Brew Pal software in the iTunes App Store

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I just noticed it was updated. Most of the recent requests were included.

Supreme badassery, that's for sure.
 
Again this a great program, however, would there be a chance to get priming sugars added to the carbonation page? Not everyone kegs.
 
Also, I appreciate the FWH feature but with my 90min boils, it does not seem to calculate the same for 90min and FWH. Is it assuming 60 min boil? or is there something else I'm missing.
 
You can blame a nice summer so far on my terrible reply skills :( Here goes:

- Jonnio:

I'm working on BeerXML import/export for 1.6, which will hopefully be submitted to the App Store by the end of this month (or early next).

- ohrinet:

Sorry about the dry yeast disappearing! This was an OS 3.0 issue, and was fixed in 1.5.5.

As you mentioned in a followup, push notifications requires a server backend and isn't really worth it for something like Brew Pal. Quite a bit of development/upkeep on my end...

I added an option to use Jackie Rager's IBU formulation instead of the default (<1.5.5) of using Glenn Tinseth. Does that address your problem, or are the IBU calculations still off? The values should be very close to other programs that use the same formulas. FWIW, the hop AA can be adjusted by 0.1% increments in 1.5.5.

- weirdboy:

Many people have asked about a bottle priming calculator... I definitely think it's a tool that should be in there, so I will see what I can do for 1.6.

I'll look at reworking volumes and efficiency, can't really give you a time estimate, other than "after 1.6"... I've got quite a list for 1.6 already, and I'm just one dude with a full time day job :)

The recipe name you are editing in "live edit" mode is now displayed in the Load/Save tab (1.5.5). When you exit the program and come back, you are no longer in "live edit" mode, so unfortunately you won't see the name of the last recipe you loaded. That would require keeping track of whether or not any changes have been made since the recipe was loaded, which isn't doable right now. I've added it to my list for future updates.

Would a better export with more information meet your needs for a log/journal, rather than saving time-dependent parameters with each recipe? That way you could load the base recipe, make any changes for a particular brew day and export that.

Regarding the timer--I added the option to put your wort chiller into the boil at 15min. Additions should show up on the timer wheel as well. Is this what you're after, or something else...?

Not sure about the color calculations being off, I'm using the standard SRM equations. Maybe the grain properties need tweaking?

- HarkinBanks:

Brew Pal will never be more than $0.99 :)

I'm working on a help/tutorial/webpage update, but frankly I just haven't had the time lately! This will be part of the 1.6 update.

iPhone development is done in Xcode, which includes an iPhone emulator. It is a one-way street though, Xcode can compile and run in the simulator, but applications from the iPhone can't get "back" onto your Mac, sorry... plus the Brew Pal UI was designed from the ground up for the iPhone/iPod Touch and wouldn't translate too well to a desktop application.

- bdavanza:

As above, the dry yeasts are back in 1.5.5 (oops!)

FWH is calculated as though it were a 20-min addition, as per
First Wort Hopping (FWH) ::: Brew365 - Homebrewing Recipes and Articles Daily
whether you boil for 60 min or 90 min shouldn't affect the IBU contributions of the FWH.

--------

Dave
 
Cool I must have missed the .5.5 update from 1.5.
I was unaware of the FWH's ~20 minute thing. Odd I will have to do more research.
 
...plus the Brew Pal UI was designed from the ground up for the iPhone/iPod Touch and wouldn't translate too well to a desktop application.

First, from both an aspiring iPhone developer and fellow homebrewer, bravo on the app. I just picked this up the other day and have already converted a guy at work to both an iPhone user and a home brewer (he'd been talking to be a while about home brewing and has been on the fence about the iPhone. The app set him over the edge.)

I bought this app after searching this forum for brewing software for my Macbook. When I saw this, it was an absolute must get because it is much easier to have my phone w/ me on brew-days (every weekend, with an occasional Wednesday added). Much easier than trying not to spill water on my laptop.

However, when I'm just hanging out on my desk researching on the web, I find myself wanting a software solution on my laptop. Hence I was looking for a brew pal client for my normal computer. Just a note here, I'd pay extra (as much as what it costs for that brew smith app) for a desktop solution that interfaces with the iPhone app.

But if that won't work, while you are considering an xml output you might think of what another brewing program might take as an import as far as a file layout goes. Major geeks like me then could export their stuff from brew pal for use on their desktops. The only other consideration would be the exported file from the desktop and getting it onto the phone.

In any case, thanks again for the great app. For $0.99, it's the best app I've purchased for my iPhone.
 
I downloaded this App today and it's fantastic. Did a brew session today with a friend at their place, and it was hard not to just want to play with this app the entire time instead of talking with them. Looking forward to 1.6 -- great work so far!
 
The updates have fixed all my previous concerns, and it's a great app.
Question: Boil and mash timers, does Brewpal run in the background? I had some incoming calls and texts, and may have opened another app and returned to brewpal, but I think the timer stalled and I missed some hop additions. Also, why does the timer ring when it starts?
Thank you,
-Ben
 
1.5.8 was submitted to the app store last week--sorry, 1.6 will be a little while longer!

1.5.8 expands the Mash & Sparge features to include double sparging, infusion mashing and decoction mashing, with options for mashout, and fixes a few other little bugs.

1.6 will add database editing and revamp the Load/Save tab

1.7 will add BeerXML import and export (noleafclover: this should allow you to import Brew Pal recipes into desktop software, and vice versa assume they support BeerXML)

bdavanza: The Timer tab should remember where you are in any of the timers--it just records a start timestamp, and if you quit Brew Pal and come back to it it ought to reflect the correct amount of time remaining. It will *not* however notify you of any missed steps (besides being able to see them printed on the wheel). The ringer goes off for any step along the way, not just at the end, so if you need to add 60 min hops to a 60 min boil, the ringer will go off right as you start the timer.
 
Yeah this app should be featured in the commercials.

"Brewing in your backyard and need to find out the temperature and amount of sparge water to add in your MLT? There's an app for that"
 
Great app! I used it for half of a brew session a few days ago and I am about to use it for an entire session in a few minutes. A few suggestions though...

-allow editing of the OG and FG on the grain page.
-an efficiency calculator would be cool.

Other then that, its the best $.99 I have ever spent!
 
Thanks for the answers, and I'm looking fwd to the updates you mentioned. Great App, great attention to detail and I thank you.
 
do it. I posted an ad on craigslist to get someone to assume my verizon contract so I would not have to pay the $175 early termination fee just so I could get an iphone. Some woman wanted a verizon contract and snatched it up.
 
Not only is the app AWESOME...Dave (nurlabys) is also AWESOME. I had a hop question a few days ago and Dave replied the very next day via email. If you click on About and Email Brew Pal Support...you get direct access to Dave. I enjoy how I can create my own beers and adjust everything on the fly. I cannot see me brewing without this app.

Nice work Dave. Spread the Word!
 
1.6 is finally here! I also updated the webpage as promised (but long overdue). From the App Store description:

WHAT'S NEW IN THIS VERSION:

- Addresses #1 request: Editable database! You can now change the default values for grains, hops and additions and add your own. Yeast to follow shortly.

- Revamped Load/Save tab. This works much more intuitively and allows the "/" character in recipe names.

- Live editing is more reliable.

- Moved "+ Add" button to the top of lists so it is visible by default.

- Misc. interface tweaks based on user feedback: enter email in export tab, fix some special characters in export, update Mash tab badge when changing settings.
 
Sweeeeet. I used this app for my first two all grain batches. Worked great. Although, for my last batch, I screwed up somehow and had too much sparge water.

Thanks for the great tool!!
 
macabra,

The update should appear in iTunes automatically within a week, or you can click on "Applications" then "Check for updates" in the lower right hand corner to check automatically. Don't worry, the update is free for everyone :)

godofcheese (being from the midwest, I love the name):

None of the tabs should have changed default locations... but if you ever need to rearrange where they are, you can tap on the "More..." tab in the lower right, then tap "Edit" in the upper right and drag each one around to position them, including in the main bar along the bottom.

Dave
 
Oops, I think I know what happened. The name of the tab changed to "Grains/Adj" so the saved preferences did not find it when restoring the tab order and it got relegated to the "More..." page. It is simple to reorder the tabs, but I bet this will get a lot of people, ouch.

Sorry about that!
 
Oops, I think I know what happened. The name of the tab changed to "Grains/Adj" so the saved preferences did not find it when restoring the tab order and it got relegated to the "More..." page. It is simple to reorder the tabs, but I bet this will get a lot of people, ouch.

Sorry about that!

Its easily redone. I just didn't know that you could move them around like that in the edit menu.

I have been going through and adding different grains and sugars that I like to use. Love that you can edit the database now. Now I have to go through and edit my notes so no more of "Maple sugar is actually Panella" and such.

Thanks for the nice update!
 
Its easily redone. I just didn't know that you could move them around like that in the edit menu.

I have been going through and adding different grains and sugars that I like to use. Love that you can edit the database now. Now I have to go through and edit my notes so no more of "Maple sugar is actually Panella" and such.

Thanks for the nice update!

OK I'm kind of stupid, I suppose, but you're going to have to explain to me how to fix this, because my Grains/Adj button got moved and I can't figure out how to move stuff around in the edit screen. I can drag icons around, but can't drop them anywhere.
 
There is a set number of icons that you can have in the quick launch bar at the bottom. In the edit screen, drag the icon you want on top of the icon you want to replace. You can also change the order of the icons down below by moving them to the location that you want.
 
After playing with the new version, I've got some requests for the next update.

First off, I really like being able to edit the database to add my own stuff. This has prevented me from putting in some of my recipes from BeerSmith, but now I'm able to get more of this stuff into BrewPal.

However, there seem to be some artificial limitations that I'd like to change if possible. For example, my local grain supplier sources Crystal 15, and doesn't carry 10L or 20L. This is a different Lovibond than are available in the database, and I can't manually enter the correct Lovibond in BrewPal because it goes straight from 14L to 16L in the GUI. Another limitation I've run into is in trying to port my Strawberry Blonde recipe, which calls for four pounds of strawberries. Adding fruit changes the gravity calculations. In BeerSmith, I have added Strawberries as a fermentable to my list of extracts/sugars and after doing research put the potential for strawberries at 10 ppg. However, the lowest extract potential I can enter in BrewPal is 25.

Also I had a weird thing happen when I was trying to edit the SRM for a few of my grains in a recipe. When I clicked on the second grain in my list, CaraPils, it would go to the first item (2-row) in the database instead of pointing to the correct grain. I had to manually re-set the grain to CaraPils for some reason.


All in all, I've extremely happy with the software, and you keep making such huge improvements and adding such great new features. This is a fantastic piece of software.
 
I'm having some issues with brewpal, its giving me nothing but infinite as the reading for mash, srm, ibu, grain weight, og...everything

It only seemed to happen when I began saving my recipes, anybody else have this issue?
 
I sent this message to nurl but got no response, can somebody confirm this issue in Brew Pal:

When I increase my "Trub Loss" setting in either 'Ferment' or 'Boil', it properly adjusts the Boil Volume in the Mash tab. But it doesn't adjust the OG in the Grains tab, which makes it hard to properly accommodate my losses.

For instance, if my boil volume is 7 gal and my OG is 1.050, if I say I lose 2 more gal (extreme, yes) to the fermenter, it ups my boil volume to 9 gal, but the OG is still 1.050. I would expect the OG to decrease with such a diluted boil. This should be true for both Boil and Ferment losses.

Mash losses would be different, we can just sparge a little more to make up for the loss. That extra sparge probably comes at a lower SG, but it may not be significant enough to account for in Brew Pal.
 
Looks like I can crash it almost every time when switching from 5.5 gal batch to 5.0 gal and having it change the proportions. It saves and quits to desktop. It will not do the conversion, but will change the number of gal the batch is for. I thought it was a strange bug.

Love the first wort hopping part. The calculations work out excellent with that.
 
Looks like I can crash it almost every time when switching from 5.5 gal batch to 5.0 gal and having it change the proportions. It saves and quits to desktop. It will not do the conversion, but will change the number of gal the batch is for. I thought it was a strange bug.

Love the first wort hopping part. The calculations work out excellent with that.

I think that op is working on that bug. It's even mentioned on iTunes.
 
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