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WilliamShakesbeer · 11-14-2012, 01:58 PM

Timers for hop additions would be good as well.

**ajf** · 11-15-2012, 12:13 AM

A method for comparing expected results with actual results, and for determining what errors are present in your equipment profile and efficiency settings that could explain these differences.

-a.

**blakelyc** · 11-15-2012, 10:32 AM

Oh, great selection ajp! I keep track of this info in a spreadsheet now. It would be awesome to use that as a way of directly adjusting brew house settings.

**dbrewski** · 11-16-2012, 06:40 PM

Free cloud storage plus all the other functions you'd commonly expect. I agree with MalFet that it's really a UI challenge at this point, at least for the desktop. Of the bigger ones that I can think of like Beersmith, BeerTools Pro, Promash, the interaction design is dreadful. I would focus on ease of use and learning curve.

I was just evaluating these three, and found Promash's "dungeons and dragons circa 1983" interface to be a real turn off. However at least using it makes sense to me. That's the task flow, how quickly you can answer your own question about "how do I do X?". I don't get that with Beersmith.

Another one: make all the calculations that are happening transparent. Nothing more irritating than trying to create a 5 gallon mash schedule only to have the software tell you to sparge with 7 gallons. Huh? Oh, uncheck a box somewhere, now it's telling you to sparge three times with 3 gallons each time. Get out the manual. Adjust mash tun empty space percentage? Really??

**dbrewski** · 11-16-2012, 07:58 PM

What about online alternatives? Hopville.com is very clean, and it's free, but doesn't have as many features. I just checked out brewersfriend.com, and it was pretty darned detailed. There are limitations to the free version, but the paid version is only $9.99 a year. I know homebrewers are cheap, but that sure doesn't seem like much compared with what I spend on equipment and supplies and gizmos. Anyway, worth checking out.

Bishop916 · 11-16-2012, 08:24 PM

if brewers friend had inventory management, style recommendations by on-hand ingredients, and a calendar to help schedule brew events, it would be perfect! I am going to be signing up for the premium service. I've tried alot of the current crop of software offered, and BrewersFriend is one of the best out there...

**dbrewski** · 11-16-2012, 08:25 PM

I'm looking at it right now, it does have an inventory section. Not sure that it ties into recipes or not, since I haven't used it.

Bishop916 · 11-16-2012, 08:29 PM

I just saw that - I forgot it was there, - Even better!

- B916

Mikespunchlist · 11-24-2012, 01:01 AM

I'd like something somewhere between Beer Tools Pro and Beersmith in the equipment calibration department. BTP is too detailed and hard to set up and Beersmith has no Mash Tun calibration at all. The results are I almost never hit my initial mash temp when I preheat my plastic drink cooler. I usually go in too hot and have to stir to cool before putting the lid on the mash.

**dfess1** · 11-26-2012, 07:58 PM

I'll (third, fourth, fifth) the calendar. I use a google calendar at the moment, and the "tasks" list to record brew date, dryhop/bottle/keg date, OG, FG, and ABV so I can have some basic stats on me at a homebrew club meeting. Anything more complex, and I'll have to get back to someone. I understand being able to access it off your phone (whole recipe) would be outside a program that is built for a pc/tablet, etc, but perhaps integration with a google drive, or dropbox element would get around that? At the least, give the user the option to set that up, but then the mobile/cloud thing is on the user to figure out. just a thought.

I'll (third, fourth, fifth) the "I have x grain/hops/yeast on hand, what can I make" feature.

And would it be terribly difficult to take the android "Shop Savvy" app (bar code scanner that checks all online/local retailers for price of said product) and incorporate that into a "shopping list"? Would let you know far enough in advanced whether to get it "online" or buy local (and where to buy it local to boot).

I've only ever used Beersmith 2.0. The help leaves alot to be desired. Granted I'm a sw tech writer by trade, but I still can't tell you how to use the "version" feature correctly.

How about the ability to have all volumes displayed as the same unit of measurement? It is annoying to have to have a calculator to figure out how much strike water I need (displayed in qts), when everything on my system is in gallons. But my sparge water is displayed in gallons...