m750
Brewer
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2011
- Messages
- 47
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi all,
I've been a beersmith 2 user since it came out, I've been brewing more this year and trying to leverage the software more. As I do I've found that I'd be better of with some better/defined processes for using the software.
I'm really interested in understanding how folks leverage beersmith in their brewery, for all aspects. From recipe design, brew session logging, and for calculating things like sparge volumes, temps. However, one of the biggest hurdles to using it effectively is under standing how to use it beyond just adding ingredients to a recipe.
Things I have questions about best practises, or at least intended use.
Things I'd like to understand;
I feel like I haven't figured out an efficient workflow for me to iterate upon a recipe, or an efficient way for me to log the recipe details once I've brewed it. I feel like the logging entry is all over the place, and there is not a good way to sort of follow along the brew day, fermentation, bottling to indicate changes, w/out redesigning the recipe. Worst of all, when working on a recipe, I feel like I end up with artifacts in differerent states, and it's hard to know which version is right.
With that said, here are some things I think I'm doing well.
Using the default recipe. Everyone should do this. Create an empty recipe that contains your default mash profile, additions like whifloc or nutrient, carbonation profile, equipment etc, and set it as default. If I knew this a year ago I'd have saved a lot of time setting up recipes from scratch.
Using the brewing log. This is the one way to effectively capture the recipe at the point it time it's made. Once you've solidified the recipe, for me that's when I mill the grain, you add it to the log, and stop editing the version in my recipes.
AO
I've been a beersmith 2 user since it came out, I've been brewing more this year and trying to leverage the software more. As I do I've found that I'd be better of with some better/defined processes for using the software.
I'm really interested in understanding how folks leverage beersmith in their brewery, for all aspects. From recipe design, brew session logging, and for calculating things like sparge volumes, temps. However, one of the biggest hurdles to using it effectively is under standing how to use it beyond just adding ingredients to a recipe.
Things I have questions about best practises, or at least intended use.
Things I'd like to understand;
- Dealing with the evolution of a recipe
- Using the cloud effectively. I cannot keep my recipes and versions in sync.
- logging the details of each batch
- logging process anomalies
- Logging fermentation temps over time
- recipe tracking / adjustments for the equipment profiles
- propagating equipment profile update changes
- how to log / Reusing yeast / tracking yeast generations
- Water! <I have not done anything with this at all>
- Mash PH adjustments <I have not done anything with this at all>
- Custom reporting - I'd really like to understand this more
I feel like I haven't figured out an efficient workflow for me to iterate upon a recipe, or an efficient way for me to log the recipe details once I've brewed it. I feel like the logging entry is all over the place, and there is not a good way to sort of follow along the brew day, fermentation, bottling to indicate changes, w/out redesigning the recipe. Worst of all, when working on a recipe, I feel like I end up with artifacts in differerent states, and it's hard to know which version is right.
With that said, here are some things I think I'm doing well.
Using the default recipe. Everyone should do this. Create an empty recipe that contains your default mash profile, additions like whifloc or nutrient, carbonation profile, equipment etc, and set it as default. If I knew this a year ago I'd have saved a lot of time setting up recipes from scratch.
Using the brewing log. This is the one way to effectively capture the recipe at the point it time it's made. Once you've solidified the recipe, for me that's when I mill the grain, you add it to the log, and stop editing the version in my recipes.
AO