Brewing Master

Question:

I have some refractometer formulas and C-code at http://www.primetab.com/formulas.html Domenick Venezia Venezia & Company, LLC Maker of PrimeTab Seattle, WA (206) 782-1152  phone (206) 782-6766  fax demonick at zgi dot com http://www.primetab.com

Response:

It seems like this would be a great utility compiled for a palm pilot…I use my hydrocalc utility from ProMash when brewing, and the refractometer conversion would be pretty easy, too.  If I get a chance, I’ll do it. Regards, Mike Sharp

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have some refractometer formulas and C-code at http://www.primetab.com/formulas.html Domenick Venezia Venezia & Company, LLC Maker of PrimeTab Seattle, WA (206) 782-1152  phone (206) 782-6766  fax demonick at zgi dot com http://www.primetab.com

Response:

  Mike, since I believe you mentioned you use a refractometer I’ve directed this to you.  (well, also the fact you always give good answers…)   SWMBO bought me a refractometer for Christmas.  (Bless her heart)  It uses the Brix scale.  There is no information in the box that clearly explains how this correlates to my gravity readings.  Is it direct?  Does 5 percent on the Brix scale equal 5 percent alc.?   Please help.

Since I only use it for hot wort, I use a factor of 4, but that is actually off, but it is also close enough for me to figure out how long I need to boil.  Several good links were pointed out… On really high gravity worts your error can get fairly large. At 1.004 you are dead on 1 Brix but at 1.048 you are now at 11.9 Brix and at 1.064 you are at 15.65 Brix by the time you reach 1.100 you are now at 23.75 Brix I don’t keep a calculator around, and just let the difference ride, but you can certainly put up a conversion chart like this… http://www.fermsoft.com/gravbrix.php A chart is also in the back of the printed version of How To Brew by Palmer… Cheers, Mike

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Since I only use it for hot wort, I use a factor of 4, but that is actually off, but it is also close enough for me to figure out how long I need to boil.  Several good links were pointed out… On really high gravity worts your error can get fairly large. At 1.004 you are dead on 1 Brix but at 1.048 you are now at 11.9 Brix and at 1.064 you are at 15.65 Brix by the time you reach 1.100 you are now at 23.75 Brix I don’t keep a calculator around, and just let the difference ride, but you can certainly put up a conversion chart like this… http://www.fermsoft.com/gravbrix.php A chart is also in the back of the printed version of How To Brew by Palmer… Cheers, Mike

Thanks to all that answered.  Much appreciated. BlackBeard Submarines once, Submarines twice… " To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others;   To leave the world a better place, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;   To know even one life has breathed easier because you lived.   This is to have succeeded".

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   Mike, since I believe you mentioned you use a refractometer I’ve directed this to you.  (well, also the fact you always give good answers…)   SWMBO bought me a refractometer for Christmas.  (Bless her heart)  It uses the Brix scale.  There is no information in the box that clearly explains how this correlates to my gravity readings.  Is it direct?  Does 5 percent on the Brix scale equal 5 percent alc.?   Please help. TIA BlackBeard Submarines once, Submarines twice… Multiply Brix*4 to get pretty darn close to SG, at least until you get to the upper reaches of SG.  I think bregent has a spreadsheet to do the conversions, also.

I do and it’s at: http://www.bayareamashers.org/gadgets/refract.xls And yes, up to about 1.060 the 4x rule works good. Above that it’s not linear. The recipator widget tools has a converted at:<http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/brew/widgets/sg.html Promash also has some good refractometer tools

Response:

ProMash has a nice conversion utility between refractomers and SG. Degrees Brix is %sucrose as measured by light refraction.  So 5 degrees Brix is 5% sucrose. A couple of caveats: 1) since your wort is not 100% Sucrose, it doesn’t refract light the same way Sucrose does. There is a small amount of error in the reading.  ProMash will take this correction factor into consideration. 2) The refractometer will give an inaccurate reading after fermentation has started, because alcohol further changes the refraction characteristics of light through the solution.  Handily, ProMash has a nice way of correcting for this, as long as you have an accurate OG. If you can live with a tiny amount of error, you can directly substitute degrees Brix and degrees Plato.  Degrees Plato is %sucrose measured by displacement e.g. a hydrometer.  So you are all set if you have beer recipes that use Plato.  Again, handily, ProMash lets you formulate recipes using SG and Plato. I think you will get a lot more mileage and satisfaction from your refractometer if you get a copy of ProMash.  Alternatively you can program an excel spreadsheet with a few simple formulas from the links in the other postings and you will also be OK.  But I learned a lot about my refractometer from using it with ProMash so I highly recommend it. – Bill Success lies in achieving the top of the food chain. — Jubal Harshaw, 1904-

  Mike, since I believe you mentioned you use a refractometer I’ve directed this to you.  (well, also the fact you always give good answers…)   SWMBO bought me a refractometer for Christmas.  (Bless her heart)  It uses the Brix scale.  There is no information in the box that clearly explains how this correlates to my gravity readings.  Is it direct?  Does 5 percent on the Brix scale equal 5 percent alc.?   Please help. TIA BlackBeard Submarines once, Submarines twice… " To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and

the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others;   To leave the world a better place, whether by a healthy child, a garden

patch or a redeemed social condition; – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   To know even one life has breathed easier because you lived.   This is to have succeeded".

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   Mike, since I believe you mentioned you use a refractometer I’ve directed this to you.  (well, also the fact you always give good answers…)   SWMBO bought me a refractometer for Christmas.  (Bless her heart)  It uses the Brix scale.  There is no information in the box that clearly explains how this correlates to my gravity readings.  Is it direct?  Does 5 percent on the Brix scale equal 5 percent alc.?   Please help. TIA BlackBeard Submarines once, Submarines twice… " To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others;   To leave the world a better place, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;   To know even one life has breathed easier because you lived.   This is to have succeeded".

http://byo.com/mrwizard/730.html DB

Response:

  Mike, since I believe you mentioned you use a refractometer I’ve directed this to you.  (well, also the fact you always give good answers…)   SWMBO bought me a refractometer for Christmas.  (Bless her heart)  It uses the Brix scale.  There is no information in the box that clearly explains how this correlates to my gravity readings.  Is it direct?  Does 5 percent on the Brix scale equal 5 percent alc.?   Please help. TIA BlackBeard Submarines once, Submarines twice…

Multiply Brix*4 to get pretty darn close to SG, at least until you get to the upper reaches of SG.  I think bregent has a spreadsheet to do the conversions, also.

Response:

  Mike, since I believe you mentioned you use a refractometer I’ve directed this to you.  (well, also the fact you always give good answers…)   SWMBO bought me a refractometer for Christmas.  (Bless her heart)  It uses the Brix scale.  There is no information in the box that clearly explains how this correlates to my gravity readings.  Is it direct?  Does 5 percent on the Brix scale equal 5 percent alc.?   Please help. TIA BlackBeard Submarines once, Submarines twice… " To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others;   To leave the world a better place, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;   To know even one life has breathed easier because you lived.   This is to have succeeded".

Response: