When formulating a new recipe, I...

Just wonder what you guys and gals do when formulating recipes. I usually use promash but lately I've been tending to the paper and pencil first priciples method.

I chose Nader because at this stage of my experience, interest and time I am like a sous chef. I execute a good recipe, but haven't delved into creationg recipies.

Promash works for me, but had I known one of the guys on our brewclub
http://barleyment.wort.ca/biz/?biz=48 developed the Strangebrew
program, I probely would have bought that instead.

I do take notes on-the-fly when brewing but add them to my promash report
after my brew is done.

Seems I'm one of few that use BeerSmith, but I liked its interface better than ProMash. I use it along with a general idea of what I want to make for recipe formulation.

Here's something I've done a few times recently - instead of tying myself immediately to a style, I'll have a particular grain or adjunct in mind, so I plug it in, add what sounds good, then look at what style might match up. So far, so good!

I use Promash as a sanity check and to keep records

Having Promash, there's no way I'm going to develop a home-brew spread sheet.

Pencil and paper is not an option as I can't read my own writing.

What sort of lunatic would brew without the necessary ingredients in the brew cupboard?

I'd like to add Ralph Nader to the boil, but it would add too much astringency.

-a.

Edit
<< Duh! I just noticed it was for formulating a recipe, not actually brewing. I guess if you do this ahead of time, you would determine what extra ingredients you need to add to the brew cupboard. >>

brewmasters bible has a good chart in it about styles, i browse that then write up a recipe, plug it into the beer recipator to check where the gravity 'should' be.

all my notes and the recipe is written by hand though.

Since there is very little that is new in brewing, I just modify existing recipes by hand. Bent Rod Rye is just 2/3rds of a Hop Rod Rye clone. Sure there are new hop varieties every year, but that doesn't change anything the software can measure.

If I want something specific, I just order a kit. If you've guessed I'm lazy & not AR, you would be right on both accounts.

Yuri_Rage said:

Seems I'm one of few that use BeerSmith, but I liked its interface better than ProMash.

Click to expand...

To let you know you're not the only one. I like to try to make recipes directly to style. Only using ingredients that would be used would be used by historic breweries. So I pick a style and use only the grains, hops, and adjucts (if any) descibed in the style. I have no real imagination.

I'm a Promash-er because it gives me something to do at work and I've convinced my boss that it's a software client that allows me to be empowered to follow the critical path with optimum synergy while involving all stakeholders.

Baron von BeeGee said:

I'm a Promash-er because it gives me something to do at work and I've convinced my boss that it's a software client that allows me to be empowered to follow the critical path with optimum synergy while involving all stakeholders.

Click to expand...

You forgot to tell him that it's also mediacentric. That's my new fave...

I use Clone Brews book and and a sample of store bought beer as homework. I love the book since it I can extrapolate the various flavours from the recipes and suit to my own tastes (hops, ABV, ect.).

I will then go to Promash to figure out the final part of the recipe. I brew in 11-12 gallon bathces so Promash is indespensable. I alter the recipes slightly since I get pre-crushed grains by the kilo and I have the unusual wort size. I can figure that 1lb. of a grain (in a 5 G batch) is about 1kg in a 11-12 G batch. Promash is great since I can follow the style guidlines and compare the %ages of grain bills in the recipe from the book to my own.


Cheers.

I went with the ingredient cupboard, broadly defining it to include the shelves of my LHBS.