BeerSmith 3.1 Release Notes

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Release Highlights

  • Incremental transaction based data system that is more secure, less prone to data loss in the event of a crash or computer shutdown
  • Moved default data storage default away from Documents directory in the interest of better security
  • New pH acid model options to select either MPH or BW models
  • You can now import TILT hydrometer/temperature data from either a CSV file or Google Spreadsheet link directly into your session data
  • Support for “sparge” grains – a technique used where dark grains are added at the end of the mash/early sparge to reduce harshness
  • Dry hop additions can not specify time of addition and length of addition and they also now show up on the calendar
  • New Backup/Restore from Zip on file menu for easy backup
  • The ability to customize cloud views with most recipe fields including recipe date for better sorting/management of cloud folders
  • Added new option under Options->Brewing to make it easier to import a language XML file to use BeerSmith in other (non english) languages
  • A large number of bug fixes

Data Storage and Backup Changes

  • The default data location has been moved to %APPDATA%/BeerSmith3 on windows or ~Library/Application Support/BeerSmith3 on the Mac to comply with app security recommendations and also reduce issues with Antivirus programs which often block access to Documents.
  • If you are using the old Documents/BeerSmith3 directory you will be asked if you want to move your data when you first run 3.1 (reocmmended).
  • The program now stores brewing data changes as soon as they are made (when OK button is clicked) which significantly reduces the probability of data loss in a crash.
  • This new system also lays the ground work for a future cross platform data synch.
  • To simplify backup of the new data, I have added Backup to Zip and Recover from Zip commands to the file menu which make it easier to make a complete backup of your data or restore it.
  • Added a feature to automatically recover any orphaned cloud recipes and place them in the root cloud folder.

Brewing Features Added

  • There are new mash pH models available under the mash screen. You can now choose whether to use the MPH model (recommended) or a new BW model. In general the BW model results in similar pH estimates, but the acid additions are significantly lower than the MPH model.
  • There are new fields for dry hops so you can specify which phase and which day to start the dry hop addition as well as the duration. This better supports new techniques like adding dry hops during active fermentation.
  • Added new option to support “Sparge” grain additions. This is used primarily to add dark grains at the very end of the mash and leave them in for the sparge to reduce harsh tannic extraction from dark grains.
  • If you specify a grain as “Sparge” in the use field, it will be included in the overall grain bill and sparge water requirements but won’t be included in the mash water steps or throw those volumes off.
  • The dry hop additions now show up on the calendar.
  • You can now import TILT hydrometer data either in CSV format or directly from a Google Spreadsheet link. To do so go to the Session tab in any recipe and click the Tilt Data Import button.
  • You can also now import generic CSV files directly into the session tab (as well as export) to save/recover your session data from other programs.
  • Added a new “Diastatic Power” value for recipes which estimates the diastatic power for the recipe. Values above 30 are considered good and will self convert, while those below that may not. You can add this as a custom column from View->Customize Columns in My Recipe view or as a “Select field” from the select field button in the bottom right section of the recipe design screen.

Look and Feel Changes

  • You can sort cloud folders by most recipe fields now including date.
  • The calendar has been revamped to work properly with large screen resolutions and also include dry hop addition events
  • Removed the menu icons on the main menu by default to reduce clutter. You can turn these on if you prefer by going to Options->Look and Feel and checking the box “Show Menu Bar Icons”
  • Removed the small circular ball indicators from dialogs by default as they were causing confusion for new users. You can still turn them on if desired by going to Options->Look and Feel and checking the box “Show indicators”

Foreign Language Support

  • Added a new option under Options->Brewing to make it easier to install a Lang.xml file into the program for using BeerSmith in other languages. Go to Options->Brewing near the bottom and use the “Set Language XML file” button to change the language.
  • New language files will be posted to the main BeerSmith.com download page as they become available for 3.1

Custom Reports

  • Simplified the installation of custom reports under Options->Reports
  • You can now create a custom report and just click on the Add Report button here to import it into the program rather than having to place reports in a fixed location

Bug Fixes

  • Corrected a number of bugs with Water items not being handled correctly in the inventory cycle.
  • Fixed bug on Mac where the bottom of some dialogs were being cut off when editing recipes.
  • Fixed bugs that caused crashes when moving/refreshing recipes and other items
  • Fixed crashes when copying multiple recipes to cloud view
  • Fixed crashes that occurred when trying to copy/paste recipes to the cloud in excess of cloud recipe limit
  • Fixed issue with recipe tabs (yeast in particular) being cutoff when switching tabs while editing a recipe
  • Fixed issue with some add-ons not downloading/installing correctly
    Added code to automatically “recover” any orphaned cloud recipes and place them in the main cloud folder
  • This fixes an issue where we’ve found a small number of recipes orphaned from deleted folders in the cloud database
  • Cleaned up the directory choose dialogs for change documents directory and importing BeerSmith 2 data
  • Program now offers to make a zipped backup before changing documents directory (recommended)
  • Dropped close buttons on tab to reduce clutter
    Simplified many items for easier refresh and less clutter
  • Fixes to calendar scaling for larger screens
    Support Ctrl-A and Ctrl-Z shortcuts in search fields
  • Corrected basic appearance issues with Dark Mode on Mac
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