For the calendar, please read through this post: http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php/topic,6422.0.html
Let me know if this makes sense.
The version is simply a way to help you keep track of different versions of the same recipe. Maybe you want to substitute different things but keep it basically the same, or maybe you want to scale it to a new size.....just a couple ideas. Everyone comes up with new ways to use this field. But, some choose not to use it at all.....it is totally up to you.