Brewers friend more accurate than beer smith?

[rpolzin25]

So I downloaded the beer smith app for my phone and I also currently have the free Brewers friend app. For my latest brew I decided to create my own recipe dunkelweizen. On beer smith it shows I should expect a og of 1.049. On Brewers friend it says I should expect an og of 1.054. This is an extract recipe with some steeping grains. My actual measured og was 1.052 and when corrected for temp was 1.054. This matches Brewers friend perfectly. So I am wondering if Brewers friend is maybe more accurate? I bought the beer smith app but am debating if I would rather do Brewers friend.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Temp correction tools aren't that accurate.

For extract, determining your og is extremely simple. What was the final beer volume after the boil? Did you actually measure it? How? What temp was it when you measured it?

 

[imasickboy]

Many beers that "missed the OG" are likely "missed the volume". I would say that's especially true when using extract.

And as mentioned, temperature correction sucks. As do hydrometers. I have four of them, and no two read the same.

 

[rpolzin25]

Ok, so I did a smaller boil. Started with roughly 3 gallons. I added 2.5 gallons to the wort in the fermenter which brought the volume to 5 gallons (I used the markings on the fermenter to measure). I used 6 lbs of briess Bavarian wheat extract. The temp of the wort when I measured the og was 78 degrees.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

From what I understand all of the online calculators are accurate up to a point. For example I get all the right numbers on my system, except for color, it seems like for me that BF under calculates my end SRM. I've read from others BS gets color more spot on and is better at long boil predictions for color.

None are perfectly accurate in every situation for every brewing system. If you are talking about less than .007 difference in Gravity readings that's still pretty accurate when you are talking about something that's a food product.

6lbs of liquid extract in 5 gallons should give you 1.042 OG, 1.050 for dry unless you had steeping grains which would up it a little. But since you said you did top off water more than likely it wasnt a perfectly homogenous sample you pulled from the fermenter. It's difficult to mix the wort and water perfectly, fermentation usually mixes everything vigorously enough.

 

[rpolzin25]

I used dry extract and had roughly 20 oz of steeping grains. I mixed the water fairly thoroughly with my mixing spoon for aerating before taking a sample. I just thought it was interesting that both calculators differed with an extract recipe in og and then when I tested it had matched Brewers friend calculations.

 

[Calichusetts]

Beersmith, when used correctly, is more accurate than brewers friend. BF does not take into account your equipment setup, water volumes, mash temp, etc. Don't get me wrong, its great and works well for what it offers, but beersmith is consistently more accurate, at least for me.

 

[Epimetheus]

And as mentioned, temperature correction sucks. As do hydrometers. I have four of them, and no two read the same.

I thought my single hydrometer was accurate. I have been trying to estimate the efficiency of my mash process and now have no idea.

 

[imasickboy]

I thought my single hydrometer was accurate. I have been trying to estimate the efficiency of my mash process and now have no idea.

To check the accuracy of your hydrometer, measure the SG of distilled water, at whatever temp your hydrometer says it's calibrated to. (Usually 60 degrees)

None of mine are off by much, one is off 2 points one way, the other two are each off one point, in opposite directions.

Really what you want most is consistency, SO even if yours is off, if you're getting consistent readings, you're good.

 

[RTL]

Beersmith, when used correctly, is more accurate than brewers friend. BF does not take into account your equipment setup, water volumes, mash temp, etc. Don't get me wrong, its great and works well for what it offers, but beersmith is consistently more accurate, at least for me.

I'm not sure if this is true for the free version, but it is not true for the paid version. In the paid version you set up a full equipment profile with variables like boiloff rate, equipment dead spaces, kettle volumes, etc. Not trying to nitpick, just want to make sure accurate info is out there.

 

[Calichusetts]

I'm not sure if this is true for the free version, but it is not true for the paid version. In the paid version you set up a full equipment profile with variables like boiloff rate, equipment dead spaces, kettle volumes, etc. Not trying to nitpick, just want to make sure accurate info is out there.

BF does not account for mash temp last time I checked. Pretty sure that is a HUGE issue with FG and ABV. Last recipe I used on there was like two months ago so maybe something has change. BF also does not list their DP on grains or give you the ability to edit. Your right though, I've only owned the paid version of BS and used the free version of BF. Probably should have mentioned that.

 

[RTL]

BF does not account for mash temp last time I checked. Pretty sure that is a HUGE issue with FG and ABV. Last recipe I used on there was like two months ago so maybe something has change. BF also does not list their DP on grains or give you the ability to edit. Your right though, I've only owned the paid version of BS and used the free version of BF. Probably should have mentioned that.

They didn't account for mash temp for a long time, but a recent update corrected that. Personally I don't know how accurate that feature can really be though. I have brewed overnight beta rest mashes that got 85% attenuation on a 1.086 OG wort which it didn't predict accurately. It does seem to be fairly accurate with the standard 60-90 minute mash durations though. I'm not sure what you mean by DP for grains but they do list what PPG they are using for the contributions, you cannot edit that directly but you can create your own custom fermentables with custom Lovibond and PPG. Not trying to hijack but have you done an overnight mash and compared the results against BS prediction? Just curious if Brad has some super accurate mash engine in BS.

 

[thunderwagn]

I think BS and BF are both incredibly accurate pieces of software. ..as long as you input all variables in the proper areas correctly. They both figure things a bit differently, but with the right tweaking, you can get them both running pretty tight with each other. Both have pluses and minuses.