Note Taking for Beginners

[Jobe5217]

I have seen a lot of threads on organizing equipment and on elaborate spreadsheets but I have been wondering about tips on good record keeping for a beginner.

I have just mail ordered my first brew kit, the deluxe kit from Northern Brewer, and I would like to make sure I am off to a good start right from the get go. I would like to take detailed notes on the what, when, how, etc. so I can always look back. A nice and simple spreadsheet would be nice if anyone wants to share.

Thanks in advance!

 

[flars]

I put my notes on the back of the recipe sheet. Some of the stuff I make notations on; boil time, hop addition timing, time in ice bath, time of pitching yeast, temperature of wort at pitch. I usually check my fermentor every 12 hours, (until fermentation slows and temperature will remain stable), noting; vigor of fermentation, wort temperature, swamp cooler or not, time/date fermentation slows, specific gravity readings and date, final gravity reading and date. At bottling time; temperature of beer, amount of priming sugar, total volume bottled, bottle conditioning temperature. Notes of what I may do differently the next time I brew the same recipe. Finally dating my cases with the date of bottling.

To me forms don't have the space to record nuances of the brew process from beginning to end.

 

[unionrdr]

That's why I use a common spiral notebook for all my brewing notes. Now that I have Brewsmith2.0,I also can keep notes in the saved recipes as well.
My notebook records anything to do with brewday & bottling day,including the ingredients & amounts,times,etc. I also record my impressions of whatever along the way. Def interesting & informative at a later date.

 

[JDGator]

That's why I use a common spiral notebook for all my brewing notes. Now that I have Brewsmith2.0,I also can keep notes in the saved recipes as well.
My notebook records anything to do with brewday & bottling day,including the ingredients & amounts,times,etc. I also record my impressions of whatever along the way. Def interesting & informative at a later date.

i have a notebook as well. i keep track of everything i do, good or bad. temperatures, water volumes, ingredients, etc. even if they are already on a recipe sheet. i write dates and times on everything too. i write down yeast info like expiration dates.

You want to write down as much as you can for the first few batches. then you can start to use short form.

 

[ncbrewer]

The on-line "How to Brew" has a sample record sheet in section 2.3. It's pretty basic, but a good start. I use a really involved spreadsheet, but it's not something somebody else could use without being involved with its evolution. I think using some brewing software is probably more practical for most people.

 

[unionrdr]

I also write down a date & time of day for every entry. Makes figuring out timing on things easier.

 

[Bennywisest]

I mostly use BeerSmith so when I print out my brewing steps sheet I note any changes to orginal recipe no matter how minor. Slight differences in temp, hop addition times, etc. When I started I didn't take the best of notes and regret not doing it sooner. I created a brewday checklist as well for all of the equipment I need to get around as well as a step by step checklist to streamline my brewday. It is also helpful to remember for gravity readings and other measurements when doing all grain. I also make a point to takes notes on where I think something went wrong that I had to correct for. That way when my beer is finally ready and there is a flaw I can look back and see if any strange occurence on brewday caused it.

 

[SoonerDoc]

I have a small spiral notebook with the recipe, OG/FG, dates I primary/secondary/keg. I figure my sons might come across it someday if they ever start brewing.
I did a spreadsheet once but never used it. Like Bennywisest said, some of the brewing software lets you print out everything you need, if you want to go that route.

 

[sok454]

I got a nice leather bound book for Christmas from my family to keep my notes in. Of course I always forget to use it while I'm brewing!

I'd go with the spiral bound!

 

[Mozart]

As far as what I put in my notes, pretty much most of what has been written so far (though less detailed than some). The one thing I don't recall mentioned that I also record is my tasting notes. Whenever I take a specific gravity reading, I drink the sample I took my reading from. As a new brewer, I like tasting the evolution of my brew from wort, to fermented yet uncarbonated beer, to the final product.

As far as where I keep my notes, I do have BeerSmith, but I find it simpler to just fire-up a WordPad document, type my notes there, then save to a dedicated folder on my laptop.

Cheers!

 

[Pratzie]

NB kits give great instructions, but i also find that i can take good notes by writing on those instructions during my brewing process.

Most obvious ones to record are time additions of the malt/hops/adjuncts/fining agents/etc. I normally document the brix or OG along with the temp right on the sheet alongside where it tells me to.

I like to record the temp of the wort coming out of my CFC and how long it takes to drain (just a habit i made). I'll also keep that sheet on top of my fermentation chamber with a pen to jot down the time when active fermentation starts, what the temp on the thermo strip reads when it does. Also the approx bubble rate per 5 seconds. When it slows I do the same per minute. I normally also document what i see when i check at random times and since i've been using a new ferm chamber and the STC temp controller i like to document what the controller is doing along with what the temp is on the thermstrip just so i can see if its doing a decent job.

Edit:

One more thing... About a month after i've started drinking that particular batch i like to laminate the instructions sheet and then keep it filed in a 3 ring binder i have that I call my brewing bible that has all different things in it, from previous recipes to info on yeast strains i used to keg carbing charts, brix conversions, BJCP style profiles, etc. I like to keep that close by when i am brewing so I can always reference past batches/notes as well as all the other info I keep.

 

[JDGator]

As far as what I put in my notes, pretty much most of what has been written so far (though less detailed than some). The one thing I don't recall mentioned that I also record is my tasting notes. Whenever I take a specific gravity reading, I drink the sample I took my reading from. As a new brewer, I like tasting the evolution of my brew from wort, to fermented yet uncarbonated beer, to the final product.

As far as where I keep my notes, I do have BeerSmith, but I find it simpler to just fire-up a WordPad document, type my notes there, then save to a dedicated folder on my laptop.

Cheers!

Thats something i don't do that i should, tasting notes. I do usually add stars to the page to mark a Brew Again.

Part of my reason was i didnt really know what i was tasting. I didnt know if it was a hop, malt, or whatever.

But i do wish i had written down my tasting experiences.

 

[unionrdr]

I do try to describe what I'm tasting along the way as best I can. You just get better at it over time. The more ingredients you use in producing beer & food,the more aromas & flavors you'll recognize.

 

[Jobe5217]

Wow guys, lots of good tips here. Thank you!

 

[ryansanders]

I offer http://brewnot.es for free for folks who want to keeping brewing notes online. Could always give that a try if you want to ditch the paper.

 

[ncbrewer]

One thing that I've found helpful is to keep a separate summary spreadsheet with all the batches listed in a column on the left, and the information about each listed in columns to the right. It's useful for looking for trends. My excel spreadsheet has 76 columns. (It's easy to add all the columns you want with an electronic spreadsheet.) Back when I used paper, I didn't have near as many columns, but it was still helpful. Obviously, this isn't for everybody.