I recorded a 1.152 wort measurement with a refractometer , then for fun took a measurement with a hydrometer which read 1.096. The hydrometer is 4+years old and the refract is under 1 year. any testing I can do to determine which is right?
1. You can check the zero of each using plain water. 2. Then weigh 4 oz of table sugar, then add one quart of water stirring to dissolve the sugar. This should give a reading right at 1.045.
Also, make sure you're using a good refractometer calculator, even for OG. If you're looking at a specific gravity scale built into the refractometer (usually on the right side), it's not valid for beer wort. You should take the Brix reading and convert it.
Right. What I'm saying is... use the Brix scale. It will be something like 0 to 30. Then use a refractometer calculator to convert that reading to a valid Specific Gravity reading. IOW, if you're reading specific gravity directly, that's not a valid number.
Once I got the hang of the refractometer, I put the hydrometer away and never looked back ...except when the reading just doesn't seem right, in which case, the hydrometer simply confirms what the refractometer told me (I don't bother so much anymore). It's also handy when I forget to take an OG reading - something that happens more and more frequently as my consistency improves. Brix and FG can be used to calculate OG.
