moundtop

Alas, Bayer Clinitest is no longer available.  I purchased a stash of 200 tablets a few years ago that I continue to rely upon (On occasion, they show up on eBay at a premium price).  As far as I know, an alternative for home winemakers is the Accuvin Residual Sugar Test....but I have no experience with that product.  I would be interested in hearing about other alternatives that don't require a spectrophotometer or reagents with very limited shelf life.

It is not as accurate as hydrometry as mentioned above....but "good enough" to follow the progress of a fermentation.

I have prepared a document describing the process and procedure:

See http://www.moundtop.com/fermentation/RBRIX-ATC-Fermentation-Tables.pdf

The refractometer approach's biggest problem is that it cannot be used to reliably to indicate dryness (end of fermentation).  However, even a hydrometer comes up short here.  As an amateur winemaker I rely upon Clinitest tablets to estimate the residual sugar level indicative of dryness.  As always, there are many ways to skin this cat.