BeerSmith Lite Preview – Home Brewing App for iPhone, iPad and Android

by Brad Smith on September 25, 2012 · 40 comments

Since launching BeerSmithRecipes.com a few months ago I’ve been hard at work developing the mobile versions of BeerSmith. The first of these will be “BeerSmith Lite” which is a I’m going to preview this week. I will be submitting it to both the Apple store and Android store in the coming days, and hopefully (with their approval) have it available for download in late October or early November.

BeerSmith Lite App (and BeerSmith Full)

The “lite” version is intended as a companion application, recipe finder and brewday timer for BeerSmith on the desktop. Unlike the full version (which is still in development and a few months away from release), the lite version does not allow recipe editing.

However, the lite version is still packed with features including the ability to search, browse and download recipes from our BeerSmithRecipes.com sharing site, access via the internet to your cloud folder which lets you take recipes with you on the go, and a detailed brewday timer so you can use it while brewing your beer. It also has a brewing reference, series of standalone tools and unit converters.

iPhone, iPad and Android Support

We’ve been beta testing the lite version for over a month now on a wide variety of Android devices (phones, tablets, even the Kindle fire) as well as iPhones and iPad. It runs well on Android 2.3 or higher and IOS 5.1 or higher. The application layout is identical on all platforms in the initial version, though I may further customize tablet layouts in the future.

Cloud Access to Desktop Recipes

One of the main reasons it took so long to get a mobile version of BeerSmith published, is that I wanted to complete the BeerSmithRecipes.com cloud service first so you would have an easy way to access recipes created on your desktop from your phone or tablet. I’m happy to say that this is precisely the case for with BeerSmith Lite.

If you add a recipe into your cloud folder on your desktop version of BeerSmith, and then refresh the cloud view on your mobile device the recipe is instantly available on your mobile device. From there you can copy it to local (offline) storage on your device or directly access the brewday timer.

Search BeerSmithRecipes.com on the Go

I’ve added a search page so you can search thousands of recipes available now on BeerSmithRecipes.com directly from your phone or tablet. BeerSmithRecipes.com, which I launched in May now has almost 3,000 shared, recipes, over 9,000 users and some 17,000 recipes stored online. Type in “Irish Red” and you can quickly locate the top rated Irish Reds. If you find one you like, you can copy it directly to your local storage or cloud folder for later reference. Its a great way to find new recipes on the go or have a few minutes at work and want to find new brown ale recipes.

The Brewday Timer

A lot of people asked for the ability to take their desktop brewday timer with them. So I started by duplicating that function on the mobile app. You can drop a recipe into your cloud folder, walk out in the garage and open the brewday timer for it on your phone. The timer shows you step by step mash/steep and boil instructions and also plays an alarm as each new step is reached.

The beta testers asked for more – so I also included just about all of the data that appears on an average brewsheet in compact form on the timer page. This makes it easy to compare your expected volumes and gravities against the estimated values, and also provides a reference for later steps like aging and carbonation.

 Brewing Reference, Tools and Unit Converters

The lite app also includes a suite of 7 handy brewing tools for common functions like determining alcohol content, converting a refractometer reading or adjusting your mash temperature. I added unit converters for volume, weights, temperature, and OG to perform those functions.

  • Hydrometer Adjustment
  • Infusion Step Tool
  • Alcohol and Attenuation Tool
  • Mash Adjust Tool
  • Weight to Volume Tool
  • Refractometer Tool
  • Carbonation Tool
  • Temperature, Gravity, Weight, Volume, Pressure unit converters

Also the new mobile app has a brewing reference with a full beer style guide and also the most common beer ingredients – so you can have that in your pocket while on the go as well!

  • Beer Style Reference
  • Hops Reference
  • Grain/Extracts Reference
  • Yeast Reference
  • Misc Reference
  • Water Reference

Pricing and Release Date

The app will be submitted to both the Apple App store and also the Google Play (Android) store shortly. The price is set at $3.99. Final release dates depend on approval timelines for both stores, which can vary widely from a few days to many weeks. I will be posting additional messages both here on the blog and also to my email subscription list and on the podcast as soon as the app is released.

Related Beer Brewing Articles from BeerSmith:

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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }

Ian September 25, 2012 at 5:53 pm

You’ve made a lot of people really happy with this news! Thanks!!

Nick Wiseman September 25, 2012 at 6:13 pm

Unreal! Looking forward to easily taking my recipes on the go.

Luiz Gustavo Doná September 25, 2012 at 10:03 pm

Windows Phone, plz?

D September 26, 2012 at 9:49 am

Any chance this will be ported to the Playbook or BB store?

Great product!

Keith September 26, 2012 at 1:01 pm

I am glad this is finally coming out. I do have one question, I am happy to support the developer with $3.99 for the “Lite” app, but does this price include the “Full” app when it is available?

Brad Smith September 27, 2012 at 12:00 am

No – the full app will be a separate purchase. My goal was to make it possible for those who just need a brewday timer/viewer/recipe search to get the “lite” version while those who might want to edit/build recipes on the fly will be able to buy the “full” version. So eventually both will be listed in the store. If you truly need the full version you might want to wait for its release in a few months.

Brad Smith September 27, 2012 at 12:03 am

It is possible to transition it to Blackberry, but I’ve got no immediate plans to do so. I would probably target the Windows Phone next (as I have most of the development tools for it) and then the blackberry. However, I plan to focus on the “full” version first before adding new platforms.

Brad Smith September 27, 2012 at 12:04 am

Yes – a Windows phone version is possible. I plan to focus on the BeerSmith full version first, before I add additional platforms, but I could probably get a Windows phone version working in a reasonably short time after that.

First State Brewer September 27, 2012 at 11:02 am

Will there be a discount for existing owners of Beersmith?

Eric September 27, 2012 at 11:20 am

Can’t wait!

Nick September 28, 2012 at 8:36 pm

Another request for Windows Phone, would definitely pay for that…

Chris September 28, 2012 at 10:05 pm

This is great news. I’d like to see inventory management capacity hopefully from the lite version. Something to take to the basement when taking inventory, to the store when shopping and generally have handy do you know what you have all the time when bargains pop up.

Thomas September 29, 2012 at 3:34 pm

Great news Brad!

Being consistent on formulas and such on my smartphone is something I’ve been longing for.

Sam September 29, 2012 at 4:54 pm

Yes good one Brad ! The iPad app will makes things lots easier! Much easier to tap and use the iPad than keyboard in brewery! thanks cant wait!

Brad Smith September 29, 2012 at 6:42 pm

No inventory support yet – I would need to implement inventory sync on the cloud first.

Brad Smith September 29, 2012 at 6:43 pm

Sorry – no discount. Unfortunately the way the app stores work there is no way to distinguish who’s an existing user. On some of the stores you can’t even change the pricing easily – so for now it is going to be one single price for everyone.

Kevin Campbell September 30, 2012 at 1:34 pm

Will the lite app have the ability to enter notes or to record actual values for SG, temperatures, etc.?

Brad Smith September 30, 2012 at 8:26 pm

No – unfortunately no editing in the “lite” app. It will be in the full app in a few months however.

Loren Wernette October 2, 2012 at 7:57 am

I have been using your program for years and love it. I plan on brewing the next three weekends. Are you still looking for beta testers? I’m more than happy to pay for the program once it is released.

Sam October 3, 2012 at 2:00 am

Whats the ETA on the full version? Has it been submitted for acceptance into the App Store?

Patrick Lickiss October 4, 2012 at 5:28 pm

Definitely looking forward to this! Any plans for a strike temperature calculator based on grain temperature? This would save me having to run in to calculate on the computer. Thanks!

Bryan P October 5, 2012 at 8:20 am

Awesome news- I look forward to it. I think you may have finally come up with a practical use for a tablet.

Having the brewsheet will be awesome; however, it’d be nice if there was a way to check off steps as you do them- in the desktop and app versions. ‘Especially when brewing with a group, it’s good to keep track of what you actually did. I can add an html input checkbox, but obviously that’s not going to save if I change views.

Brad Smith October 9, 2012 at 2:47 pm

The full version is still several months off – it has not been submitted. The “lite” version has been submitted and is awaiting approval for both the Apple app store and Amazon app store.

Brad Smith October 9, 2012 at 4:39 pm

Drop me an email with platform (Android or iPhone/iPad) as I will still need testers for the full version.

Brad Smith October 9, 2012 at 4:43 pm

There is a strike calculator. I don’t believe it shows grain temperature though. Possibly I could add this to a future version.

Nick Vincent October 9, 2012 at 5:19 pm

Brad, Google absolutely DOES give you a list of who’s an existing user of your app. Any time someone purchases an app, their data gets tracked by Google’s system.

A simple DB with those email addresses stored could easily present you with a list to email with a special encrypted key for a “discounted” version of the full version (ie. crippled til you enter the code).

It just seems like you’re charging quite a bit for an app that lets me view recipes, when there’s BrewAide out there doing the same for free, as well as many other tools.

Rob October 21, 2012 at 7:43 am

Hi,

I’ve just got a copy of the Android App, which is a great idea. However, I can’t see anywhere on my laptop Beersmith2 s/w for Cloud Recipes. I’ve checked I have the latest update and I looked in the help.
Am I missing something?

Thanks
Rob

Brad Smith October 21, 2012 at 10:26 am

Rob,
You need to download the BeerSmith 2.1 update and install it on your desktop. As a precaution, make a backup copy of your Documents/BeerSmith2 directory before upgrading. Once you upgrade to BeerSmith 2.1 the cloud folder is under View->Cloud.

Cheers,
Brad

coso November 8, 2012 at 5:03 am

Only can say Woohoo!!

Robert November 19, 2012 at 2:13 pm

Yes, very good. But I’ll have to buy another program, can I use my beersmith account to download and use the beersmith lite?

thanks!

Jeremy November 30, 2012 at 2:22 pm

Another vote for inventory in an iOS app! I understand that inventory sync needs to be on the cloud before it can be in a full version of the app. I just wanted to pile on another vote for that feature. Keep up the great work and I love the podcast.

Merrill December 21, 2012 at 9:22 pm

Will the full version have the brew day features, or do will you have to buy both? 🙁

Brad Smith December 21, 2012 at 11:31 pm

The full version of the app will also have the brewday timer and tools.

Mae February 27, 2013 at 5:59 pm

just stopped by to check out this blog. It looks really great and I had a good time reading it, thank
you for the helpful article!

Tim Hicks March 31, 2013 at 1:43 pm

Do you have an ETS on the full version yet? If I’m going to pay for the app, I’d like to have all of the features. I see that there is no discount for Beersmith 2 owners. But is there any way you can discount if I buy for my Iphone and also my Kindle Fire? Thanks and this is an awesome software. I will be using it in the coming weeks for a 4 bbl micro system. This is when I get hired as Brewmaster.

Mike Edwards July 27, 2013 at 8:25 am

Any update on getting a Windows Phone app going?

Brent Kerby August 23, 2013 at 4:51 pm

I am interested in the status of the Windows Phone version as well.

LUCIENE CONCEICAO PEREIRA DA SILVA October 17, 2016 at 8:24 am

Como faço para imprimir minhas receitas do Android? Comprei a última versão mas naum achei esse essa ferramenta! Consigo? Obrigada

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