(although a quick forum search will demonstrate that the latter is not usually necessary and is even becoming a somewhat disfavored practice).
I've been gathering that...
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Thanks to everyone for the answers.
Oscarvan - you said "this is what I use..." and then nothing. Am I missing something?
Idophor - why is that preferred over StarSan? Cheaper? Faster? Better? Or, what else do people use?
Refractometers - I love technology. And getting a big sample, cooling it, etc to use the hydrometer. Pain in the ass. A refracto seems way cool.
http://morebeer.com/view_product/18739/ - This is what we're talking about, right? There aren't "crappy cheap ones" and "nice ones" really, are there?
Also - any good brewing podcasts that people can recommend? It's nice to learn while driving
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