"billb" > wrote in message
news:0d6xc.38370$lL1.18376@fed1read03...
(clip)
>
> so with a brix refractometer you always know the sugar %age
> regardless of the water or alcohol content.
>
> Is that correct?
>

No, a refractometer is affected by alcohol. It only works directly on
juice. I think someone gave an equation to correct for alcohol but I don't
have it. Anyway, it has the same problem as the Brix reading from a
hydrometer.

> And with a hydrometer, assuming that alcohol has a lower SG than
> water, once alcohol enters the picture the hydrometer reading will
> be a little less.
>
> or, to put it another way, 2 pounds of sugar in a gallon of water
> will have a higher SG reading than 2 pounds of sugar in a gallon of
> alcohol.
>
> Is that correct?

That is correct. SG for water is 1.000, SG for alcohol is 0.791. 12%
alcohol will cause quite an error.

You can apathetically accept the errors or you can try to correct out the
anarchy! ;o)

Ray

>
> --
> billb
> Someplace between apathy and anarchy is the stance of the thinking
> human being
>
>