Sales. Here's one...

Mark

Refractometers are nice for measuring Brix quickly with only a few drops of juice. They're also more accurate than hydrometers because they measure only the sugar. Hydrometers measure all the dissolved solids in the juice, so they report acid as sugar, which means your Brix will read falsely high.

The problem with refractometers (aside from the cost) is that they are useless after the fermentation starts. You need to use a hydrometer then.

Tom S

You mean Hydrometer :) Yes they are probably better and easier to use and require only a drop to take a reading. You can get a good price on new unit at

Séb

Not True. With a little math you can figure out the SG of a fermenting batch so long as you know what the OG was. I don't own a hydrometer, I use a refractometer for all reading throughout the fermentation process. Sometimes I borrow a hydrometer if I want to try and clone a beer I really like because you can also calculate the OG based on the final brix reading and a hydrometer reading.

Isn't math great?

I do cheat and use a software program that does all the calculations for me.

Mark

Tom, check this link. You can download a spread sheet from there so no maths required !

Séb