Why is brix so important? Does higher brix mean more flavorful / tastier?

General Fruit Growing
#81

I believe it was José who described a fruit high in brix but devoid of any other redeeming flavor “a sack of sugar” or “a bag of sugar”.

I’d have to say for my personal taste the fruit needs to have a personality and a blend of sweet and acid or sweet and sour. As some have said they may enjoy eating an overly sweet but not much else fruit but not more than one.

IMO

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#82

I think it’s cane sorghum, molasses would be sweeter than raisins.

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#83

My wife’s Pecan pie is the highest brix I eat.

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#84

It’s splitting hairs and doesn’t really matter much. Unless you need consistency in a beverage or food, then it becomes important. You can take a Brix reading and know how much sugar(s) or water to add, so your product is consistent.

With fruit you get what you get, some seasons will be better than others.

I used to use refractometer to measure the Brix of my musk or wort prior to starting fermentation and adjust the sugar(s) or water according to my recipe to archive my target alcohol by volume (ABV), at the end of secondary fermentation. Although I preferred to use a hydrometer instead because I was working with multiple gallons so it was easier to use a hydrometer. But some people are hung up on brix, and it’s brix or nothing, it’s whatever…

You are right though, ofcourse different sugars have different amounts of brix, by volume or weight. But like I said there are numerous calculators on the Internet to guide you and any decent one will have multiple types of sugars listed.

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#85

Any recommendations on a measurement device for brix?

It doesn’t have to be for a specific product, rather, what features am I looking for and what general price range can I expect when shopping for a measurement instrument?

I am reasonably skilled in the use of lab instrumentation, so it doesn’t have to be an automated electronic device in a high price range.

But I don’t think a hydrometer would work for me, because doesn’t that require a lot of fluid to work, and I just want to test from a small amount of fruit juice.

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#86

One like this will do the job for less than 20 bucks:

Brix Refractometer with ATC, Brix 0-32, Hydrometer in Wine Making, Homebrew Kit (0~32%): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific