Taking Notes

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born3z

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So I'm gonna be doing my second brew this weekend and I was wanting some documentation afterwards.

Since my first brew was an all extract, I didn't bother taking any notes. This time I'm doing the extra pale ale extract with specialty grains kit from Northern Brewer, and I was wondering what the members of the HBT community keep track of when they brew??

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! :mug:

-Chris
 
I would take notes even if it was all extract. One thing I keep track of is boilover problems or lack thereof because for some reason it seems to me like certain recipes are more prone to boilovers this way next time I brew the same recipe I know whether I have to constantly monitor the pot or if I can multitask while brewing. I always keep track of the OG and FG (original and final gravity). I write down anything I might have done wrong that could effect the flavor of the beer. Any part of the process that didn't go smoothly and possible ideas to improve on it.

Was fermentation fast or slow. Did it take the beer a long time to clear in secondary. I also document whether or not aging would be a good idea in the future. For example I had one beer that seemed to be in its prime when it was almost gone. So I documented that next time I need to wait longer to open the first one.

Sounds like alot, but it really isn't because alot of that is only documenting problems or unusual things. When my brews go smoothly notes are very short otherwise I jot down many ideas for improvement. Note taking is the best way to improve beers that you think are subpar and keep consistancy on beers that you love.
 
I keep one of those compostion bound notebooks and keep track of everything. Now, from my first brew to my tenth, the notes have substantial decreased since a lot of the techniques I have down pat, but I do record times, dates, temperature, boilovers, pitching times, bubbler activity, etc. etc. Things that, to me, may have a direct result in the taste of my brews.
 
Yeah, like has been said. Key points. Plus what was different when you brewed than when you formulated your recipe, so if it happens to work fine you can repeat it.

I also like to add notes on color, taste, etc. Anything out of the ordinary as well.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I have a pretty good idea now of what to look for/ keep track of. Can't wait to try this one out since my first one isn't that great......
 
Haha, I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that it's all extract, but it's better than it was a couple weeks ago.... I'm still holding out hope that it'll be good with some more aging.....
 
For my extract brews I pretty much track amount of steeping water, temp, and duration of steep. Pitching temp, when fermentation began, when it ended, OG, SG, FG, and any issues I encountered along the way. The other thing I always take note of is how the beer changes as it ages.
 
Coming from another rook, I can say documentation is definitely the way to go. I've been able to look back at recipes and learn from each. I guess I'm also like most where I keep track of numbers (time, hot break, cold break, etc).

I definitely recommened documenting and making it your own. There isn't just one way:mug:
 
Well I brewed last night and think I got some pretty good notes. Everything went well. I didn't really encounter any problems at all, except for my tiny apartment kitchen..... My target gravity was 1.045 and my reading was 1.046, so I impressed myself there. When I woke up this morning it was happily bubbling away with a nice thick kraeusen. Can't wait to try this one....
 
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