Welcome to BeerSmith! > Options

The refractometer options are for use when calibrating a refractometer, primarily for using it with the Refractometer Tool. Calibrating your refractometer is an important step, as by default most refractometers are calibrated to be used with sucrose (table sugar) rather than measuring wort and beer.

If this is your first time using a refractometer, I strongly suggest you read my article on refractometer use.

Online Articles: Using a Refractometer for Beer Brewing

Mac Note: On the Macintosh version of BeerSmith, the options dialog is listed as Preferences under the BeerSmith2 menu and toolbar rather than options

Using the Refractometer Options to Calibrate your Refractometer

o	Select Options from the Tools menu or tool bar (Preferences on the BeerSmith 2 menu for the Macintosh version).

o	Click on the Refractometer tab within the options dialog.

o	Get a sample of distilled water and cool it to 68F, then take a reading with your refractometer. Enter the reading here (it should be close to zero brix).

o	Next use a sample of wort (water with dry malt extract or a sample from your beer) and measure it with both a hydrometer and the refractometer, Enter the readings you measure here.

o	Once calibration is complete, you can use the Refractometer tool to calculate future refractometer measurements.