Brix Refractometer

Garrett’s Table is now officially introducing equipment reviews. In a series of posts I’ll highlight interesting equipment that you never knew you couldn’t live without. First up is the brix refractometer.

This relatively simple piece of equipment can very accurately measure the specific sugar content of a liquid. The idea is relatively simple. As a light beam passes through a liquid it is bent. The angle that the light beam is bent depends on a few factors, one of which is sugar content. For every 1% sugar in a solution, the light beam is bent by a specific angle. This angle is measured as 1° brix.

The contraption pictured is essentially a glorified koleidoscope. You place a very small amount of the liquid whose sugar content you want to measure onto the prism. A glass plate then presses the liquid into a very thin membrane over the prism. You then look through the lens. The liquid will bend the light. The bent light reflects onto a calibrated gauge measuring from 0° to 32° brix (demonstrated below). you now know the exact sugar content of your liquid.

I know you’re thinking “this is cool, but is it practical?” The answer is a resounding “absolutely!” Let’s say you want to make a sorbet and, of course since you’re the educated culinarian, you know that, to achieve an ideal texture, your sorbet should have a sugar content between 18 and 20%. Simply place a drop of the sorbet mix on the prism and you can measure it’s sugar content in degrees brix and adjust accordingly. Or let’s say you’re brewing beer. You can measure the sugar content of the beer before fermentation and then after fermentation. Subtract the second measurement from the first and you know how much of the sugar was converted into alcohol, therefore you know the specific alcohol content of the beer. Or, finally, let’s say you’re a sommelier and you want to step up your game and know the specific sugar content of your wines. Well, all you need is your refractometer!

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