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I purchased this refractometer for use in brewing hard cider. The recipe I'm using involves adding sugar and then boiling down the juice by about 1/3. After reducing the liquid, the specific gravity is above the maximum (1.120) for this refractometer; there's no blue in the eyepiece at all.

My [got C's in high school chemistry in the 1970s] brain thinks that if I mix equal parts test liquid and deionized water, then double whatever is to the right of the decimal, I should arrive at the correct measurement. For example, if the 1:1 diluted liquid measures 1.096, the undiluted S.G. would be 1.192. Is this right, or am I nuts?

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  • Have you made this recipe before? Targeting a SG of 1.192 seems absolutely insane to me.
    – rob
    Jan 23, 2023 at 16:19
  • @rob it's experimental. But it's bubbling happily away... I have made similar and it has come out OK. This batch is the first time I've ever measured SG though. My Q is just about whether this measurement method is accurate. Jan 24, 2023 at 4:07

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I believe your idea is correct. I would have recommended exactly the same technique.

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  • I also checked with some people IRL and this seems to be the consensus. I guess high school was good for something after all! :- ) Jan 26, 2023 at 6:21

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