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Confusion on entering dates - probably my bad

prayingmantis

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Hi everyone -

Have a quick question. I don't often follow standardized fermentation procedures. Brewsmith seems great to create such: e.g. 2 weeks secondary all the time, 1 week to bottle age for an ale, etc. You get the drift.

I'm not that regimented - I kinda fly by the seat of my pants. I brew, leave it in the primary a while, and then put it in the secondary. It can stay in the secondary a LONG time until I get around to bottling it. None of these times are standard. Creating new fermentation profiles seems a bit of a waste as I doubt I will follow it precisely again. Hence, my question:

Is there a way to just enter the dates when I accomplish certain tasks and put in measurements (eg hydrometer readings)? For example, I brewed an AHS brew in october and have left it in the secondary until I bottled today. When I go to Brewsmith to enter today's date for bottling, I can't find anything. I try clicking the calendar, but it's stuck in a "fermentation profile" which basically says this brew was (or should have been) bottled two months ago. Am I missing an easy screen where I can just document the dates I do different tasks? I seem to remember this being possible in Beersmith 1.x but I may be mistaken. It would be wonderful to have such a feature: a place where I just put in when I did certain things, more of a log, than a "fermentation profile." I don't particularly want to make a new fermentation profile for each brew based upon my rather random time periods between events. But I would like a way to track what and when I did something so I can learn and modify my practices the second time around.

Sorry for being long-winded but I hope it makes sense. I'm sure this is an easy question and that there's a simple way to do this!!

I appreciate any help from anyone who can show me the error of my ways!

-Chris
 
I gave up on the calendar too. If you figure something out please post back. I wonder if it's possible for people who bought 2.0 to download 1.4?
 
I use dates.  If it is brew day, I put whatever day it is and the calendar gives me a good idea of what to do next.  I do adjust on all my dates to hit on Saturdays, which is seven, or fourteen day for primary/secondary.  I adjust aging and keg/ bottling all to hit on again on Saturdays.  Why you ask?  It is my only day not at work and this is what I want to do. 

I give a little on recommended fermentation times to fit my schedule.  However, if timing is critical then I adjust, by seeing when to brew that I can plan on being there.  I have in my brew log two years worth of recipes and I put future dates where I think I will want to brew.  Once you have all the adjustments made for a brew or in my case several brews, I can reschedule by changing only one date.  Great stuff!

My brew day or changing from primary to secondary are mostly on the same day and Saturdays overlaps and I get a lot done in one day.  Besides from good time management which is my least good reason for this, I often reuse the yeast from one brew into another on the same day.  Saves money, providing it is Ale to Ale or Lager to Lager and not a special yeast.

I do plan my Saturdays, at least the mornings, doing something beer related.  I would do more but my wife would cut me off the propane.  Anyway it is a great tool and I use it a lot. 
 
Could probably just use the notes section of each recipe, but then you got to start to wonder why even bother with Beersmith and just track everything in a notepad.
 
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