Instruction Sheet Builder - Need feedback, please

I've only been home brewing since February of this year. I brewed 3 batches from Brewer's Best ingredient kits and then decided to get adventurous and try a recipe. I really liked the safety net that the instruction sheets, included in the ingredient kits, provided, plus they were also a record of what I had brewed (easy record keeping). When I decided to do a recipe extract batch, I sat down with MS Word and typed up an instruction sheet. That was fine for that batch, but I really wanted something I could easily customize from one batch to the next.

So, I designed a free, web-based Instruction Sheet Builder:

http://brewhacks.com/tips-rec.php

I really like it, but then it's based on how I learned to brew. It is extract only and will work with or without steeping grains. The first batch I brewed with it was also my first lager, and it is my best batch to date. So I know it will yield a good batch of beer. That lager recipe is provided as a sample PDF.

What I'm looking for is anyone who thinks this is a useful tool and would like to give it a try and provide some feedback. It is relatively easy to update, so I can tweak it if you have any good suggestions. It doesn't yet provide the ability to do a secondary fermentation (except for lagers), but I will be adding that feature.

If you have any favorite extract recipes, please enter the ingredients and other data into the form and look over the instruction sheet that it builds. I really appreciate any feedback.

Thanks!

It seems like a well done project but it is a baby step towards just using brewing software like BeerToolsPro or Beersmith, etc. Once you have enough batches done, the printout from one of the brewing software programs is all the instructions one really needs. It isn't a bad idea for some of the home brew stores who make kits, they could use some standardization of the way they present them to customers.

Thanks samc for the feedback. I like the idea of a store including these instructions in their own kits. That's a good idea.

The brewing software is still out of my comfort zone, right now. I can see where my Instruction Sheet Builder is too much hand-holding and not enough flexibility for modifying recipes for the seasoned brewer. I'm still at the point where I'm afraid I'll forget something critical and wanted all of my reference text's in one place, so to speak. When I get to the point where I feel confident and knowledgeable enough to tweak a recipe, I'll need real software. Sounds like there are some good programs out there.

This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again.

Nice sheet man. I agree with samc, this would be something helpful for the shops that make kits and then send the new brewer out with no instructions.

Thanks.

You have built a very nice tool. As for brewing software being "out of your comfort zone, I believe you are more that capable of grasping the software. If you can build this impressive tool you will have no problem with the software a bonehead like me can use.

It has been a while since I looked at brewing software. I guess I understand a lot more now than I did back then. I'll definitely give it a try on an upcoming batch.

I've made some changes to the tool. You can now enter ingredients in pounds and ounces and it has a secondary fermentation option for ales. It also allows you to specify a preferred steeping temperature and preferred fermentation temperature if you want to override the default values.

Thanks for the encouragement lou2row and bad67z. This isn't like any other forum I've ever been a part of. Everyone is really helpful and kind!

AZBrewDude said:

What I'm looking for is anyone who thinks this is a useful tool and would like to give it a try and provide some feedback. It is relatively easy to update, so I can tweak it if you have any good suggestions. It doesn't yet provide the ability to do a secondary fermentation (except for lagers), but I will be adding that feature.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

Wow, just found this. This is where I am at the moment.. and may be for some time. Tomorrow, I'm going to be looking and experimenting.

BTW, Love the label app.. any idea how to get labels tho? IOW, are there die cut sheets that one can print the labels on or are they all cut by hand?

HbgBill, I hope it works out well for you and if you spot any missing features, please let me know. I'm always looking for ways to improve the tool.

RE. the labels, I've been using 1/2 sheet shipping labels. I scale the image in Photoshop so that 8 labels ( 2 rows of 4) fit on 1/2 of a page, in landscape mode. Then I cut them out. A real pain, but so far, I've only cut out one label per batch, to keep on the shelf.

Clear plastic label sized squares would be great since you could print any shape and stick it to the bottle. Anywhere that wasn't printed would remain clear. It would be hard to do white, though.

Thanks for the feedback.