Should I buy Beersmith?

[The Pol]

Have you already built the schedule from mash-in through the sacc rest?

Yes, I added my equipent, MLT and BK... I also added a MASH IN and a REST at 150F. I then tried to add the Fly Sparge and it gets all messed up from that point on. It keeps showing negative values for the "available" value and giving me an error, saying to input a vaule greater than "0" which it will not allow me to do.

I looked in the help menu, and that was no help.

The frustrating part is that I downloaded ProMash and I was able to do all of this in 15 minuted flat with no instruction.

 

[BeerSmith]

Hi,
I noticed you are having some problems Pol with BeerSmith. Let me know if I can help. I'm not sure if you noticed the "Brewsheet" but it basically shows you step by step how to brew the beer.

Also we do have a forum available for questions if you prefer.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Smurfe]

I feel your pain. I started with Beer Tools. I couldn't get any use out of Beer Tools though as I had set up issues. I found it clunky and hard to use. Pro Mash was OK for me but I had some issues with it crashing. I didn't care much for the GUI either but it did work OK when it didn't crash on my machine. Tech support was virtually non-existent in my case. Thats what kept me from buying it. I am sure it was something simple that could of fixed my problem but would never hear back to an email.

I tried Beersmith and after getting it set up it works flawlessly for me. I am no expert though and have to hunt and click to find some features but thats because I never read any instructions or help files. I just hunt or look at their forum to find an answer to my question. The more I use it the easier it became. It didn't take long at all for me. I had no problem with it updating anything I changed or adding extras like certain mash schedules, etc. I love the program personally. I probably would of liked Pro Mash just as much if I could of got it to work for me. It looked pretty easy to use and pretty extensive.

 

[The Pol]

Dude, your software is killing me! I know how to brew the beer, I currently use StrangeBrew, which I like because ALL of the calculators update if I change ANYTHING in my recipe. BeerSmith does not seem to.

It seems that when I update my recipe (malt ammounts), the water needed application on the left does not automatically update?

Also I really wish that boil off was a constant, not a %...

It just appears, from the trial version, that any time I change anything in my recipe, I have to go through and recalculate all of the calculators, which seems redundant. Am I missing something?

 

[BeerSmith]

Hi,
The calculators (separate tools) are just that - separate tools for doing quick calculations. The recipe editor updates everything (color, IBUs, etc) as you enter data into your recipe. It shows you the estimates as you add stuff.

The boil off issue is one I'm working on for a future version.

If you want to see detailed statistics, the preview brewsheet option will give you step by step instructions on how to brew a given recipe.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Pappers_]

Sharing the BeerSmith love

And when I update something (like malt amounts) it automatically changes calculations on estimated OG and FG, abv, color, etc. Or if I make a change in my method. Or equipment.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[coyote]

Brad,

is there an AG to extract w/grains conversion tool in BeerSmith?

Thanks,

Don

 

[BeerSmith]

Don,
Yes, you can just choose a recipe in the "My Recipe" view and press the convert button. It lets you change all grain to extract in one step.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Since Brad is here I just wanted to add this:

BeerSmith FTW! :rockin:

 

[FullDraw]

OP ?. I will be purchasing Beersmith. I'm going from Extract to PM, then AG.
There is a learning curve for all software programs, I expect it.

 

[Qdog]

OP ?. I will be purchasing Beersmith. I'm going from Extract to PM, then AG.
There is a learning curve for all software programs, I expect it.

thats the same route that i did with beer smith and it works great. I am very happy with it. I am currently making my own recipes and it is a great way to track the costs and develop some good beer.

BeerSmith=

 

[jds]

Hi,
The calculators (separate tools) are just that - separate tools for doing quick calculations. The recipe editor updates everything (color, IBUs, etc) as you enter data into your recipe. It shows you the estimates as you add stuff.

The boil off issue is one I'm working on for a future version.

If you want to see detailed statistics, the preview brewsheet option will give you step by step instructions on how to brew a given recipe.

Cheers,
Brad

Brad:

THANKS! That will make scaling batch sizes much easier.

 

[coyote]

Don,
Yes, you can just choose a recipe in the "My Recipe" view and press the convert button. It lets you change all grain to extract in one step.

Cheers,
Brad

Thanks, Brad...I'll be purchasing this soon.

 

[ryclo]

Just bought my copy, thanks Beersmith! Auto calculation of sparge water was worth it for me! ;-)

 

[Supurb]

Beersmith is awesome ! Definitely worth picking up.

 

[tahoeguy]

I was completely happy with IBrewmaster. One day the program froze because of a glitch associated with a calendar function. I emailed support, got a quick reply that it wood soon be fixed (It was)
In the meantime, I got a little impatient, bought Beersmith, and dang....the rest is history. Never realized what I was missing. IBrewmaster is great, Beersmith even more so.

 

[drummstikk]

All brewing software is just a database of ingredients and a list of simple equations. All the information is freely available, so you can make your own BeerSmith with 3-4 hours and a spreadsheet. I did it in Google Docs, and I use it for all my beers. Feel free to copy and use!