Review on 🍺 Ade Advanced Optics BCBI9177 Beer Wort and Wine Refractometer, Dual Scale - Specific Gravity 1.000-1.120 and Brix 0-32%, Aluminum Construction, Best Homebrew Hydrometer Replacement by Kate Gagnon

This is a tool that requires some know-how - don't be fooled by the appearance of a simple OG/FG measurement. Refractometers are usually designed for wine. The refractive index is slightly different so you'll need to apply a wort correction factor if you want to use it for beer, it's usually close to 1.04, but do your homework on that. Next, do not trust reading FG! Fermented beer requires additional calculations, note the initial and final Brix and then use the free online calculator to calculate the actual FG/ABV of your beer residue. In this case, the calibration is quite simple and only allows a one-point calibration. You should zero distilled water and test at least one standard solution that you have mixed with a known Brix value to ensure you are getting an accurate reading. All in all, it's a very simple tool that's very useful and fast. . I didn't usually measure OG/FG because too much volume was required to measure (wasted beer!), bubbles or solids skewed the readings, and the need to compensate for temperature with a hydrometer. It only takes one drop (even the rest in the kettle after you forget to measure beforehand) and when properly calibrated it's as accurate as a hydrometer.