What software do you use?

Hey,

I need to buy beer software. I guess my preference is compatibility with other users.

Which do you use and recommend?

I use BeerSmith. Does everything I need it to do and probably more. Plus he's a regular here so if you have any issues you can address them with him.

A search of this forum will show that while many softwares are popular, on Windows most use Beersmith.

Beersmith baby!

Another fan of BeerSmith here -- once you get it dialed in it's VERY effective. I found it really added to my consistency from batch to batch.

Beersmith!

Brewpal for the iPhone.

I'll probably put beersmith on my laptop once I get my brewing area finished...

Beersmith is most popular, then promash, then a bunch of others in 3rd including Beer Alchemy and Beer Tools Pro (my fav of the bunch).

Another Beersmith user right here. I used BrewPal twice on the iPhone, and I use it from time to time when I'm away from home to plug in ingredients and play around, but I use Beersmith when actually planning out and on brewday.

Beersmith. Great software, easy to use

brewpal, Crazy handy for brewday, no need to print beer specs if you don't want to

I just converted to Beer Smith from Pro Mash. I found a nice converter tool to make the transition a little easier. I also have BrewPal, but I have not used it for much of anything other than a hydro converter/refract converter.

Beersmith. I like to be different! LOL!

Beersmith. Some irritating limitations, though, so I'm looking forward to the next version.

For me, brewing without it would be like playing darts blindfolded.

Beer Tools Pro for me and I love it over the others that have been mentioned.

BrewBlogger: http://brewblogger.net
BeerSmith: http://beersmith.com
BreweryTimer: http://www.hoppedale.com/brewerytimer

Brewtarget since its free and rocks! Ya being poor this time of year kind of blows this year will be better!

Beer Smith, Beer Smith!

Just don't pay attention to the sparge temps and your golden.

Mac user here so I went with Beer Tools.

Another mac user here. I prefer BeerAlchemy to BeerTools. I find it's more macish, simpler (I'm dumb) and the paired iphone app is nice for brew day so I don't have to run back and forth to double check the plan or kill trees.

My addition, though it's not technically software, is simply an Excel (also works for OpenOffice) template called Suds. The person who made this (for free! thanks!) also has developed some software, though I haven't tried it.

Beersmith here too!

Beersmith (on my PC) and BeerAlchemy (on my mac & iPhone).

drat said:

Brewpal for the iPhone.

I'll probably put beersmith on my laptop once I get my brewing area finished...

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heh heh, heh heh.. You said iPhone...

wildwest450 said:

Beer Smith, Beer Smith!

Just don't pay attention to the sparge temps and your golden.

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Expand on this if you don't mind.. I've not had issues with BS's temp calcs.

Ridemywideglide said:

Expand on this if you don't mind.. I've not had issues with BS's temp calcs.

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I second that. Maybe your equipment isn't setup right?

wildwest450 said:

Beer Smith, Beer Smith!

Just don't pay attention to the sparge temps and your golden.

Click to expand...

I saw some of the subsequent comments and realize there may not be an actual problem with the sparge temps, but it does remind me of why I LOVE ProMash. While it's one of th eugliest interfaces out there (I feel like I'm playing King's Quest c.a. 1987), there is nothing you can not alter to reflect your system exactly.

ProMash all the way!

As far as I know, all of the software packages allow complete customization of the temps and vessel data. There's no way they would create software to compete with promash and then have it be crippled in some way.

In my opinion, the one major shortcoming for me in Beersmith is it's limitation on field sizes. The Notes (might be Taste Notes) field only has space for a couple of lines. It truncates my notes. I have to keep a journal elsewhere.

I wish there was a Notes tab for every recipe that I could store unlimited notes.

doughaas said:

Another mac user here. I prefer BeerAlchemy to BeerTools. I find it's more macish, simpler (I'm dumb) and the paired iphone app is nice for brew day so I don't have to run back and forth to double check the plan or kill trees.

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+1 to this, except I don't consider myself dumb... I just prefer a cleaner interface, and Beeralchemy is about as clean as you can get . The iPhone version is great too!

Bobby_M said:

As far as I know, all of the software packages allow complete customization of the temps and vessel data. There's no way they would create software to compete with promash and then have it be crippled in some way.

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I think they would not intentionally design a product that is inferior, but there are definitely products (in general, brewing world and otherwise) that fall short of the performance of existing products. You see it everyday. There are plenty of reasons for it - some may find additional customization clumsy or cumbersome, some may not agree on its relevance to the overall performance of the product, or it may be left out in order to save on production/development costs/time.

I'm not saying these other programs fall short in this particular case (I honestly don't have enough experience with the others to say; at this point I have come to personally prefer ProMash for its detail and am willing to promote the product), but I do think it's reasonable to say that not every product that enters the market is equal or superior to its competition.

I use a spreadsheet that gives me everything I'll ever need. Plus, it's easy to update or change! It takes just a single sheet to keep track of a single brew. Easier to relax and have a homebrew that way.

ProMash for us.

I started using it with some folks in Markham who taught me the basics of brewing, and just kept using it.

Beersmith run through "Wine" on the mac. Don't ask how I got it to work, it is one of those things that I feel if I tinker with it, or try to see how it is actually work/set up, it'll stop running.

Unfortunately I can't print through Wine, and buying Windows and Parallel Desktop is out of the price range to run one application.

is the consensus that BTP is the best native mac app?

It's probably a toss up between Beer Alchemy and BTP. I've personally never saw Alchemy because I don't have a MAC. You might say the advantage of BTP is that it's cross platform.

I develop and use BrewBlogger for everything...recipe formulation, calculations, conversions, equipment profiles - the works. Everything is housed online on my website - I can access my installation from anywhere there is an internet connection. It's mobile friendly as well, so I can double-check my ingredients for a particular recipe right on my phone while I'm at my LHBS.

My club also uses the BrewBlogger club edition.

That said, I also have purchased BeerTools, ProMash, and BeerSmith and find BeerSmith to be the best desktop-based app for me. BeerSmith also exports files in BeerXML format, which I then can import to my BrewBlogger installation online.

I've been using Beersmith for about 4 years now and won't even think about changing, although if I did think about it, Geoffs BrewBlogger would be high in the running.

I run my copy off of my jumpstick, that way I can use it on just about any PC, but I always have my laptop with me anywhere I go to work on recipes all the time.

philrose said:

is the consensus that BTP is the best native mac app?

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i use beer alchemy i find it to be pretty good. I've tried beersmith on my pc but never invested a good amount of seat time into it. never tried BTP but will take a look at it.