jimanie said:
I think that there is an interplay between Total efficiency, as shown on the recipe page and Brewhouse efficiency as shown on the equip profile page that I need to research further; I don't quite get it yet.
Brewhouse efficiency is what sugar makes it into the fermenter. Total efficiency is just another name for it. What's on the recipe design tab and fermentation tab is the same as what's in your equipment profile for Brewhouse Efficiency. The Measured Efficiency number in the fermentation tab is how you did, based on your actual numbers, including losses along the way.
Does my total efficiency, as shown on the recipe page (which I set according to the actual results of that brew days process) get saved somewhere so my next recipe starts where I left off and gives me correct numbers, if not, what do I set it at before brewing a new brew.
It's saved in the recipe at hand. In addition to Scott's suggestion, you should modify your equipment profile in that database to reflect your brewery. This will help with a good outcome for your next question...
Perhaps that is why you use a copy of your last brew--to carry your numbers forward? If so, it kind of precludes downloading recipes, no?
Not at all. This is what the "scale recipe" function is for.
Create a recipe folder called "possibilities" for downloading all the recipes you desire. If you want to make one, you copy it to your active recipes folder. Then highlight it, click "scale Recipe, at the top of the window, select your equipment.
You have the option of letting BeerSmith calculate the boil volume and/or matching color, IBU and gravity.
Why are these options? Well, depending on several variables, BeerSmith might change the ratio of some ingredients to match specs. A straight linear scaling might fall short on some items. In any rate, consider it a first draft, not a final version. Tweak the recipe to numbers that make sense to you and your expectations.
As you can see by my questions, Im not really solid on how to use beer smith to improve my process. I know its there somewhere.
BeerSmith is a repository of ideas. Used properly, it is a catalog of your progress as a brewer and a check sheet of techniques. It can be relied upon to predict what should happen.
It is not a definer of techniques. There is a LOT of flexibility in this program, which can lead to some pretty unusual predictions. There are a lot of brewers who come up with some new "need" for BeerSmith to calculate or predict, often just to be experimental. Experimenting is at the heart of being a homebrewer. No guidelines or software is ever going to reign that in.