re: Homebrewing Thread: Volume II

i have 3 refractometers and 2 hydrometers i use them all...... im always weary on the calibration of the hydrometers. i mean who plated that rolled up piece of paper in they glass tube.... was it in the right place, did they melt too mugh glass to seal it up.... you know putting too much thought into this. im about to start wiring version 1 of my electric brewery. I have the Bill of materials and sourced version 2, just need to order and build that one.

I have 2 versions because version 2 is a lot more elaborate, and i wanted to get to electric ASAP, so version 1 is a bare bones, 1 element controller

quote:

---

Y'all ever use pilsner malt in your base recipe for NEIPA's?

---

Not yet, but I am brewing a Galaxy/Nelson NEIPA with Pilsner as my base malt on Sunday. Saw some r/Homebrewing regulars talking about how they think it has made their best NEIPAs, so I decided to go with it for this recipe.

the readings you are getting are you using the refractometer or hydrometer to measure gravity?

i ask, because the refractometer reading needs to be adjusted once fermentation starts. i only use my hydrometer post fermentation for this reason.

Refractometer. How do you mean?

the presence of alcohol distorts the refracotmeter reading.

LINK

Wow so playing around with the Brewers friend refractometer correction calculator I found that I am way off on my gravity calculations. The way I am understanding it, the refractometer needs to be calibrated to 0 with water before every use. The refractometer is accurate for the measure of OG as long as the wort is close to room temp. As the wort ferments, the gravity reading is no longer reliable. Based on your individual refractometers wort correction factor you can enter your final brix into the calc to determine the real abv. If the above is correct, without having discovered my refractometers correction factor, my current neipa could've already been 6.5% which is damn close to the recipe target. I feel like a real dummy now that I've probably ruined two batches. Here I was thinking the refractometer is a way more convenient way to spot check gravity.

Although I suppose I could use quick checks on a refractometer to see when attenuation has stopped and then take a hydrometer reading. Thanks for you guys help.

ETA took a hydrometer reading on the stout I bottled yesterday. 1.004 when it was supposed to be 1.016! It is pretty damn dry. Oh well. Lesson learned

Also a have a brut neipa in the fermenter that I don't have to waste another 4 oz of hops dryhopping. Silver linings

Yeah the stout I opened wasn't undrinkable, just not super pleasant. I'm going to keep pressing on for sure. Nobody ever got great at something on their second try.

Any recommendations on a hydrometer or is one as good as the next? Does plastic bag glass matter for the hydrometer and base?

quote:

---

I think I’ve got 5 brews under my belt. I only had one that I wasn’t happy with but it wasn’t anywhere close to undrinkable.

---

When i first started, my first beer was really good, and it's the reason i kept homebrewing.

However, batches 2 and 3 had to be dumped because i decided to use those carbonation drops, rather than corn sugar, thinking it was easier and quicker (it wasn't). I ended up giving the 2 batches to a buddy who was making some shine at the time. So it didn't feel like a total waste.

quote:

---

I only use a hydrometer. I had a refract when I was into salt water aquariums and it was a pain in the dick. I could never get that shite right and it was always so hard to read.

---

I bought my first refractometer last year (i've been brewing since 2011). And i've used it twice after finding out it was off and i'd have to do a bunch of adjustments. Then i just wondered what the advantage of it was? Not having to take a larger sample as you do a hydrometer? Sure. But in the end, that wasn't worth it if it wasn't accurate.

I'm sure i just need to read up on it more, but often i forget i even have a refractometer.

quote:

---

So now I've got some s04, 2 oz citra, 1 oz Amarillo, and 1 oz summit. Thoughts on what I should try to make. West coast ipa?

---

You could make a dry hopped saison. IMO, 4 oz. of hops is not enough hops for an IPA, even west coast. You still want to dry hop with a few ounces. But that's just my personal preference.

ETA: Forgot about the S-04. Can't really make a saison with that. Maybe a lowly hopped pale ale?