Hydrometers & Refractometers

A hydrometer floats higher in a sugary liquid than a thin one, and that single fact is how most of us know when a ferment has finished and roughly how strong it has come out. No batteries, no calibration, no fuss. Every maker should own at least one.

Which one depends on what you make and what scale you read in. For beer and wine, the Wine and Beer Hydrometer SG 980 to 1.160 at 33cm by Alla France is the standard specific gravity float. Winemakers working in Baume have the Wine Hydrometer Baume 10-20, the Mostimetro Baume density hydrometer, a Baume hydrometer reading minus 2 to 10, an Italian 2 Scale Hydrometer, and the Gleucometro Guyot with three scales. For finished spirits there is the Italian Alcoolometro Tralles 0 to 100%, the Gay Lussac Alcoholmeter 0 to 100%, an Alcohol Hydrometer 0 to 100%, and a Grappa hydrometer covering 30 to 60%. Vinometers come as a Ferrari cup type 0 to 25% and a float type 0 to 35%, and there is a Pesa Aceto for vinegar. If you would rather use a drop than a sample, the Kegland Portable Refractometer is the quick option.

Buy the Hydrometer Test Cylinder 270ml while you are at it. Floating a hydrometer loose in the fermenter is how they get broken, and a cylinder gives you a clean reading off a small sample.

New to it? Here is how to use a hydrometer, step by step. Then put your original and final gravity into our beer calculators to get the ABV.

Both our Laverton North and Epping stores can help you pick. See also Ph Meters & PH Strips, Refractometers & Testing and Measuring Flasks & Glassware.

Wine and Beer Hydrometer SG 980 -1.160 33cm - Alla France
Made in EU
(2)

$13.50 AUD

In stock
Made in Italy
$39.90 AUD$45.00 AUD
-11%
In stock
Italian Vinometer Cup Type 0-25% Alcohol (hydrometer tester)
Ferrari

$15.90 AUD

Low in stock
Wine Hydrometer Baume 10-20
Made in Italy

$39.90 AUD

Low in stock
Italian Gay Lussac - Alcoholmeter 0-100%
Made in Italy

$14.90 AUD

In stock
Made in Italy
From $16.90 AUD
Up to -11%
In stock
Portable Refractometer
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Kegland
$54.90 AUD$65.00 AUD
-16%
Low in stock
Grappa Alcohol Hydrometer 30-60%
Image alt
Made in Italy
$34.90 AUD$45.00 AUD
-22%
In stock
Alcohol Hydrometer 0 - 100%
Image alt
Made in Italy

$14.90 AUD

Out of stock
Hydrometer Test Cylinder 270ml
Ferrari

$8.50 AUD

In stock
Mostimetro Hydrometer - Baume Density
Image alt
Made in Italy
$34.90 AUD$39.90 AUD
-13%
In stock
Italian 2 Scale Hydrometer
Image alt
Made in Italy

$39.00 AUD

In stock
Pesa Aceto Hydrometer - Weighs Vinegar gravity
Made in Italy

$44.90 AUD

In stock
Made in Italy

$39.90 AUD

In stock
Vinometer Float Type 0-35%
Made in Italy

$34.50 AUD

In stock
Alcohol hydrometer 0 to 100% Eco range 300mm
Kegland

$9.90 AUD

Out of stock
Tilt
$249.00 AUD$269.00 AUD
-7%
In stock
Ebulliometer Malligand Chrome Long Scale
Made in Italy

$1,100.00 AUD

Out of stock
Italian Acidmeter Titration to test Acid Levels
Made in Italy

$399.00 AUD

Low in stock
Alcohol Hydrometer 0 - 100% ALLA 28cm
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Made in EU

$24.90 AUD

In stock
Distillation parrot in S/steel for floating Hydrometer
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Kegland

$129.00 AUD

Low in stock
Alcohol Hydrometer 0 - 100% 31cm - Model 604
Made in Italy

$35.00 AUD

Out of stock

Frequently asked questions

What does a hydrometer measure?

A hydrometer measures the density, or specific gravity, of a liquid. A reading before fermentation and another at the end tell you when fermentation has finished and roughly how strong your beer or wine is. Here is how to take a hydrometer reading.

Which hydrometer should I buy?

For beer and wine, a specific gravity (SG) hydrometer is the standard choice. Many Italian winemakers read in Baume, so we also stock Baume hydrometers. An alcoholmeter is different: it measures the strength of a finished spirit, not a fermenting wash. See alcoholmeter vs hydrometer.

Should I use a hydrometer or a refractometer?

A refractometer takes a reading from a few drops, which is quick for checking sugar before fermentation. Once alcohol is present its readings need correcting, so many brewers use a refractometer at the start and a hydrometer at the end.

Do I need a test cylinder?

It is worth having one. Floating a hydrometer in a test cylinder with a small sample gives a cleaner reading and keeps the hydrometer from being broken in the fermenter.

How do I work out alcohol from hydrometer readings?

Take an original gravity reading before fermentation starts and a final gravity reading at the end. The drop between them shows how much sugar became alcohol. Put both numbers into our beer calculators for the ABV, or see estimating potential alcohol in homemade wine. An alcohol hydrometer (alcoholmeter) is only for finished spirit, not for beer or wine.