G'day all. Long time lurker and BeerSmith user.
I normally live in Brisbane, Australia, but I am currently on temporary assignment for 12 months in Genova with my family for work. Yet another brewer with an Engineering background (Electrical), I stumbled on BeerSmith through The Brewing Network. I have been using BeerSmith since I started brewing (according to my Brew Log, batch #1 was 26th January 2009). Before I brewed my first batch, I "researched" (or should that be "procrastinated"?) for around 5 years, reading everything I could find on the subject, frequenting forums and listening avidly to podcasts (such as The Brewing Network, Basic Brewing Radio and CraftBrewer Radio). As appears to be typical of Engineering types, the plan was to build an awesome fully automated brew rig, then start brewing. A visit to my favourite homebrew store convinced me to go with what I had or I would never get started.
My first 3 batches were full boil extract (with steeping in one), then I decided it was time to jump headlong into all grain. Of course, being a lover of traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen, this just had to involve a triple decoction! While I would not recommend this approach for beginner all-grainers, it does not require high tech gear (a cooler based mash tun, a 12L pot, at thermometer, a gas burner and plenty of elbow grease), and it is a great way to get a feel for the mashing process. Thanks to fermentation tips from Jamil Zainasheff (The Jamil Show and Brewing Classic Styles), the result was well worth the effort.
According to my BeerSmith Log I am now 21 batches in. Unfortunately due to travel and my stay in Italy, I have been unable to brew since April 2010
Finally, many thanks to Brad for his software, this forum, and particular for his series of Podcasts that I have only discovered recently (through the aussiehomebrewer.com forum after the BIAB interview with PistolPatch (Pat)). The Podcasts have been very informative and well produced!
I normally live in Brisbane, Australia, but I am currently on temporary assignment for 12 months in Genova with my family for work. Yet another brewer with an Engineering background (Electrical), I stumbled on BeerSmith through The Brewing Network. I have been using BeerSmith since I started brewing (according to my Brew Log, batch #1 was 26th January 2009). Before I brewed my first batch, I "researched" (or should that be "procrastinated"?) for around 5 years, reading everything I could find on the subject, frequenting forums and listening avidly to podcasts (such as The Brewing Network, Basic Brewing Radio and CraftBrewer Radio). As appears to be typical of Engineering types, the plan was to build an awesome fully automated brew rig, then start brewing. A visit to my favourite homebrew store convinced me to go with what I had or I would never get started.
My first 3 batches were full boil extract (with steeping in one), then I decided it was time to jump headlong into all grain. Of course, being a lover of traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen, this just had to involve a triple decoction! While I would not recommend this approach for beginner all-grainers, it does not require high tech gear (a cooler based mash tun, a 12L pot, at thermometer, a gas burner and plenty of elbow grease), and it is a great way to get a feel for the mashing process. Thanks to fermentation tips from Jamil Zainasheff (The Jamil Show and Brewing Classic Styles), the result was well worth the effort.
According to my BeerSmith Log I am now 21 batches in. Unfortunately due to travel and my stay in Italy, I have been unable to brew since April 2010
Finally, many thanks to Brad for his software, this forum, and particular for his series of Podcasts that I have only discovered recently (through the aussiehomebrewer.com forum after the BIAB interview with PistolPatch (Pat)). The Podcasts have been very informative and well produced!