iBrew - An iPhone Brew Log

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Deofol

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Just wondering what kind of interest there would be for an “all in one” Brew Log, Timer, Brew Tools, and general home brewing application on the iPhone?

I'm doing iPhone development on the side, and for a first project to learn the API and objective C language, I am building a home brew log application. I'll use this post as a location to post progress and get ideas from forum users. I figured this would be something I would use personally and a fun way to encourage me to brew more as I progress over the development learning curve.

So far the basic premise is;

  • Brew Log
  • Brew Tools
  • General Options

The brew log will list your entire past brew sessions, tasting notes, images, bottling/kegging dates and notes, and allow you to copy/modify a session or "run" the session live. Later on perhaps the ability to email brew sessions or store them on a server or local machine for backup (or perhaps some kind of tie-in to HBT).

The idea is that instead of using kitchen timers and paper logs for grain/hop/adjunct additions, the brew session can be "run" as an active session. Ie. Design the brew and assign ingredients and then start the session. You would at this point have all the information about the brew in real time (ie. current est volume lost, est IBU, abv, etc).

First step for say an extract session would be to bring your temperature to 155 degrees to steep your grains, when this is hit, you press next and the timer starts for the steep. After grains are steeped, an alert notifies you to continue to the next step and add your extract. After you are at a boil you continue and that starts the timer for the hop schedules or adjuncts you have set up.

I also had an idea for a more "live session recording" mode where you would start the session and just record "when" and "what" you added as your brew session progressed. That way you have an accurate account to the second of what you did for a particular brew session and would be able to recall the details at a later time for evaluation. All of these metrics could then be easily used to dynamically generate in real time your ABV%, IBU, boil volume loss, etc as the timer progressed.

At the moment the application is just in a design phase, with UI being built, and gathering of ideas. So if this sounds like something that interest you, or you have ideas, please don’t hesitate to add them here. I would be excited to have your input!
 
Just a note on scope.

I would like to keep this as simple and stright forward as posible. There are already hardcore brew tools out there (promash, beer smith, etc), this is not so much a replacement to detailed tools like those, but more as a helper tool for on the site brewing, time centric application, and step oriented...

It just seems that in the heat of the moment I always tend to forget a step or forget to record something as I brew. So think more as a brewing assistant than a hard core brewing application.
 
What I really need as Im brewing are calculators. I find that I run back into the house to my software just for the calculators. Brix/OG, Temp adjustments, etc.

I made some notes and enter my end of brew day numbers back into my recipe when I am all done. I dont have a big need for actual brewing software as Im brewing, but calculators would be nice and maybe a nice checklist to make sure I stay on task when I drink too much when I'm brewing.
 
A handy calculator would be great! When I preheat my mashtun, I always have to run in after getting the temp of the grains and strike water to make sure they'll even out to the right temp for my first infusion. A simple calculator would be handy to avoid trips back in! Also, the Brix/Gravity conversion tool would be nice for the same reason!! Great idea :mug:
 
I also already use my iphone for a timer. If you could set it up to be completely programable and simple, it would be great.
 
i don't know a whole lot about brewing, but i think your idea is great. I think you need to make sure you can backup any information entered via the iphone. Some kind of option to place all your brewing sessions into a txt file or document or something like that. That way any changes you make on the fly or are 'recorded' during your session are reflected and backed up onto your desktop or laptop. Just an idea.
 
I also use the timer, but it would be nice to have a few extra features and calculators handy.

maybe programable alarms for 60/20/10/5 minute additions, and efficiency calculators, something to jot down quick notes about temps etc. and record measurements.
 
Would it be possible to sync with popular brewing software? I'm not sure how standardized the file formats and types of files the programs create but that would be helpful if it copied brew sessions from your iPhone to whatever program you were using. Or, sync recipies you created on your computer with you iphone and then after a brew session sync the "actual results" such as actual FG and actual OG etc back to you computer. Hopefully that could be done directly into the program(s) but maybe atleast to a text file that plopped on the desktop.

Good luck! :mug:
 
Well, I think that this would be a fantastic idea. I don't currently use the iphone, but still an excellent idea. My only comment, similer to thewatersci, would be that any individual with the desire to use this will most likely already have one of the brewing software packages. I could see creating a recipe in, say beersmith, and then being able to download/send it to the iphone in a format where you would be able to "run" the brew, including all aformentioned timers, hop additions, etc. Also, potentially say you're a min or two late with the hop addition because you happen to not be right there when the alarm goes off, an override button to change the exact time of the addition. Potentially the recipie can be recalculated on the fly to try and maintain original numbers, or later on when you go back and "resync" with the software it can overwite the original numbers, and recalculate results based on the new numbers...

Sounds like a pretty cool idea all around anyway. Good luck...!
 
I would be interested in this. I am currently trying to do an inventory program for grain , hops , yeast , etc........
 
I started using my iPhone with Twittelator to "live blog", so to speak, while I'm brewing or doing whatnot beer/wine/mead related. Any new app for the iPhone I'm always interested in hearing about.
 
The idea is that instead of using kitchen timers and paper logs for grain/hop/adjunct additions, the brew session can be "run" as an active session. Ie. Design the brew and assign ingredients and then start the session. You would at this point have all the information about the brew in real time (ie. current est volume lost, est IBU, abv, etc).

First step for say an extract session would be to bring your temperature to 155 degrees to steep your grains, when this is hit, you press next and the timer starts for the steep. After grains are steeped, an alert notifies you to continue to the next step and add your extract. After you are at a boil you continue and that starts the timer for the hop schedules or adjuncts you have set up.
I would be all over this..... another feature I'd want to see is a shopping list with maybe a current inventory. Shopping list should also be able to add equipment.
 
Thanks for all the feedback! WOW! It's been a while since I checked this thread.

Well, a small update. I started the basic app, I have a few screens laid out and started on the database code and had some things come up (my wife is about to give birth in the next day or so). So I hope to get back into development in the next few days when I have some time off.

We have our app store license, so everything is good there. I'll post some screens soon as I have something worthwhile to show.

Keep the ideas coming, I'll try and tabulate what everyone has added here, so I don't leave anything out as far as calculators and what nots.

Thanks!
 
I would be more interested in just a basic recipe calc for some on-the-fly recipe ideas.

Right now, it's just as easy to have my laptop w/ beertools sitting on my workbench while I brew for in-depth brewday tasks.
 
I second the idea of an iPhone application that would sync with Beer Tools Pro. That would be awesome. Quick access to calulators on the fly and the ability to log a brew session remotely on your phone and have it sync up later since would be amazing.

They might even be willing to pay you to develop an applicaiton for them.
 
I would love to see such an app. A conversion calculator would be awesome. It would be cool if you can setup a timer that you can enter your times in for adding hop ect. Then the timer could alarm you "add finishing hops now" when it gets to that time.
 
I already have my iPhone out in the garage when I brew, nice to have a timer / clock / calculator / internet access tool, but I'd love to have something more tailored towards brewing. My buddy I brew with has a iPod touch, so yeah there is definitely a market for this. I'd also be willing to help out, I have been learning a bit of objective c and wanting to program for the iphone sdk, but I'm quite the amateur.

-kap
 
Any updates on this? With a 3G going up in our town and 2.1 out now I decided to jump in and get iPhones for me and my wife. I would love to have something to play with on brew day for it.
 
Not sure if this would help or not, but on the PC side of things, one part of a little project I'm working on is a .NET class that will take a standard BeerXML file and deserialize it to an object with the same hierarchy as used in the BeerXML standard, so you can then easily access the recipe info. Since BeerXML is standardized, it should work with beersmith, beertools, and others that support BeerXML. Might help with that one small step of bridging the gap between PC brewing software and your mobile app. It's nothing complicated, just a lot of grunt work already done setting up the class to mirror the BeerXML hierarchy, which could save you the hassle if you needed to do so.

Anyway, if it's of any interest, let me know.
 
for what it's worth this is an awesome idea. But there is an application in development titled "beermath" which will have built in bitterness calculators plus much more. I think it is trying to very similar to a program called "beeralchemy" as it is being developed by the same person. The timer idea with custom alrms sounds awesome. As always where one so is good more are better to fuel each to improve. Good luck!
 
I would love an app like this just to keep me on my toes during brew day and to take up some time at lunch! The calculator part would ausome I mainly use a spreedsheet in a binder and this would be a great addition :)
 
I agree, this is a great idea.

The biggest wish I had was for a session timer. program your boil time and all your hop additions, hit start...
recipe formulation would be good too.... I prefer to use paper and pencil for notes.
 
Well, I had good ambitions, but with work, the economy (which means more work), and the new born, I've not been able to do anything with this. In fact I haven't had time to brew in 4 months. :\
 
I just found this thread. I submitted my Homebrew calculator to the iTunes store for approval yesterday. I used it for only one brew so far, and it's pretty much a kludge, but it's free. I'll post again when it's available on the app store.
That reminds me - I have to post some more info about it on my webpage. (The Hardware Audioprocessor).

BTW, all it really has is some equations for doing hydrometer temperature adjustments and gravity (DME/water addition) adjustments to hit target gravity. And did I say it was a kludge? It is really nice to get a mashing efficiency calculation right away, even if it does make my iPhone sticky.
 
I use the iPhone app "BrewMath" by Kent Place Software. It's made by the same guy who made Beer Alchemy and it has a bunch of brewing calculations for $4.99. It would be awesome if they developed integration between both programs. For tasting notes I use the app "Beer Pad".
 
I just found this thread. I submitted my Homebrew calculator to the iTunes store for approval yesterday. I used it for only one brew so far, and it's pretty much a kludge, but it's free. I'll post again when it's available on the app store.
That reminds me - I have to post some more info about it on my webpage. (The Hardware Audioprocessor).

BTW, all it really has is some equations for doing hydrometer temperature adjustments and gravity (DME/water addition) adjustments to hit target gravity. And did I say it was a kludge? It is really nice to get a mashing efficiency calculation right away, even if it does make my iPhone sticky.


Please post back when it makes it onto the app store. I'll get it.
 
Please post back when it makes it onto the app store. I'll get it.

Just re-submitted the app to Apple. They didn't like the fact that I was calling it a beta. I'll post on a new thread when I get approved. Maybe it's just the vanilla porter, but I feel pretty good about this one.
 

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