Brewtarget 1.2 - Free open source brewing software

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rocketman768 said:
I just meant for you to set it temporarily to 100% so that you're comparing your actual points with the maximum possible. In other words, the 83% figure I calculated above means 83% of 100% efficiency. I would definitely set your efficiency to something like 60% if you're just starting out. If it turns out that you get more than that, you can always dilute your wort to hit your OG. My first AG was terrible...I got something like 49%!

Nah, half of the process of developing software is fixing stuff and accepting criticism.
Click to expand...

49 huh. That's what I got too :(

I understand comparing to 100% but when entering a lesser percentage, every value drops. I get that too. But shouldn't I still be trying to get the same OG/SG/FG at 100% and have something compensate for my efficiency? Or am I missing something really basic here and I'm just too dense :)

One thing that confuses me is trying to compare (OG/FG/IBU and color to this recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/bells-two-hearted-ale-clone-close-they-come-91488/

When comparing what Brewtarget gives vs the recipe some values seem a little "off". Granted they won't be the same due to some variances. But I just can't get my head around why they are so different. Or if it really matters.

One more question. Brewtarget seems to have a min & max with a selected value in the middle. However, the selected value isn't always the mean value. Why is this?
 
Ki-ri-n said:
49 huh. That's what I got too :(
Click to expand...

It'll get better; just keep at it.

I understand comparing to 100% but when entering a lesser percentage, every value drops. I get that too. But shouldn't I still be trying to get the same OG/SG/FG at 100% and have something compensate for my efficiency? Or am I missing something really basic here and I'm just too dense :)
Click to expand...

Your efficiency _is_ the compensation. Setting your efficiency to something less than 100% means you're acknowledging that you and your setup aren't perfect. If you have a handle on your efficiency, then when you put it into the program, you'll get accurate predictions of the OG you'll see on the actual brew day. Getting 100% efficiency is not the goal. If you were achieving that, then you'd be crushing your grain into flour and ending up with tasteless beer. The important thing is that you're consistent in your process and therefore have a constant efficiency from batch to batch. Of course, I could be misunderstanding you.

One thing that confuses me is trying to compare (OG/FG/IBU and color to this recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/bells-two-hearted-ale-clone-close-they-come-91488/

When comparing what Brewtarget gives vs the recipe some values seem a little "off". Granted they won't be the same due to some variances. But I just can't get my head around why they are so different. Or if it really matters.
Click to expand...

He doesn't say what efficiency he used or what methods he used to calculate the color and bitterness, but if you use 65% efficiency, Morey for color, and Tinseth for IBUs, I get OG=1.055, FG=1.014, Color=5.7 SRM, Bitterness=50.9 IBU, which is spot on with the numbers he states.

One more question. Brewtarget seems to have a min & max with a selected value in the middle. However, the selected value isn't always the mean value. Why is this?
Click to expand...

What are you referring to?
 
400d said:
I figured it out - it crashes only when I have units set to metric. When I switch to US traditional it doesn't crash, I can click on mash wizard.
Click to expand...

Aha! Now I can probably fix it. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Found the problem. I'm thinking of releasing 1.2.1 with bug fixes, so if anyone knows of more bugs, please tell me.
 
So, if I assume I'm getting 60% eff based off of the values @ 100, and I hit the values Brewtarget sets based on 60% eff, I should be good? Then, as my efficiency improves, shoot for the "new" numbers Brewtarget comes up with?

I'm referring to the numbers down the middle are in black (or green depending on eff setting). Left is in blue, right is in red (depending on setting too).
 
Ki-ri-n said:
So, if I assume I'm getting 60% eff based off of the values @ 100, and I hit the values Brewtarget sets based on 60% eff, I should be good?
Click to expand...

Precisely.

I'm referring to the numbers down the middle are in black (or green depending on eff setting). Left is in blue, right is in red (depending on setting too).
Click to expand...

The numbers on the left are the minimum value for the style (like the minimum OG for American Amber Ale is 1.045), and the numbers on the right are the maximum for the style. The numbers in the middle are the estimated numbers for your recipe. If they're too low, they'll turn blue. If they are ok, they'll be green. If they are too high, they'll turn red.
 
Here’s a minor problem that I’ve encountered.
Let’s say you are planning an infusion mash using the mash step editor then run the wizard to give you the proper sparge water temp and volume. If you forgot to add a protein rest BEFORE your infusion mash and try to add it after having run the mash wiz, the software will give you a “Runtime error : application has requested the Runtime to terminate in an unusual way. Please contact application support…”. It then boots you out of the program. Or maybe I'm missing something?

Suggestions:
1. Maybe a feature that enables you to move your mash steps up or down might be the way to go with a pop up indicating that a protein rest can't be added after the main infusion mash, for example. Mash wiz could be run at anytime during the process. I guess you would need a basic understanding of mash steps to understand what's going on though...

2. Also, when using “Recipe to clipboard as text”, boil time is always set at 0.000s. which is clearly impossible.

3. Another feature that might be helpful is having the mash qt./lb ratio included on the pasted recipe as well.

How is that French version coming along? If you need a hand, feel free to contact me. I’m a teacher working in Québec, Canada and French is my first language.

Love your work!

:mug:
 
Bizoune said:
Here’s a minor problem that I’ve encountered.
Let’s say you are planning an infusion mash using the mash step editor then run the wizard to give you the proper sparge water temp and volume. If you forgot to add a protein rest BEFORE your infusion mash and try to add it after having run the mash wiz, the software will give you a “Runtime error : application has requested the Runtime to terminate in an unusual way. Please contact application support…”. It then boots you out of the program. Or maybe I'm missing something?
Click to expand...

Ah, good catch.

Suggestions:
1. Maybe a feature that enables you to move your mash steps up or down might be the way to go with a pop up indicating that a protein rest can't be added after the main infusion mash, for example. Mash wiz could be run at anytime during the process. I guess you would need a basic understanding of mash steps to understand what's going on though...
Click to expand...

Alright.

2. Also, when using “Recipe to clipboard as text”, boil time is always set at 0.000s. which is clearly impossible.
Click to expand...

Yup. I'll fix that.

3. Another feature that might be helpful is having the mash qt./lb ratio included on the pasted recipe as well.
Click to expand...

Alright

How is that French version coming along? If you need a hand, feel free to contact me. I’m a teacher working in Québec, Canada and French is my first language.

Love your work!

:mug:
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
Holy crap, this thing is getting serious.

In the last single day, Brewtarget got over 1,000 downloads, which amounts to 7.1 GB of downloads. This is very unusual (we have been averaging more like 20-30 dl. per day). Anybody have an idea why the explosion?
 
rocketman768 said:
Holy crap, this thing is getting serious.

In the last single day, Brewtarget got over 1,000 downloads, which amounts to 7.1 GB of downloads. This is very unusual (we have been averaging more like 20-30 dl. per day). Anybody have an idea why the explosion?
Click to expand...

we want 1.2.1 :ban::ban:
 
400d said:
we want 1.2.1 :ban::ban:
Click to expand...

Haha, alright.

Also, is there anyone who's good at website development that wants to make a new website for brewtarget? I'm just familiar with html, so the current one is kinda sucky. It would be nice if we had a nice front page with maybe a forum for discussion and help.
 
rocketman768 said:
Haha, alright.

Also, is there anyone who's good at website development that wants to make a new website for brewtarget? I'm just familiar with html, so the current one is kinda sucky. It would be nice if we had a nice front page with maybe a forum for discussion and help.
Click to expand...

I'd imagine that you need to get a host somewhere to do a good forum. Otherwise, what are you looking to do with the webpage? Are there any out there that you like?

Congrats on the lifehacker article!
 
kaiser423 said:
I'd imagine that you need to get a host somewhere to do a good forum. Otherwise, what are you looking to do with the webpage? Are there any out there that you like?
Click to expand...

Sourceforge hands out 100 MB of space with all the scripting capabilities and stuff. I don't really know what I want to tell the truth. Maybe a phpBB where people can talk about how to use it and get help and stuff, as well as well-placed links to the bug/feature tracker, and maybe a news-like feed where I could easily upload short updates and notes and stuff.

Congrats on the lifehacker article!
Click to expand...

Is this a cool thing? I'm only 24, so I feel like I should know what this is!
 
rocketman768 said:
Sourceforge hands out 100 MB of space with all the scripting capabilities and stuff. I don't really know what I want to tell the truth. Maybe a phpBB where people can talk about how to use it and get help and stuff, as well as well-placed links to the bug/feature tracker, and maybe a news-like feed where I could easily upload short updates and notes and stuff.



Is this a cool thing? I'm only 24, so I feel like I should know what this is!
Click to expand...

Have you looked at Drupal? Lots of open source BB's too.
 
Very cool. I exported a recipe from Beersmith and imported it successfully. Apparently my beer is 'Way Hoppy' according to BeerTarget!

Looking forward to playing around with this. It might be the perfect thing for my buddies that are on the fence with brew software.
 
rocketman768 said:
Sourceforge hands out 100 MB of space with all the scripting capabilities and stuff. I don't really know what I want to tell the truth. Maybe a phpBB where people can talk about how to use it and get help and stuff, as well as well-placed links to the bug/feature tracker, and maybe a news-like feed where I could easily upload short updates and notes and stuff.



Is this a cool thing? I'm only 24, so I feel like I should know what this is!
Click to expand...

That's right. Yea, a simple CMS like Drupal would probably work just fine.

Lifehacker is kind of a free-software/DIY/tips site. It's not big, but has a decent following, and they just find software, techniques, ideas, etc that are kind of neat/helpful and post them. Basically, if you were featured on there, you typically have something that's unique, useful, and kinda cool.
 
I'm an Ubuntu noobie, running the AMD 64 version of 8.04 (because 9.10 will not run on my computer - dies on boot every time). When I download the .deb version I get a "wrong architecture" error message. Can someone walk a noob through the steps I need to take to get this to run on my computer?
 
You are staring to get mainstream support now....

friend of a friend sent to me - he saw it on Lifehack and knows I brew , and I have posted on our club board too....

From my first impressions , the sw is well written and easy to use.

Will try and run it in parallel to Promash at my next brew day to compare

Good luck with this project, wish I had seen it earlier...

As I have had fun on the beta teams of Brewtimer, and the BCS - 460 plc programmable Brew computer.....
 
rocketman768 said:
Your efficiency _is_ the compensation. Setting your efficiency to something less than 100% means you're acknowledging that you and your setup aren't perfect. If you have a handle on your efficiency, then when you put it into the program, you'll get accurate predictions of the OG you'll see on the actual brew day. Getting 100% efficiency is not the goal. If you were achieving that, then you'd be crushing your grain into flour and ending up with tasteless beer. The important thing is that you're consistent in your process and therefore have a constant efficiency from batch to batch. Of course, I could be misunderstanding you.
Click to expand...

I understand Brewtarget will change the expected gravities when changing the efficiency, but it also changes the profile of the beer (ie, from balanced to "hoppy" or what have you). Shouldn't I be compensating something else (grain amounts, volumes, ect.) in order to get back to "balanced"? Do I have to "play" with the recipe to get it backed to balanced or can Brewtarget do that for me too? :D

Congrats on the new fame :rockin:
 
Ki-ri-n said:
I understand Brewtarget will change the expected gravities when changing the efficiency, but it also changes the profile of the beer (ie, from balanced to "hoppy" or what have you). Shouldn't I be compensating something else (grain amounts, volumes, ect.) in order to get back to "balanced"? Do I have to "play" with the recipe to get it backed to balanced or can Brewtarget do that for me too? :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, you gotta play with it if you change the efficiency. The real goal of brewtarget is to generate a recipe from a set of constraints you specify (like color, gravity, grains, etc.). This won't be hard to do since I already can "generate" a recipe by hand using simple matrix algebra, but until I get that integrated, you just gotta play with it like with all the other recipe programs.

Congrats on the new fame :rockin:
Click to expand...

Thanks! Although, I'm kinda scared since so many more users means so many more bugs and answering so many more questions.

ThreeDogsNE said:
I'm an Ubuntu noobie, running the AMD 64 version of 8.04 (because 9.10 will not run on my computer - dies on boot every time). When I download the .deb version I get a "wrong architecture" error message. Can someone walk a noob through the steps I need to take to get this to run on my computer?
Click to expand...

I'll start building 64 bit versions so this won't happen in the future. Try this and tell me if it works:

Code: 
sudo aptitude install ia32-libs
dpkg -i --force-architecture brewtarget_1.2-1_i386.deb
 
Rocketman,

Again I can't tell you how great it is to finally get some good open source brewing software for Linux. I have successfully compiled it on Ubuntu 9.10, Xubuntu 9.10 & Freebsd 8.0. Next I am going to try to compile it on my "new" Puppy Linux machine that I am putting in the brewery.

I know the license is GNU, but I wanted to get your okay to hand out Brewtarget CDs to the members of my brew club.

Also, if you are available I would love to have you come out (St. Charles, IL) to give our brew club a demo of the software, discuss feature enhancements and drink some beer with us.

PM if you're interested.
 
This is good stuff. I have Beersmith and generally use Windows, but am familiar with Linux Server to a certain degree. But my friend, who I am trying to get more involved in brewing, pretty much only uses Windows when he has to. He would probably appreciate an Open-Source Linux product.
 
bakechad said:
Rocketman,

Again I can't tell you how great it is to finally get some good open source brewing software for Linux. I have successfully compiled it on Ubuntu 9.10, Xubuntu 9.10 & Freebsd 8.0. Next I am going to try to compile it on my "new" Puppy Linux machine that I am putting in the brewery.

I know the license is GNU, but I wanted to get your okay to hand out Brewtarget CDs to the members of my brew club.

Also, if you are available I would love to have you come out (St. Charles, IL) to give our brew club a demo of the software, discuss feature enhancements and drink some beer with us.

PM if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Do it with one of those bootable distro disks so you can introduce them to Linux at the same time. :rockin: I think they call them 'live' editions or something like that.
 
Hermit said:
Do it with one of those bootable distro disks so you can introduce them to Linux at the same time. :rockin: I think they call them 'live' editions or something like that.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea! If I made a Puppy Linux 'Pupet'(sp?) it would run on just about anything. Great for a brewery computer.
 
bakechad said:
I know the license is GNU, but I wanted to get your okay to hand out Brewtarget CDs to the members of my brew club.
Click to expand...

Go for it. Since you can build it from source, give them the latest version out of the repository since it contains some bug fixes as well as an extra feature or two. For anyone else who wants to distribute it, please, by all means do it.

Also, if you are available I would love to have you come out (St. Charles, IL) to give our brew club a demo of the software, discuss feature enhancements and drink some beer with us.

PM if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Ok, I'll PM you.
 
rocketman768 said:
Yeah, you gotta play with it if you change the efficiency. The real goal of brewtarget is to generate a recipe from a set of constraints you specify (like color, gravity, grains, etc.). This won't be hard to do since I already can "generate" a recipe by hand using simple matrix algebra, but until I get that integrated, you just gotta play with it like with all the other recipe programs.
Click to expand...

NOW I GET IT :mug:

It would be nice if the program could do that for you. Especially for us beginner AG'ers that don't know squat.

If you need someone to "idot" proof it for you, I'm your idot :D
 
I like the application, but I noticed that if you are not mashing, some of the data is off:

Batch Size: 5.000 gal
Boil Size: 5.750 gal
Boil Time: 0.000 s

Instructions
=========================================================
0) You should now have 0.000 tsp wort. Add 0.000 tsp water to the kettle, bringing pre-boil volume to 0.000 tsp.
Click to expand...

If I'm setting things up wrong, please let me know. I do like the app.
 
rocketman768 said:
If you're not mashing, you should set the kettle top-up water to the appropriate value in your equipment.
Click to expand...

Thanks. My calculated batch size is now 10gal even though my equipment final volume is 5 gal. Still not sure what I'm not getting right. But on a brighter note, my brew day notes now show the correct pre and post boil volumes. :)
 
Having a hard time getting this set up on my Mac. The units keep changing back to metric or tsp, which is kinda hard to measure my boil volumes in. Also, I can't import a recipe from beer smith.

Any advice?
 
Reinheitsgebot said:
Having a hard time getting this set up on my Mac. The units keep changing back to metric or tsp, which is kinda hard to measure my boil volumes in. Also, I can't import a recipe from beer smith.

Any advice?
Click to expand...

I get this question all the time, so let me say this:

Read the manual. You can enter amounts in WHATEVER UNITS YOU LIKE. If you feel like using liters "19 L". If you feel like using tsp, "3855 tsp". The Imperial/US/SI option is only for displaying the amounts. It uses the smallest appropriate unit, so if you have 0 amount of some liquid, it will always show as "0 tsp" or "0 mL" depending.

I and others successfully import Beersmith recipes, so could you provide more details (excruciating, please)?
 
THANKS FOR A GREAT PROGRAM!! I have been looking for something to run on the Mac. I also have been unsuccessful importing from beersmith, but will try exporting in different ways to see if that is the problem. Do we need to export only single recipes at a time or can I export a collection of recipes?

I only wish brew pal would import/export too!!! Then I could have my recipes everywhere I go. But thats another forum.

Also I typically like to have my volume into the fermenter around 5.5 gallons for a 5 gallon batch to account for trub. It would be great if next update could add this extra volume adjustment.

Not trying to complain at all since I am very grateful for your hard work. Thanks.:mug:

Just tried exporting from beersmith in several ways, single recipe in .xml format, multiple in .xml. When I try to import into brewtarget it only will say 0 recipes found in the bottom left corner. I will keep trying and let you know if I can figure it out.
 
I exported my recipies from brewsmith and imported them into version 1 with no trouble and I don't remember doing anything special. I have not tried importing into 1.2

Brewtarget on Mac 10.6
 

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