Brewer's Friend vs. Beersmith

[storytyme]

Hey everyone. I have a quick question on your experiences with brewing software. I've used Beersmith from day 1 and have done maybe 65+ batches. I feel comfortable with it, but I was listening to a podcast today and it was about Brewer's Friend. I've heard of it and have maybe used a calculator on it from time to time, but how many use it for everything? Like I said I am not unhappy with Beersmith, but as we all know part of this great hobby is always looking to the next thing. I would love to hear people's experiences with this. Thanks.

 

[Yooper]

I really like the way Brewer's Friend's water calculator is integrated into the recipe builder, and it calculates a projected mash pH that tends to be very accurate. Beersmiths water tool is abysmal.

I also like having it on the cloud completely, so I can take my iPad into the brewery and still record things and use the timers, etc.

I used to use Beersmith for recipes, and Bru'n water for water calculations, and then run to my desktop for both to record my changes or readings, but now have moved to Brewer's Friend completely because of that.

 

[azdavid]

I've used Brewer's Friend since I started brewing and it provides everything I need, Although I have tried all the others out there I always end up back with BF. It is simple enough for beginners to understand but has all the advanced tools for the more experienced Brewer. They do have a trial version but it limits you to only 5 recipes and brews and you have the option to upgrade for a yearly fee to premium membership which opens it up for unlimited .. IMHO it offers everything you would need.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I use BF, for free.

For water I use Bru'n Water since it predicts my actual mash pH the closest.

 

[storytyme]

I've used Brewer's Friend since I started brewing and it provides everything I need, Although I have tried all the others out there I always end up back with BF. It is simple enough for beginners to understand but has all the advanced tools for the more experienced Brewer. They do have a trial version but it limits you to only 5 recipes and brews and you have the option to upgrade for a yearly fee to premium membership which opens it up for unlimited .. IMHO it offers everything you would need.

I have all my equipment profiles dialed in on Beersmith, is it just as easy to input that data onto Brewer's Friend?

 

[RPh_Guy]

I have 2 equipment profiles on BF. Very easy.

 

[azdavid]

I have all my equipment profiles dialed in on Beersmith, is it just as easy to input that data onto Brewer's Friend?

Yes it is quite easy, I'd go so far as saying much easier than Beersmith at least for me it was when I first started out.

 

[storytyme]

I currently use Beersmith like I said, but I don't use the water adjustment feature on there. I build my water from reverse osmosis like many of you. I used Bru'n Water for mineral additions then put that into Beersmith. Is this what you guys do for Brewer's Friend as well? I started playing around with building a recipe and the water part got a bit confusing. I like Bru'n Water (which can be confusing) because it breaks down additions into mash and sparge. So the question is how do those of you that are adjusting their water do it with Brewer's Friend? Thanks.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

create a recipe, at the water section click the link button that takes you to the water calculator, click save add your source water, add a target water then go through the calculator adding salts and acids click save when finished, go back to the recipe page and click update recipe that will pull in the additions you just created and give your ph, now at the water section you can except your target report or the actual one you just created and you click use as target for that, save recipe and view

 

[azdavid]

▲▲ This ▲▲
Easy peasy....

 

[lump42]

I like having my recipes in the cloud so I can mess with recipes on my lunches. Also, I keep my inventory there so I can double check supplies before I stop by the LHBS.

I had no problem dialing in my equipment. I've got profiles for all-grain batches, extract, and small BIAB stovetop batches.

 

[friarsmith]

I switched from ProMash (I'm old) to BF in 2013 and haven't looked back. I really like it. BF's predicted mash pH and gravity readings are usually really, really close to my actual brewday measurements providing I don't screw up or do something out of the ordinary.

I really like that BF is cloud-based. If you're anxious about leaving all your recipes in the ether, BF has a bulk HTML Download function so you can back-up your recipes elsewhere. https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/exportbeerhtml

While the BF smartphone app is a little 'clunky' IMO, it allows me to play around with new or saved recipes when I'm away from my desk. That's a helluva lot more productive than surfing the news feeds...

 

[Albionwood]

The interfaces are significantly different, so preference will depend mostly on that. I found BS3 really confusing (not having ever used BS before) and never was confident that I had things set up correctly (equipment profile, etc). BF is, for me, a lot easier to use and the interface is much more straightforward.
The next test for me is how well the iPhone app works. I see it also has a Kindle version. Gets a little pricey having to pay 3 times though...

 

[cabron99]

So, after using BS for years and having MANY recipes in there, can those be transferred to BF?? Lots of time invested.

 

[EnglishAndy]

Beersmith+Brunwater=Happy Days.

That said BS3 is very close to Brunwater in mash pH prediction for me, much more so than BS2 ever was.

 

[ESBrewer]

I've tried both just briefly and I think I prefer BrewersFriend because it is so easy to use and everything is online so you can access your recipes (and other people's recipes) anywhere, anytime. Especially, if you are just getting into brewing, I would probably recommend using BrewersFriend. Plus you don't need to pay for it. Some brewers seem to use BrewMate, but I haven't tried that because it is not available for Linux users.

Something that works better in BeerSmith for me is the strike water temp calculation, because BrewersFriend calculator does not pay attention to the mash tun specific heat / weight which can be quite important if you brew small batches. But you learn to cope with it.

 

[Yooper]

So, after using BS for years and having MANY recipes in there, can those be transferred to BF?? Lots of time invested.

Yes- that's what I did. You can upload any BSM2 or XML recipes.

(And take a look in the sponsor's forum- there is 20% off today for Brewer's Friend for Black Friday so it's a good time if you've been thinking of it!)

 

[schmurf]

Not what the OP asked for, but I've used Brewfather for some month now and I really like it. It's like a more modern version of Brewers Friend.

 

[lump42]

While the BF smartphone app is a little 'clunky' IMO, it allows me to play around with new or saved recipes when I'm away from my desk. That's a helluva lot more productive than surfing the news feeds...

I've never seen the need to get the app. The webpage has been working well for me on an android phone and ipad.

Something that works better in BeerSmith for me is the strike water temp calculation, because BrewersFriend calculator does not pay attention to the mash tun specific heat / weight which can be quite important if you brew small batches. But you learn to cope with it.

Just like Beersmith, you have to dial in your equipment in BrewersFriend. In the equipment profile, under the all-grain heading, there is "MASH STRIKE HEAT LOSS" setting that allows you to dial in your mash tun. You could calculate it, I've just looked back made small adjustments over time.

 

[kevin58]

If you want everything in the cloud to sync automatically and fully with your devices you might want BF. The BS cloud works best as a recipe storage tool. Some people seem to have issues with equipment profiles and inventory in the Beersmith cloud. I only use it for recipe storage so I have no problem there.

You will hear people poo-poo the BS water tool but but others will tell you that its results are very close to Bru'n Water. Like everything, the output is dependent on the input so if you use it right it will work for you. Imho the BS water tool got a whole lot better when version 3 came out this past July.

 

[superiorsat]

Any new thoughts 4 years later. I find it annoying that I always seem to have to add new ingredients to BS. Never really used it for anything other than a recipe builder. I don't even update my actual numbers on there after the brew is completed. Was thinking of switching to Brewer's Friend to see if things were less complicated. I would like to have an inventory section that is easy to understand. Never even tried on BS so maybe not that tough.

 

[friarsmith]

The BF phone app has come a long way. I like it in a pinch, but still prefer the UI on my laptop. Probably cuz I am old fashioned that way.

From a brewing perspective, I switched to BF from ProMash (yeah, I’m old) in 2013 and have done 250 ish recipes with it. Works great for me!

 

[kevin58]

I'm still using Beersmith since my last post. I have upgraded to version 3 and now use the new web based edition as well. Honestly, I have tried all the others and prefer Beersmith. (like friarsmith I still have ProMash on an old computer. Too bad it was abandoned or I may still be using it) If less complicated is a priority then perhaps Brewers Friend or some of the other programs may be the right choice. It does take some time to figure out all the fiddly bits in Beersmith but once you have it customized to suit your needs it is golden.

 

[Albionwood]

I'm still using BF and generally happy with it. The phone app has been significantly upgraded and I use it often. Still doesn't do inventory, so you have to use the web version for that, which I never remember to do, so... But for recipe building and tweaking it works well enough. Way easier to learn and use than BS.
The web version of BF offers more capabilities, and is therefore more complicated, but still more-or-less intuitive. Good database of user-generated recipes.

 

[superiorsat]

I guess I should invest some more time (have been using it for 7 years ) on actually using BS for something other than building recipes. Seems as though when new hops, yeast, etc. become available you have to manually add the ingredient with the actual spec's so the recipe will reflect your addition. Not tough just a minor gripe.

 

[kevin58]

I see the ability to add new ingredients to my specifications as a huge plus. That's what I like about BS3, it is highly customizable.

 

[Dland]

I bought BS2 program disk on sale when I resumed brewing in 2017, shortly before I joined this forum. I used it for about 100 brews to calculate recipe traits, mash temps & volumes, ABV, etc.

Now days I figure I've got my system "dialed in" and don't really need the reference to get consistent results. I do still keep pen & paper brew log though.

Main reasons I use computer, brewing related, is to hang out on HBT and order ingredients.

 

[superiorsat]

I see the ability to add new ingredients to my specifications as a huge plus. That's what I like about BS3, it is highly customizable.

Never looked at it like that. Good point.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I've been using BF since I started brewing in 2018. Never used BS. There's never really been anything I needed BF to do that it couldn't get done