Brew Journal?

[knelson]

With my first batch about to go into bottles this weekend, I was wondering what others use for a journal. I want to get into the habit of taking very detailed notes but need some feedback.

For my first batch I used the back of the recipe that came with my kit and put the times of each entry down the left side and then the notes to the right. Are their any online sources that might allow me to enter that data?

What does everyone else do? i.e. Hand written, binder etc


Thanks!

 

[Clonefarmer]

I use a 5x7 notebook.

 

[FishinDave07]

I take VERY detailed notes. I use to make word documents, but now that i have beersmith i use the "note" section at the bottom of the recipe. Make sure if you have a digital copy to back it up occasionally.

 

[BrewDocND]

yup, just a little blank notebook.

I also make a lot of botanical tinctures at home and use a pre-printed form I found in a book for that. I'm sure you can find the same thing on brewing websites/ in books and throw them in a binder.

 

[JayInJersey]

I use beersmith as well

I'm actually rather fond of the program now that I've gotten used to it

 

[HickoryMike]

+1 for using Beersmith

 

[TipsyDragon]

note book and iBrewMaster.

 

[craigbrew]

I came across this http://www.brewersfriend.com/images/brewersfriend_allgrainsheet.pdf

I haven't used it yet. Right now I use notebook for all my notes, dates, gravity's, and temps.

 

[Hugh_Jass]

I use this to record my brew day.

 

[nicnic]

I'm currently using Excel, but when I switch to all-grain I will probably use the BJCP Entry Recipe Form:

http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCP_EntryRecipe.pdf

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I take pretty extensive notes. I use the brewSmith brewlog for laying out my brewday. I then record my notes of the actual brewday and ingredients etc. (what actually happened) on the brewlog designed by Kaiser (see braukaiser.com). I also use Kaiser's effeciency analysis to monitor my mash. Then I take some pics and make tasting notes.

Below is an example of my notes.......

Brewlog

page 1

page 2

page 3

page 4

page 5

page 6

page 7
real attenuation cut out for picture limit, click here if interested.

page 8

Aroma 10/12
Sweet bread, lemon zest, and orange. A small hint of alcohol heat and wheatiness. Very similar to Oberon.

Appearance 3/3
Bellowy head that holds at around half a finger. Exactly the same color and stability as Oberon. The color is maybe 1 SRM darker than Oberon but VERY close. The above picture shows the center beer a bit darker but that is only because of the picture, my two samples were the exact color and more like the one shown on the right. This beer is brilliantly clear with both yeasts but the 1762 sample is not fully carbed yet, so the head was underwhelming as shown in the photos.

Flavor 15/20
Malty sweetness and citrus are great. The citrus has an orange zest character to it and the finish showcases a pleasant wheat flavor. Gives a warming sensation in the aftertaste. The 1762 had a spicey note that was not as nice, still fine but not like Oberon. The 1272 was very close to Oberon. I had a slight tinge of astringency just barely noticeable that I have been battling in all my brews. I didn't tell Danika about it and she didn't notice so I think I may just be on hype-alert for the astringency thing.

Mouthfeel 5/5
Perfect, clears nicely from the palate to finish dry while maintaining a full body during the mid palate. I like the mouthfeel of mine better than Oberon and think the finish is much more pleasant, though they are vary similar.

Overall 8/10
Right on the money, pretty damn good beer. This is one of the best beers I have brewed and will likely make this a pretty regular thing. It is very close to Oberon and the finish on mine was more pleasant IMO. Not even sure what I would change. I will likely make a full gallon starter next time and try to culture some yeast from Bells.

I scored the 1272 version a 41/50 overall. I really think this is a good beer which I rarely say about any homebrew, rarer yet my own.

 

[Reedwalker]

I use a 8 1/2 x 11 notebook. The page is big enough for me to take notes on the brew as well as tasting notes throughout the process and during bottle conditioning.

I've found it quite helpful in streamlining my process, as well as keeping myself on track if I've imbibed one too many high octane brews during the process.

P.S. - BK you are sick! I love it! 8 pages for 1 brew! My wife is from Oconomowoc. Her family still lives there.

 

[Richabt]

+1 on BK being sick!

When I first started looking at his attachements, I thought, gee mine look similar...that was until after page 2, it kept going and going...wow..8 pages. I am not worthy!!!

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

meh... it really isn't that crazy. I take brewing time as my me time. I sit around have some beers and brew. What else am I going to do. I get my stuff cleaned up and watch the numbers. It is fun and makes me more aware of each step leading to better beer with fewer mistakes.

 

[Druish_00]

I use BeerAlchemy for mac. Love it. Real easy to use and has a separate notes section for mashing, fermentation, boil and aging to record any details that dont already have a built in prompt. Good calculators in there too for recipe formulation.

 

[babalu87]

I use ProMash and use a brew session printout

I take LOTS of notes during the session, fermentation, sampling and drinking.
Should it win any awards its noted in big letters so I know to brew it again

 

[JMSetzler]

This is a question I have thought a lot about lately too. When I first started brewing, I kept my notes on paper. I am currently using Beersmith. I will continue to use Beersmith, but I'm probably going to put together a 3-ring binder with paper notes as well. I do backup all my data on my computers, but I would still rather have a hard copy to go along with my computer documents.

 

[KYB]

I use BeerSmith right now, don't really take notes.

BK, I have downloaded that and have been wanting to use that. Now that I am getting into water chemistry I can. I just need printer ink!

 

[philrose]

3 ring binder with recipes, procedures and notes. I like to prepare as much as possible the night before by listening to podcasts, drawing out the whole brew process and (most importantly) entering my recipe into my brew software on the iPod.

Brewpal ftw! So convenient it's crazy. Best 99 cents I've ever spent.

 

[Torchiest]

I also use Beer Smith to keep track of my brews. The notes section is great for tracking specifics of the brewing, fermenting, and such, and then of course you can keep track of all the ingredients, brew dates, length of fermentation, etc. I also have a fair amount of notes floating around on this forum, actually.

 

[LarryC]

I have a three ring binder with tab pages for my different recipes. I keep the recipe, my brew day checklist (I have senior moments so I like a checklist) and then I have a Brewers Friend Brew Day sheet for Extracts that I record all my measurements on. Pretty simple compared to what some of the gurus here have but I think it helps me get better each time I brew.

 

[jwwdvm]

+1 for BeerSmith. It rocks for keeping detailed records.

 

[tom777]

I just use an OpenOffice spreadsheet tracking brew date, bottling date, the fermenter(s) used and any other notes. I track things like FG's (if higher/lower than expected), any modifications to kit recipes.

 

[JefeTheVol]

+1 on beersmith notes

 

[Pappers_]

Like so many here, I just use BeerSmith. If you want a paper journal, though, I know that www.basicbrewing.com produces one.

And Kabouter, all I can say is wow - really, I'm stunned!

 

[AnOldUR]

BK takes BOS!

I use BeerSmith to work out my recipes and do the calculation,
but also have a Word document format that I reference on brewday and store in binder.

Here's one that's still in process:

 

[Proetus]

ProMash brew sessions is where i add my notes. Love promash hope he can update it again soon, been a real long time. Tried beersmith didnt care for it much. I guess 8 years kinda stuck me in my ways!

 

[Revvy]

I just use beersmith for mine, but if you are looking for something, are you aware of the annual basic Brewing Logbook that James at Basic Brewing designed?

2010 Basic Brewing™ Brewer's Logbook
$12.95
An easy and convenient way to record your brewing history.

James Spencer and Steve Wilkes came up with the idea for this Brewer's Logbook after commiserating that most of their prized recipes were scribbled on scraps of paper here and there, and they were hard to dig up when they needed to make another batch of tasty brew.

The first section of the book is the whole year of 2010 at a glance. This is for long-range planning - something that James and Steve have heard is a good idea, and something they one day hope to practice.

Section two is each month in a two-page format. Use these pages to make a quick note when each batch is brewed, racked and bottled or kegged. Brewers who lager beer can easily keep track of temperature changes over time.

The third section is where the details of each batch are lined out. You can enter all of your ingredients and the specifics of each step in your process. This is the key to repeatability. When you brew a beer you really like, you can come back to your brew day session page and see exactly how you did it.

Even for those who use a computer program to design their beers, this book will be an excellent tool to keep beside the kettle while brewing. The Logbook measures 8.5" x 6", including the spiral binding. It contains 127 pages and enough room for up to 50 batches. Makes a great gift for your favorite home brewer!

That might be something to consider.

http://basicbrewingshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1

 

[Weezknight]

I use a Harry Potter journal that someone gave me as a gift (kind of nerdy, but so is calculating water profiles). I print out the BeerSmith brew day page, and then I rewrite the recipe, along with other notes into the journal. The BeerSmith page is then folded and then placed in the journal, "bookmarking" each recipe.

 

[Revvy]

I use a Harry Potter journal that someone gave me as a gift (kind of nerdy, but so is calculating water profiles). I print out the BeerSmith brew day page, and then I rewrite the recipe, along with other notes into the journal. The BeerSmith page is then folded and then placed in the journal, "bookmarking" each recipe.

Cool, pictures please.