North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Christopher Mauchline" <mauch1@aol.com>]

BRIX is the same as % sugar content (i.e. a BRIX of 14 is the same as 
14% sugar.  Claude's message explains soluable solids very well.  I 
cannot speak to the accuracy of refractometers when it comes to apple 
juice.

I have a hydrometer and a refractometer.  I have given up on using 
the hydrometer and rely exclusively on the refractometer for several 
reasons:

A hydrometer requires a larger volume of liquid*
As I was usually testing fresh grape juices, I either had foam or a 
   few pieces of grape that made reading the hydrometer difficult
I was usually looking to see how much sugar I needed to add to get 
   the desired amount of alcohol.  Thinking in terms of S.G. and 
   trying to figure out how much sugar would raise the S.G. to the 
   desired level made my head hurt.

(* Usually when I am testing for sugar, I am also testing pH and 
Acidity.  Since the pH probe is stored in a buffered solution that is 
then inserted in the juice.  The juice used for testing is then 
thrown out.  Since I am often working w/ small quantities of juice, 
I'd rather not throw out a whole flask full (I guess I could pour 
juice from the flask full to another testing dish, but it gives me 
another opportunity to spill).  I use pyrex custard dishes for 
sampling.)

I've found *most* home winemakers use BRIX.
*Most* home beermakers use S.G.

Most wine/beer making supply shops can provide you with a paper chart 
that gives S.G. and it's equivalent in %Sugar(BRIX) and final alcohol 
and how much sugar needs to be added to get to a certain alcohol.  I 
don't use them.

To *very* rough rules of thumb.
Final alcohol will be 50% of Brix (14 Brix, 7% alcohol)
To raise sugar 1 degree Brix requires 1/10 of lb of sugar per gallon.

Somehow I think I drifted Way OFF TOPIC. Sorry.

Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6

--- In nafex@y..., applehilorchard@w... wrote:
> Is % soluable solids the same thing as % sugar content?  What are 
these
> solids?  Is BRIX the same as % soluable solids?


 

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