Brew Pal software in the iTunes App Store

[BierHausPR]

I had updated from my iPhone, so I deleted it, and re-installed from iTunes. It's back working, and I won't update until 1.6.12 is out.

Lost all my recipes, tho...

 

[girardkirth]

I just got an email from brewpal support:

Hello,

You are receiving this message because you emailed Brew Pal support to report crashes with the latest (1.6.11) update. I try very hard to reply to every email I get regarding Brew Pal, so please accept my apologies for sending a form response like this...

There was a bug in Brew Pal 1.6.11 which caused it to crash at startup on any iDevice running OS 3.1.x. iPads and iPod touch/iPhones running iOS 4 are unaffected. I submitted version 1.6.12 to the App Store earlier this week with a fix; so please be sure to grab that as soon as it is available (unfortunately I cannot give you an exact date, though it should be very soon). Your previously saved recipes will still be intact.

If you emailed about a Brew Pal crash on startup and are running iOS 3.2 or later, please reply to this email so I can open a new bug report.

Thanks, sorry, and Brew Strong!

Dave

I just went the faster route and bought a 3GS and used it on IOS4 and it works great, so good luck for you guys I hope everything works out.

 

[dave5155]

Has anyone recieved the 1.6.12. update yet? I have not. I feel lost without brew pal.

 

[Guidry]

Was looking to install this one myself. Glad I read the reviews first. Any word on when the fixed version is available on the app store?

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Was looking to install this one myself. Glad I read the reviews first. Any word on when the fixed version is available on the app store?

If you're running iOS4 then you don't have to worry about waiting for the fixed version. Just get it now and start building your recipes. You'll get the upgrade when he releases it.

I just added a 9% double decoction pilsner during my lunch break to brewpal and plan to brew it early september for the winter solstice party...

 

[WortMonger]

Are you guys having the same problem I am, or am I missing using this thing the right way? When I write a recipe and set everything (like mash schedule especially) then save it, it seems to be fine when I look at the recipe page you can export. However... when I start a new recipe, change the mash situations, save, then open a previously existing recipe; it changes the old recipe to my mash schedule of the last recipe I was working on. Does it do this for you guys, and is there any way the programmer could make the thing remember stuff like this individually for each recipe?

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Update 1.6.12 was released this morning!

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Resurrecting this one from the depths..

Is anybody else having the memory error while using Brewpal? I get it multiple times and it sometimes drops grains and hops from the recipes, well, it makes them invisible because the gravity and IBU doesn't change.

I'm still on an original 3G.

 

[dave5155]

Yeah, I get that too. If you back out to the menu screens and reopen brewpal everything goes back to normal(until it happens again). It is annoying though. I tolerate it because I like using the program

 

[LongDukDong]

Yup...i get that memory error pretty often myself.

 

[Sithdad]

I am using an iTouch and I haven't had any problems since the last BrewPal update. But ever since I updated my iPod BrewPal has been acting strangely. I made a new recipe and entered my grains. When I went to add the hops and yeast I got a giant triangle with an exclamation point stating "Original Gravity required". It won't let me add either yeast or hops. I put in a starting gravity and it still gives me the error.

I am running version 4.2.1

 

[DCMayhem]

I get it all the time. If you just restart your phone it works fine and none of the info is lost.

 

[WildKnight]

First off, I love brew pal. Kudos!

When I change the temperature of my mash, say from 154 to 148, I would expect the final gravity estimate to change as this mash schedule will produce more fermentable sugars, but the FG does not change.

Also, sometimes I need more FG for to match a BJCP style, but the OG is at its max. So, I subtract one pound of 2-row and try to add crystal malt or carapils (which should reduce fermentable sugar, increasing FG, while keeping OG high), but it seems the calculators treat these grains just like 2-row, as OG and FG don't change.

So, my questions:

1) Is Brew Pal supposed to account for temperature and duration when estimating OG and FG (or does it just use it for mash efficiency)?

2) Does changing the mash temperature actually affect any gravity calculations by anticipating fermentable vs non-fermentable sugars (same OG, but lower FG with low mash temp, higher FG with high mash temp)

3) Do the calculators know which grains possess fermentable sugars and which are added for body and unfermentable sugars? (I realize there may be some overlap with mash temp too...)

 

[BrewThruYou]

Love this software!

 

[Razor]

Is anyone else having problems with Brew Pal. This weekend mine crashed and ever since it wont load. It will bring up the brew pal front page which says loading then 5 sec later it closes again. I have the .12 version and the newest iphone software. I was going to try to delete it and re-download it, but it's not in the app store anymore. It looks like its no longer available? I'm really bummed about losing all my recipes. I hope someone out there can help.

 

[Joker]

I was just going over this post as well as I recently got an Itouch and see it is not available in US app store anymore. Anyone have any information on this app?

 

[Montanaandy]

The developers web site says that he is working on V 1.7. Perhaps he pulled it until then although it would be unusual to pull the app altogether while working on the next version. Likely the end of Brew Pal. Saw that Beer Alchemy is available as an Ipad app but that they want $15 for it! Montanaandy

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

I emailed the developer this morning with a question about it no longer being in the app store and am patiently awaiting a response.

I exported all of my recipes recently (after I mistakenly left my phone on the bus and nearly made myself sick worrying about losing all 30 of the recipes and notes I had stored in there, luckily I got my phone back) and am now shopping around for a more stable brewing tool. I love the timers and easy-to-use interface of brewpal and really don't want to lose those features by switching, but the memory error resulting in hidden data is really starting to bother me.

 

[camus]

Loved it right up until brewing tonight, was steeping grains, went to log everything and no more brew pal.

Hit it, start to launch, and nope disappeared. Ran to the the computer, updated the iphone, still no brew pal.

Had to delete and reinstall, lost my recipes, fortunately logged analogue, had to pull the hop schedule from memory for tonight's session. But will never trust this software again.

Fun to play with for for $0.99, but certainly not trustworthy.

 

[Travel_mon]

Greetings.

I want to purchase this app but the iTunes store is telling me that it's no longer available in the store. What's the deal??

Thanks!
Travel Mon

 

[bendavanza]

It may not be the app's fault. Mine is working fine.

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

Greetings.

I want to purchase this app but the iTunes store is telling me that it's no longer available in the store. What's the deal??

Thanks!
Travel Mon

On the brewpal.info site, the creator says that he's aware of the app disappearing from the app store and is looking into it. We all have to be patient at this point I guess. I can't wait for the next version. I hope it gets rid of the memory warning issue. I really don't want to have to upgrade my phone for my most used app...

 

[kds1398]

I've been using this app as my brew log/recipe index for almost a year. Suddenly it has become very unstable. Now, it won't launch & crashes on the loading screen. I sent an email to [email protected] a few days ago. Currently waiting to hear back & if they have any solutions or any ideas. I tried killing the program, rebooting the phone, etc, but it still crashes as soon as I try to open it. I am running the most recent 1.6.whatever version. I have been waiting on the 1.7 or 2.0 version that I have heard about for almost a year on the Brewpal site in hopes that the updated version would be more reliable than this one.

This is the second time that the software has done this. Luckily, the last time I had a backup that was only a few days old & I was able to restore without issues.

It seems like I only have a few options at this point:
-Delete & reinstall the app -- If I do this I'll lose all recipes & brew logs for the past year.
-Restore from a 2 month old iTunes backup -- If I do this I'll lose all app data for the past 2 months on my phone for all other apps, but I'll only be 2 months behind in brewpal. I don't really like this option either.
-Restore to my 2 month old backup in iTunes, get all the data out of brewpal, then delete brewpal, start using something else, and restore to my current backup -- It's a shame, because I do like using the software, but I can't continue if I can't rely on it to work without locking up/losing all my data.

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

I've sent a few messages to the creator and all have fallen on deaf ears. Mine is still working, but I get a lot of memory warnings. Usually all I have to do is exit out and then go back in and any missing information is back again.

I'm still hoping that the new version will be released soon and it'll fix all of these problems. Unfortunately I'm on an older 3G phone and in my experience, the more apps (and the iOS software) are upgraded, the worse they perform on my phone.

 

[kds1398]

It's a shame that the software is so unreliable, because I generally like using it when it is working. Between the memory errors that I constantly get (I can generally fix them by exiting, rebooting my phone, and restarting the software), and the software failing to start completely, I just can't rely on this app to function when I need it.

I'm running an iPhone 4 with the most recent IOS.

I'm going to search for another app or desktop software to use that is more reliable.

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

same here mine has been crashing sice day one. and now I get crashing and memory warnings. its still useable and a great app but just a pain in the ass to have to restart it over and over and a few times I lost my info when it crashed while adding new recipes. since I use both beersmith and this its not that big of a deal for me I just have to walk back to the laptop to check when the app crashes.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Is there an iPad version? Might be a nice reason to get an iPad.

 

[kds1398]

Is there an iPad version? Might be a nice reason to get an iPad.

Unless it gets updated to a version that is stable and doesn't flake out I wouldn't trust it for iPhone or iPad.

 

[Irrenarzt]

Mine is rock solid. I never have had any issues like we are seeing in this thread. However, I don't use mine to save/store recipes. I only use it for the water volume calculations and timers/hop addition reminders during brew sessions.

I've found it to be a most excellent program while brewing.

 

[WortMonger]

I quit using mine for timers, since I entered 60 minutes and the timer wheel shows 160. I am still under the way of thought that he should sell it to someone that has the time to make it work right, since it is a great app "if working." Hell, I would pay an up-charge for a fixed update if it fixed all the bugs. Makes me wish BeerSmith would buy it and make it as usable as that program or something. I understand the guy has another job and there is a lot of work to be done, it is just depressing to see something with so much potential wasting away. Am I wrong, or would each of you using the program pay $5 or $6 bucks for a working version with zero bugs as it stands now? Then all the upgrades would just be icing on the cake and he would have a monetary incentive to fix it.