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baquerd posted:I use brewersfriend.com to calc my recipes and avoid paying by keeping my stored recipes in various text files. I'm also checking out Brewsmith, which seems very robust but a little less easy to use. Brewsmith isn't so bad, I mean compared to making custom spreadsheets, I don't think its as intuitive as it could be, but I held off on demoing it for a long time because of all the complaints about it and I don't feel like they were warranted, but maybe thats because the complaints were coming from people who don't use computers all the time or something. Hopville looks like it could end up being pretty cool at some point, it has some bugs right now that would keep me from using that as my only software solution though.
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Dec 20, 2012 05:23
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I think Beersmith's UI is over complicated and badly organized, and I use computers daily as an IT geek if that matters  That said it's super powerful and I use it on every batch despite a bit of a learning curve.
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Dec 20, 2012 05:35
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usually fucked around with this message at 07:15 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Dec 20, 2012 05:39
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almost fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Dec 15, 2013 |
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Dec 20, 2012 06:02
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Les Oeufs posted:Those both sound awesome, but alas, I am Canadian. The shipping charges get prohibitively expensive.
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Dec 20, 2012 06:18
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Docjowles posted:I think Beersmith's UI is over complicated and badly organized, and I use computers daily as an IT geek if that matters BeerSmith is a very powerful tool, but the learning curve... 
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Dec 20, 2012 06:29
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nmfree posted:So many things that are nonstandard or just... weird. I know how to enter stuff into it, but I still find it somewhat laborious. I'm still not sure how to specify specific mash temps even for single infusions, much less program out complicated step mashes or decoctions. I also don't know how to force the program to list a specific final gravity.
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Dec 20, 2012 07:32
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Angry Grimace posted:I'm still not sure how to specify specific mash temps even for single infusions, much less program out complicated step mashes or decoctions.
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Dec 20, 2012 07:36
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Yeah, I use beersmith for recipes and complicated maths I use Wolfram or just google (which has implemented really nice "google now" styling to both mobile and standard math searches).
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Dec 20, 2012 14:15
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I've been using Hopville and have been happy with it, what are the problems others have with it? My only complaint is that it's not friendly with my Nook Tablet.
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Dec 20, 2012 14:20
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Midorka posted:I've been using Hopville and have been happy with it, what are the problems others have with it? My only complaint is that it's not friendly with my Nook Tablet. I think Hopville has a ton of potential and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it is out of beta. The only issue I have had is every now and then I will get a null field or one of the calculators will act funny, nothing major for me.
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Dec 20, 2012 15:10
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Hopville gets a bit wonky on my older laptop, but then so do many other websites. The one major thing I think the site is lacking is a social component- It would be so much more powerful as a tool if it had the ability to add people as friends and to rate/comment on recipes.
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Dec 20, 2012 15:50
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global tetrahedron posted:[Hopville] would be so much more powerful as a tool if it had the ability to add people as friends and to rate/comment on recipes. It does have the ability to "follow" brewers, although I am not really sure what if anything that does. Personally, I want a good printable view that doesn't look like poo poo when I print a recipe sheet for brewday.
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Dec 20, 2012 16:33
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Searching brewers on Hopville is impossible though, so unless you're linked someone's page it makes it impossible to find them.
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Dec 20, 2012 16:35
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Angry Grimace posted:I know how to enter stuff into it, but I still find it somewhat laborious. The specific FG is under the Fermentation tab. I once (somehow) managed to program a double-infusion, triple decoction mash... that was very interesting to say the least, and as with everything else I learned there is an inherent fudge factor between what brewsmith predicts and what you have to do IRL - remember folks it's always easier to cool your mash a couple degrees than heat it back up a couple degrees (unless you're running one of them schmancy recirculating setups you bastard).
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Dec 20, 2012 17:16
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Jo3sh posted:It does have the ability to "follow" brewers, although I am not really sure what if anything that does. Yeah, it's not like there is a 'home' feed or anything where new recipes or activity would appear. I hope that is one of the upcoming changes. I think the site has a lot of potential. And yes, a nice .pdf exporter would be dandy as well. Wouldn't have to keep my laptop dangerously close to my brew kettle...
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Dec 20, 2012 17:23
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Docjowles posted:I think Beersmith's UI is over complicated and badly organized -- Across the top you have your standard windows menu bar: File Edit View Insert Profiles Ingredients Tools UnitTools Help -- Followed by a row of tabs: Home View Profiles Ingredients Tools UnitTools Help -- With a sidebar containing: MyRecipes View Profiles Ingredients Tools UnitTools Help -- With the main client area containing: MyRecipes If you hadn't noticed, they're all the same loving thing. If I want to do something with ingredients, I want to be able to click here, here, here, here, or here. It was like the developer downloaded a bunch of custom controls and said "I want to use all of these" even though he didn't have something to put in all of them, so he just duplicated the same functions in every possible way. Then added a futuristic Office 2003 theme to it. That said, once you realize that half the UI is just duplicated portions of the rest of the UI, it gets a little easier to understand what's going on. It is pretty good at figuring out some of the beyond basic calculations and the printout is nice to take to the brew store to buy ingredients. I have been using Hopville more recently. It is good enough for the basics of single infusion mashing and incredibly easy to use.
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Dec 20, 2012 20:19
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Les Oeufs posted:Those both sound awesome, but alas, I am Canadian. The shipping charges get prohibitively expensive. Where in Canada? If it's the lower mainland BC I ship my stuff (hops, equipment) to Point Roberts, WA, which has a bunch of cheap 'storage and pickup' businesses you can ship to to avoid the prohibitive costs of cross border shipping. If you're near the border, maybe check any nearby American towns and see if they have anything similar.
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Dec 20, 2012 21:47
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I need to apologize to my goonbrew santee. I will not have time to send out my package before I leave town for like 10 days  I promise some beers will be coming eventually, just in time for your New Year hangover to be fading.
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Dec 20, 2012 22:31
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Question from a relative newbie: What's the difference between doing a smaller boil (e.g. 2-3 gallons) versus a full 5 gallon boil? So far, by myself, I've only done two kits from my homebrew shop and both have instructions for a 2 gallon boil. That just seems really tiny to me. Is that just because they're assuming you're on a stovetop setup or something? I have a 7.5 gallon kettle, so I have no problems with a 4-5 gallon boil. I assume a full boil is preferable so you have more volume before you start having to deal with trub when transferring to your fermentor.
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Dec 21, 2012 00:08
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LogisticEarth posted:Question from a relative newbie: What's the difference between doing a smaller boil (e.g. 2-3 gallons) versus a full 5 gallon boil? So far, by myself, I've only done two kits from my homebrew shop and both have instructions for a 2 gallon boil. That just seems really tiny to me. Your beer will be darker in color and you'll have less hop isomerization, aka you'll get less bittering from your hops. A full boil is more preferred for those reasons. You should get a strainer in order to deal with trub. You'll have to periodically clean it while straining just because it's keeping so much trub from getting into your beer. I did 2.5 gallon boils for most of my batches in order to save time. It would shave off 20-30 minutes for bringing it to a boil and the same amount of time for cooling it down afterwards. I picked up a wort chiller though and that's not a problem. However, depending on your stove, you may not be able to actually bring 5 gallons to a boil. Those with ceramic stove tops or electric coils have that problem, but I'm cooking with gas and don't.
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Dec 21, 2012 00:15
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LogisticEarth posted:Question from a relative newbie: What's the difference between doing a smaller boil (e.g. 2-3 gallons) versus a full 5 gallon boil? So far, by myself, I've only done two kits from my homebrew shop and both have instructions for a 2 gallon boil. That just seems really tiny to me. Assuming you mean 2-3gal topped off to 5? Otherwise, there is no practical difference. 5gal: more hop utilization, less chance of incorrect OG readings due to improper mixing, slightly lighter color 2-3gal: reverse everything above, less heat to get a proper boil, easier to cool to pitching temp.
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Dec 21, 2012 00:16
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Sorry to goonbrew buddies, but I didn't do the Secret Santa this year because the only homebrew I've got left is a Pumpkin Porter which while reasonably tasty, doesn't really feel like the kind of beer I'd like to send out to people. I wanted to do another brew of something more ambitious and/or not aimed at pleasing people I'm related to, but I didn't have time with the Bar exam coming up in 2 months.
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Dec 21, 2012 00:31
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LogisticEarth posted:Is that just because they're assuming you're on a stovetop setup or something? I have a 7.5 gallon kettle, so I have no problems with a 4-5 gallon boil. I assume a full boil is preferable so you have more volume before you start having to deal with trub when transferring to your fermentor. As already pointed out, there are a couple of differences to concentrated boils, mainly color and hop utilization. Another thing to consider is cooling; it's pretty easy to cool 2 gallons in an ice bath in the sink, but 5 gallons has so much more volume to surface area that it takes a lot longer. I think the main reason people do concentrated boils, though, is that many or most kitchen ranges just don't have the output to boil 5 gallons, at least not in a reasonable period of time. When I started brewing in a crappy apartment, it would take about an hour just to get three and a half gallons up to boiling. Full-volume boils are just out of reach for many people, even if they do have big stockpots.
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Dec 21, 2012 00:42
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Jo3sh posted:As already pointed out, there are a couple of differences to concentrated boils, mainly color and hop utilization. Another thing to consider is cooling; it's pretty easy to cool 2 gallons in an ice bath in the sink, but 5 gallons has so much more volume to surface area that it takes a lot longer. I can get the water up decently if I use my 10 gallon pot and stick it over two burners at the same time, but it seems to char up the surface of the stove to do that.
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Dec 21, 2012 01:42
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This question may be akin to the carbonation one (mostly perception) but is there a non-trivial difference in extract fermentation vs all-grain? I'm only a few AG batches in, but I have a lot of extract batches under my belt. I've noticed that my AG batches ferment out much, much faster (and start sooner). The other factor could be that I started doing full-volume boils at the same time, whereas my extracts were 2.5 gallons on the stove. I mean I'm sure there's a difference in how easy it is for the yeast to access sugars from freshly mashed grain vs liquid extract, but is it significant? E: sorry about the phone grammar/rambling.
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Dec 21, 2012 01:48
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Brewtarget is another recipe creator/calculator. It's not as full featured as Beersmith but the UI isn't retarded and it's free (open source even).
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Dec 21, 2012 02:03
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Thanks for the tips regarding a concentrated boil guys. We're using a fish-cooker style burner, that has no problem boiling 5 gallons. Also, my dad got excited and built a kickass immersion chiller, from some old copper, that took the 3.5 gallon boil I did last time down to pitching temperature in four minutes or so: The pot is 14" in diameter, for reference. So heating and cooling a 5-gallon batch isn't a problem. Regarding concentrated boils and darker/lighter color, do you mean that the color will be darker until it is mixed with water to 5 gallons, or it will just be darker in general? It seems I should just go ahead and ignore any directions and just do 5-gallon boils.
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Dec 21, 2012 03:08
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LogisticEarth posted:Regarding concentrated boils and darker/lighter color, do you mean that the color will be darker until it is mixed with water to 5 gallons, or it will just be darker in general?
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Dec 21, 2012 03:44
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LogisticEarth posted:Thanks for the tips regarding a concentrated boil guys. We're using a fish-cooker style burner, that has no problem boiling 5 gallons. Also, my dad got excited and built a kickass immersion chiller, from some old copper, that took the 3.5 gallon boil I did last time down to pitching temperature in four minutes or so: Do it bro. Also look up BIAB, you're $5 away from going all grain.
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Dec 21, 2012 05:18
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Just got my March pump delivered earlier today. Too bad I'm unlikely to fit a brew in any time soon due to intense studies. As an aside, can someone tell me what is up with Home Brew Talk? Why are the people there so randomly touchy? It seems like just posting there casually will get you chewed out by someone or another every few posts for no apparent reason, like if you suggest someone could save money on some expensive gadget like a hop spider by just clipping a nylon bag to the pot, some poster gets angry and tells you you're worthless and suck at brewing. I'm beginning to see why there's such disdain for the place.
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Dec 21, 2012 05:38
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I get the feeling that it's an in vs. out thing. There's a lot of clubby BS over there, and if you're not an old-timer who has made friends with the other old-timers, you've got no chance to ever get on the inside. First guy: I do <x>. Second guy: LOL, you're a fool, I do <y>. [1G and 2G laugh it off and make plans to get together for a BBQ] Third guy: No really, 2G has a point, I've also done <y> and it works great! 1G and 2G, in chorus with 4G - 100G: gently caress YOU, n00b! use the search. EDIT: There *is* good info over there, but it's just buried hip-deep in BS.
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Dec 21, 2012 05:50
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Jo3sh posted:
That's the truth with a lot of communities unfortunately, I have seen it in vintage motorcycle circles and eurocar forums too. I lurk HBT sometimes when trying to figure out recipes, since I am still pretty new and not really familiar with what makes a beer to style always. I got run out of there the first and only time I posted though, so I don't go there very much anymore. Up until then I probably would have sprung for a forums membership. Edit: CONTENT! Thinking of doing a RIS I have a 5 gallon cooler I am using right now for a mash tun, so I am limited to 12 lbs of grain. How much extract should I substitute for malt pound for pound? I have been getting about 70% efficiency on average, and I plan on using LME. Is there a good formula to use to figure it out on the fly? bengy81 fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Dec 21, 2012 |
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Dec 21, 2012 06:07
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bengy81 posted:Thinking of doing a RIS I have a 5 gallon cooler I am using right now for a mash tun, so I am limited to 12 lbs of grain. How much extract should I substitute for malt pound for pound? I have been getting about 70% efficiency on average, and I plan on using LME. Is there a good formula to use to figure it out on the fly? Most malt has a theoretical yield of about 37 points per pound per gallon (PPG). Your recipe calculator of choice will help you figure out exact values, but let's use that for the sake of argument. Let's also assume you're going for an OG of 1.090. 12 pounds times 37PPG times 70% divided by 5 gallons should give you about 1.062 just from your grain. That's a pretty good starting estimate. LME should give you about 36PPG, and is not subject to efficiency calculations. You need another 28 points in five gallons, or 140 points of extract. 140 points divided by five gives 3.9 pounds of extract required to meet your target OG. But hey, you've sparged and collected all your runnings and of course you're at your pre-boil volume. You have 7 gallons at 1.041. How do we figure out from there what the actual efficiency was and how much extract to add? 41 points of extract times 7 gallons is 287 points of total extract from your mash alone. Theoretical extract is 37PPG times 12 pounds, or 444 points. Looks like you only got 65% efficiency this time (287/444). If you take those same 7 gallons of 1.041 pre-boil wort (287 points of total extract) and boil off two gallons of water, you could expect an OG of around 1.057. Ths would mean you would need 33 points times five gallons of additional sugar from the LME, or 165 total points. You can get this by adding 4.6 pounds of LME.
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Dec 21, 2012 06:34
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Jo3sh posted:EDIT: There *is* good info over there, but it's just buried hip-deep in BS. This terrible thread told me all I need to know about how they roll. Useful source for info, but only of 'good enough for internet' kind.
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Dec 21, 2012 06:53
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eviltastic posted:This terrible thread told me all I need to know about how they roll. Useful source for info, but only of 'good enough for internet' kind. Yeah, I had some guy fly off the handle and draft a diatribe (like one long enough it must have taken a good 15 minutes) about stupid I am for telling him that I think 45 minute hops additions are a waste since they add no discernable flavor/aroma characteristics I can notice and deliver a lesser and variable amount of bitterness. This was in an opinion where his entire thread was asking for opinions on his hop schedule.
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Dec 21, 2012 08:30
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A lot of posts on HBT and other homebrew sites invoke 'the wife', as in, 'the wife' being mad that he bought a new Blichmann what-have-you and he's going to be in the dog house unless he makes her a Witbier, the one with coriander and lemon. I suppose this phenomenon is easily explained, but it's still kind of irritating to read. Also those loving smilies they use.
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Dec 21, 2012 15:17
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eviltastic posted:This terrible thread told me all I need to know about how they roll. Useful source for info, but only of 'good enough for internet' kind. I've only read the first page, but what's wrong with it? I don't understand why various communities dislike other similar ones. I'm on a few private trackers for music and those two communities always have negative things to say about the other, most miscellaneous forums love to hate on Reddit, and most beer communities love to hate every other one that exists. Why? I guess that's a question for psychology or sociology forums though. Maybe I've just not posted on HBT enough, but the 5-6 posts I've made on there about my recipe or question about sparging has always been met with helpful advice.
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Dec 21, 2012 15:21
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I think it's due to lack of moderation, quality control, it being a giant echo chamber/hugbox. Here if someone gets out of line they get bitchslapped. If someone posts something that's potentially not true or is bad information no one "lives in fear" of calling them out for it, whereas on other forums you'll get completely run out of the community for disagreeing or asking stupid newb questions. I don't post at HBT, but I do read it a lot depending on what I'm currently doing. Most threads are fine, but some are downright insufferable.
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Dec 21, 2012 16:07
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fullroundaction posted:This question may be akin to the carbonation one (mostly perception) but is there a non-trivial difference in extract fermentation vs all-grain? I'm only a few AG batches in, but I have a lot of extract batches under my belt. I've noticed that my AG batches ferment out much, much faster (and start sooner). This is actually somewhat true, and varies significantly between brands of malt extract. In the book "Designing Great Beers" they actually relay some experiments that were done with various brands to determine their fermentability and they were all much less fermentable than all grain with base malt mashed at 148* If you ever want to have leftover sugars you have to mash higher and shorter (say 156* for 45 minutes).
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Dec 21, 2012 17:08
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