Software

[beerfan]

I know everyone has their favorites but has anybody used more than one of the following and which one did you like? Or is there better software out there than these choices?
Beersmith
ProMash
Beertools Pro
Strangebrew
BrewWizard

Dan

I currently use Beersmith but I am always looking for improvements.

 

[davidkrau]

I am presently using Promash. I like it a little better than Beersmith. I a looking into Beertools pro. They have a lot of interesting recipies. I don't know anything about the other software programs you reference. Promash seems to be the most popular program

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I like BeerSmith - the interface seems a bit more intuitive than ProMash.

I have Beer Tools Pro as well, and it looks prettier, but I still prefer BeerSmith.

 

[sailman]

pro mash is what BLG and i use but i would like to try beer tools pro.

 

[mysterio]

I use Beersmith because I find it easier to use and customise. I also find the default hop bitterness calculation is more accurate for my set up.

 

[GrantLee63]

VERY satisfied BeerSmith user here .....

 

[Dude]

I've been a long time promash user but I am transitioning completely over to BeerTools. It is a very in depth program so it is a slow process, especially with all of the upgrades they are doing to it currently.

I just like the feel of it better. VERY, very confusing program for BTP n00bs though. And yes, I'm a n00b.

 

[the_bird]

I used the trial of ProMash for a while, and just didn't like the interface. I would have tried BeerToolsPro if they offered a free trial, but they didn't, so I tried BeerSmith and like it a lot. Is there something about BeerSmith that you dislike?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I dislike the fact that the BeerSmith folks seem to have stopped upgrading/supporting their product. But I still like it better than ProMash and BTP.

 

[dantodd]

I use beersmith. I recently tried each of the tools available and beersmith was my favorite. BeerTools Pro came out after I already purchased beersmith. I wasn't thrilled about paying $4 for a demo so I haven't tried to see if it is worth switching. Like Uri I wish someone would buy the rights to beersmith and start upgrading.

 

[ryser2k]

I like Beersmith for the same reasons that everyone else has mentioned.

 

[beerfan]

The one thing I notcied with Beersmith as that my beers ALWAYS comeo ut darker than what the program shows. Could be me though, also ProMash has more of the well known brands if you will. That however is not a problem. I have found a couple of websites that are great for grain information.

Dan

 

[DiegoProf]

The one thing I notcied with Beersmith as that my beers ALWAYS comeo ut darker than what the program shows. Could be me though, also ProMash has more of the well known brands if you will. That however is not a problem. I have found a couple of websites that are great for grain information.

Dan

Do tell! What are they?

 

[rdwj]

I was going to get Beer tools, but it really worries me that they're not offering a free trial. Didn't they have a rep that shopped here a while ago and tell us that they'd be doing that some time soon?

Seems like a bad marketing decision. Why wouldn't you want to let people sample what you have?

 

[beerfan]

http://www.carolinabrewmasters.com/06Aprgrains.html
http://www.bodensatz.com/staticpages/index.php?page=Grains
http://www.brewsupplies.com/grain_profiles.htm

All of these have useful information.

Dan

 

[chillHayze]

The one thing I notcied with Beersmith as that my beers ALWAYS comeo ut darker than what the program shows. Could be me though, also ProMash has more of the well known brands if you will. That however is not a problem. I have found a couple of websites that are great for grain information.

Dan

I've noticed this as well. Still a BS user! lol, BS...

 

[DrugCoder]

Do all of the softwares mentioned have an option to log all of your brewings and let you keep track of what date/time you brewed which batch and keep notes for each one?

If not, what does everyone use as a log?

 

[zoebisch01]

Do all of the softwares mentioned have an option to log all of your brewings and let you keep track of what date/time you brewed which batch and keep notes for each one?

If not, what does everyone use as a log?

That's a good question. Not sure, I don't have any software but I did make (am in the process of making) an X-cel spreadsheet that does most of the 'normal' calculations without going into all the crazy details. I log using a spiral bound notebook and pen.

 

[dantodd]

Beersmith treats each "recipe" as a batch. The recipe browser is just like the windows file manager. If you want to make the same beer again you have to copy the recipe (easy enough, just like copying a file in windows.)

In the recipe view you can input the brew date. Number of days in primary and secondary, even tertiary if you choose. Measured OG and FG and even apply a taste rating if you choose. There is also a place for freehand notes.

And you can sort your brews by date.

 

[Torchiest]

The other cool thing about BeerSmith is that you can create a seperate brew log folder. I have one folder with all my recipes and then I have the brew log with the ones I've actually made, which are also numbered and dated. Very cool.

 

[Orfy]

What about the free online tools, beer recipator? from hbd.org

 

[chillHayze]

What about the free online tools, beer recipator? from hbd.org

They work ok but lack features that, in my opinion, are worth the $20. Also they are often slow and less intuiative.

 

[Onescalerguy]

I've been using the heck out of the free Beertools recipe generator and calculater.
We keep a spiral notebook to log our brew notes,etc.There are other free tools out there too but i really like the Beertools.Being a cheapskate,I'll settle for way less if it's free!I guess it's the same with the forum here.I love this place and it(you folks) gives me everything I need so I haven't felt the need to pay for an upgrade.....yet.(It would be cool to post pics though )
Cheers and Happy Holidays to all

 

[dantodd]

The other cool thing about BeerSmith is that you can create a seperate brew log folder. I have one folder with all my recipes and then I have the brew log with the ones I've actually made, which are also numbered and dated. Very cool.

I don't bother numbering and dating as I can sort by brew date but I do the same thing with a folder for beers actually brewed and others for someday beers or recipes posted here that look interesting.

 

[debtman7]

For the mac users out there, I think Beer Alchemy is the winner:

http://www.kentplacesoftware.com/products/BeerAlchemy.html

Really nice program, great interface and it's the only brewing software I've found to date that has a nice recipe browser. It also does inventory management, brewing logs, etc. Overall I've been happy with it, very capable for brewing and a great looking interface to boot.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

The one thing I notcied with Beersmith as that my beers ALWAYS comeo ut darker than what the program shows. Could be me though, also ProMash has more of the well known brands if you will. That however is not a problem. I have found a couple of websites that are great for grain information.

Dan

Hmm Beersmith always seems to be spot-on for me.......

What about the free online tools, beer recipator? from hbd.org

For those of us poor schleps with dial-up, Recipator is too damned slow. Although I do have it bookmarked.

 

[DrugCoder]

I know this question is kind of in the wrong forum, but which software works best for extract brewing also?

 

[beerfan]

I have used Beersmith for extract brewing for a long time now and it works just fine. The database for grains is a little smaller than Promash but it does seem easier to use, at least to me.

 

[dantodd]

Also, with Beersmith you can add hops, yeasts, grains, extracts etc. Just provide the basic info and it will be added to your local database.

 

[twocylndr]

I use SUDS. It's a shareware. But I'm not sure if the author still supports it. I've emailed him without an answer. There are a few bugs in it. It's worth a try as the unregistered version doesn't cost anything