I just used a refractometer on a few drinks I have. This refractometer has alcohol listed not brix etc, but fundamentally a refractometer reads refractive index. Will need to repeat the test for sugar water, but read on, I have an interesting observation.
Water was 0 - Indexed to it.
40% abv vodka, on the nose at 40, 43% whiskey also hit 43, 46.5% spiced rum seemed to read almost 50 but that near the top of the scale, likely higher errors at the extremes I think.
Will have to check it again. But its got spices like cinnamon and other stuff in that rum.
I unfortunately did it to cold freeze concentrated beer. That was one error. Will try in a bit when warm. It read 30%. I'm theoretically maxing that beer at 34 - The total max possible was just about 34, assuming I fermented the Jai Alai dry in 5 weeks using amg - another near impossibility IMHO, and I achieved perfect melt off - another near impossibility, then I concentrated 10.7 abv beer to 3.25 fold (I melted out just under 4 liters to 1.2 liters) making for under 34%. So I read that as 30, now I put the sediment I removed after the cold crash and it was at room temp, so I tried that, 25% - as in the carbs in the sediment lowered it. If the clear liquid was 30, sediment of 25 seems to make sense.
Now sugar and digestible carbs increase the RI, ethanol, methanol and fusels lower it. How in the world am I getting 30. If I am getting 33%+ and enough carbs to make it look super dark, then yes. Else ???
Thanks.
Srinath.
Water was 0 - Indexed to it.
40% abv vodka, on the nose at 40, 43% whiskey also hit 43, 46.5% spiced rum seemed to read almost 50 but that near the top of the scale, likely higher errors at the extremes I think.
Will have to check it again. But its got spices like cinnamon and other stuff in that rum.
I unfortunately did it to cold freeze concentrated beer. That was one error. Will try in a bit when warm. It read 30%. I'm theoretically maxing that beer at 34 - The total max possible was just about 34, assuming I fermented the Jai Alai dry in 5 weeks using amg - another near impossibility IMHO, and I achieved perfect melt off - another near impossibility, then I concentrated 10.7 abv beer to 3.25 fold (I melted out just under 4 liters to 1.2 liters) making for under 34%. So I read that as 30, now I put the sediment I removed after the cold crash and it was at room temp, so I tried that, 25% - as in the carbs in the sediment lowered it. If the clear liquid was 30, sediment of 25 seems to make sense.
Now sugar and digestible carbs increase the RI, ethanol, methanol and fusels lower it. How in the world am I getting 30. If I am getting 33%+ and enough carbs to make it look super dark, then yes. Else ???
Thanks.
Srinath.