Beginner brewer - Should I buy software?

[Sixstring78]

I've just started brewing and have been reading into a couple of the brewing programs out there. "Strangebrew" and "Beertools Pro" to be specific.
From someone who is more experienced what would you say? Buy the software to experiment, or wait until I have some more experience under my belt and just follow some recipes for now?

 

[likwidbliss]

I bought Beersmith. I bought it for two reasons. 1) i can compare variations of recipes. 2) it offered me some style guidance, even though style is not always the main object in my beer.

I would recommend software for those reasons. I am not a very organized person and software organizes my brews. I have made several version of the same brew, each with different variations. Software allowed me to replicate my favorite.

 

[TTB-J]

I use hopville.com as a free resource for storing and fiddling with recipes. It doesn't have near the bells and whistles of some of the other programs, but it's a good enough way for me to guage how the various parts of a recipe will affect the brew. Regardless of what you use, I say just dive right in. If you're anything like me, tinkering with recipes is good for hours of enjoyment!

 

[Aschecte]

I also use beersmith for no other reason than organazation and to make shopping list and keep inventory. If being new plays a factor or if you just want to have a software program without $ investment check out brewmate. i also have this it's very basic but has great points too. ie. all the same tools as beersmith a srm calculator Ibu calcs etc and it's free.

 

[GryphonBrew]

I wish I had found BeerSmith sooner. The layout of their "classic brew sheet" makes your brew day much easier. It also alows you to keep detailed records and be consistant.

 

[jaycount]

I have used the beersmith trial but I am on linux and beersmith does not run well within WINE.

I typically use Hopville's Beer Calculus, I agree it's not as powerful but pretty decent.

 

[Ralelen]

The programs are really great tools, but I think you should wait until you have a better grasp of the process basics. If you start using software before you grasp the basics, it could be overwhelming, or to the point of second guessing yourself; which you shouldn't do as a beginner.

 

[BoxofRain]

The programs are really great tools, but I think you should wait until you have a better grasp of the process basics. If you start using software before you grasp the basics, it could be overwhelming, or to the point of second guessing yourself; which you shouldn't do as a beginner.

+1. Get a few extracts under your belt and get a feel for the brewing process before delving into the minutia.

 

[Golddiggie]

As soon as you decide you want to tinker with existing recipes, more than just making very minor tweaks that don't really impact anything, get software. For me, that was right after my second batch.

Once you decide you want to start creating your own recipes, have software to use.

I use Beer Smith to track what I've brewed, what I'm looking to brew next (on deck) and what's in the 'maybe' category... I also use it to formulate my recipes, adjusting different grain types and amounts until I'm happy with it. I also have the hops I have in stock listed, as well as my grains. Makes things easier when you have the AA% of the hops you have set for the defaults for those hops.

I'm sure there are people that have gone years without getting any software, or using any online tools... I just see it as a better way to get the calculations done, so that you know what you're getting...

One thing I will say, don't use the ABV value given in Beer Smith for the brew when complete. I would use the tool on Rooftop Brew... Actually, that's what I've been using for the past couple of brews (since learning about it)... Just a slightly more accurate result...

 

[ThePearsonFam]

I use Beersmith too. It is very usable and dynamic. I've used it since I was fairly new to brewing and was still refining the process. The good thing is that you can type in a kit you've used to track the batch and see what you should expect. It's nice because you can see what the target OG and FG is and get an idea of what the style is supposed to be.

 

[Revvy]

Even though I use beersmith now I only made the jump to it because originally you couldn't save recipes, but a month after I bough Beersmith beercalculus added a save feature. Here's the link. Beercalculus

 

[iaefebs]

I use Beersmith because at the time I was comparing the different programs Beersmith had a 2 day discount sale. I think they were selling it for $4 off. The money is well past being spent but the more I learn about the software the more I appreciate it. I know of others that have the program and haven't really learned it's full potential. It's a great tool and I highly recommend it. I'm sure that if I would have gone with one of the others available I could have learned to like them as well.

 

[Ace_Club]

The programs are really great tools, but I think you should wait until you have a better grasp of the process basics. If you start using software before you grasp the basics, it could be overwhelming, or to the point of second guessing yourself; which you shouldn't do as a beginner.

I agree with Ralelen. I also think that you can get by with, and learn more from, creating your own software in Excel. It will teach you the formulas behind the numbers and you'll gain a better understanding of what can affect your brews and how.

I used a spreadsheet I created all throughout my extract days, and when I recently made the jump to all-grain, I created a new spreadsheet for my all-grain brewing.

 

[ajf]

As I see it, brewing software does two thing.
It provides an excellent record of what you did for a particular brew.
It makes designing/modifying recipes easier.
I like it because it provides an easy way to keep accurate and detailed records, and I have difficulty doing this manually.

-a.

 

[Sixstring78]

I agree with Ralelen. I also think that you can get by with, and learn more from, creating your own software in Excel. It will teach you the formulas behind the numbers and you'll gain a better understanding of what can affect your brews and how.

I used a spreadsheet I created all throughout my extract days, and when I recently made the jump to all-grain, I created a new spreadsheet for my all-grain brewing.

That's a great idea.
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of things were in your spreadsheet?
I'm new to this so I don't really know what I should be recording/looking for.

Cheers

 

[Ace_Club]

I've attached an image of one of the worksheets in my extract spreadsheet. In mine, each new sheet is copied from the base recipe sheet. It is named a specific number so that I can track it and keep good records. Among the things I include are:

Batch Name
Batch Number
Style
Brew Date
Rack Date
Bottle/Keg Date

Batch Size
Boil Size (affects Boil OG which affects hop utilization)
IBUs
Color
ABV
Predicted OG
Actual OG
Actual FG

Recipe
Notes

All of the necessary formula that you need can be found on this site or in popular how-to books (Palmer or Papazian).

My all-grain is completely different as it also calculates strike temps for the mash and other information about the mash. The first time I used it, the calculations for strike temp were dead on with my equipment. It's always good to see the numbers match reality.

If you need any help or advice, feel free to ask.

 

[bschoenb]

I use Beersmith; I will say that my first two beers where from the LHBS with vague instructions and no real idea of the alchohol, IBUs, or Ratio of OG/IBU. Depending on the water amounts and how "we" did it.. it could be all over the map.

Beersmith allows me to "adjust" the recipes for what I like or more importantly; what my wife likes.

It's worth the $20!

 

[iaefebs]

I've attached an image of one of the worksheets in my extract spreadsheet. In mine, each new sheet is copied from the base recipe sheet. It is named a specific number so that I can track it and keep good records. Among the things I include are:

Batch Name
Batch Number
Style
Brew Date
Rack Date
Bottle/Keg Date

Batch Size
Boil Size (affects Boil OG which affects hop utilization)
IBUs
Color
ABV
Predicted OG
Actual OG
Actual FG

Recipe
Notes

All of the necessary formula that you need can be found on this site or in popular how-to books (Palmer or Papazian).

My all-grain is completely different as it also calculates strike temps for the mash and other information about the mash. The first time I used it, the calculations for strike temp were dead on with my equipment. It's always good to see the numbers match reality.

If you need any help or advice, feel free to ask.

Ace, What an excellent way to learn even more about the brewing process.. making your own spreadsheets, plugging in the math. I unfortunately went the other way... when we first started computing, back before Windows was a standard I decided that in the future all the work would be done for me. I could see that I didn't need to learn programming because there was going to be a large group of people that were going to do the things I wanted. Fast forward to today and I was correct. Flash back and maybe I could have made some money. Today I wish I understood excel better because i am a little jealous of people that can do what you do. But I can't, so I spend the $22.00 for a program. I am like you though, There is no better feeling then hitting your numbers on the nuts during a brew day.

 

[tchuklobrau]

I just got promash 2 weeks before my 1st ag batch. i love it and wish i had it when i was doing extract. I vote definitly get software of some sort.

 

[Sixstring78]

If you need any help or advice, feel free to ask.

Thank you VERY much for everything!
I will try out your spreadsheet on my next few batches and see how everything turns out.

Cheers!

 

[allaboutduncan]

Beersmith is invaluable to me. I rarely do a 5G batch, but with Beersmith I can input a 5G recipe and then convert down to a smaller size.

It's also great for replacing or substituting ingredients. You can add/subtract until you get your ABV, SRM, IBUs where you want.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Beersmith is invaluable to me, but I would work on your process side before starting to tweak recipes. Once you can make great beer with kits, then get BeerSmith to start tweaking them or creating new ones from scratch.

 

[Sixstring78]

I see alot of talk about IBU's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the measure of how bitter a beer is very subjective to the person tasting the beer? There isn't any equipment to measure it is there?

 

[Golddiggie]

I see alot of talk about IBU's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the measure of how bitter a beer is very subjective to the person tasting the beer? There isn't any equipment to measure it is there?

IBU's are measured by the hop's AA% and how long you boil them for. Not subjective there. BUT, what you like for IBU levels in a brew can be extremely subjective. What tastes great for one person could be a face implosion to someone else... Personally, I can't drink DFH 60 minute IPA, at all. I know plenty of people love it and would drink it all day long. I find that about 45 IBU's is my limit in a brew. Of course, it also depends on the malt/hop balance.

So, IBU calculations are valid and extremely useful. Brewing to what you like/want is key, and completely different though.

 

[Sixstring78]

IBU's are measured by the hop's AA% and how long you boil them for.

Thanks! Yet another piece of valuable info that I didn't know before.

 

[Golddiggie]

The home brewing learning curve is a very nice one... Full of so many ingredients, smells, tastes, aromas, and alcohol :rockin:...

I can't believe I waited so long to start home brewing. I wish I had started a decade ago (or more)... At least I should have a good many yeast left to home brew, with hundreds of batches ahead of me...

Hardest part of home brewing... Figuring out what to brew next...