Beer Smith Users...

[WhiteEagle1]

Hey Guys!
Still new to brewing....but learning alot pretty fast. This forum is filled with tons of advice. I am planning my 4th batch.
If I pretty much just planned on brewing 5 gal BIAB batches for a while, would Beer Smith be something helpful for me to invest in? Or is it not really applicable for BIAB?? Thanks!

 

[RiverCityBrewer]

You get a 20 or 30 day trial, just download it and see for yourself if it is worth it to purchase.

 

[BryceL]

I BIAB and use it all the time. I think it can be useful to all brewers, regardless of the technique used. I use it to formulate my own recipies. It also has convenient tools like hydrometer adjustments or helps you figure how much DME/water you need to add if your gravity is high or low. Definitely look into the free trial if it's available.

 

[Rev2010]

Definitely download it and try it. I love it! And yeah, you can use it just fine for BIAB but as with any AG process you will need to eventually figure out your efficiency and input it as a basis for future recipes.

If you're also using a smart phone I would highly recommend Brewzor, which is free, for the Android OS. If you're using an iPhone there's BrewPal which is supposed to be quite good.


Rev.

 

[acuenca]

Hey Guys!
Still new to brewing....but learning alot pretty fast. This forum is filled with tons of advice. I am planning my 4th batch.
If I pretty much just planned on brewing 5 gal BIAB batches for a while, would Beer Smith be something helpful for me to invest in? Or is it not really applicable for BIAB?? Thanks!

Agree with above but I tinker with this program all the time. Ive had it for 4 months. I love it.

 

[tbel]

You can build a profile for your specific equipment and it does include some BIAB profiles to start with. I love it! I've done a BIAB with it, used to to scale down a stout recipe from 5gal to 1gal. Turned out great.

 

[Seven]

I use Beersmith mostly as a recipe database and for recipe design. I don't use the water volume calculators or equipment related stuff in Beersmith at all.

 

[lou2row]

It has some good tips on what hops can be substituted if you don't have a particular variety. I am using it to lay out different recipes alot more than I thought I would. Excellent software for $20.

 

[Whippy]

I'd highly recommend the software to anyone who brews!

 

[Bitty]

I've tried a few programs, and BeerSmith is by far my favorite. It takes a little effort and time to fine tune it for your brewery, but it's well worth it.

 

[WhiteEagle1]

Thank you very much for all the replys! After hearing how people like it I'm just going to skip the free trial and order the download.

 

[mugzz819]

I BIAB and have beersmith version 1. It's great for entering and figuring out recipes and carbonation volumes for me. However, as others have said, you'll have to figure out the efficiency of your system (which I did with beersmith after a few batches) and go from there. I don't really mess with their mash settings and options, although it think beersmith2 is more BIAB friendly for that. Basically, figure out your efficiency and it is a great program for BIAB. I generally hit my numbers right on and like the record keeping ability.

 

[Yooper]

I use it everyday! I formulate and store recipes, I use the refractometer correction tool, I use the water chemistry tool, and I email recipes to friends who also have Beersmith.

I found that at first my water calculator/strike temperature tool wasn't accurate, but I used it over time and put it my own settings and now it's right on the money.

I use the inventory to keep track of my stash of hops and grain, so I can see at a glance whether or not I have, say, glacier hops, when I'm making a recipe. I love it!

 

[WhiteEagle1]

That exactly what I was wondering. How often people end up using it and how helpful the tools are that it has. Thanks!

 

[CanadianQuaffer]

Hey guys, I have a related (and probably stupid!) question about Beersmith.

Can the same copy be installed and activated on two different computers? I got a copy for Christmas and will be getting a new computer in the next month or so.

Thanks!

Nick

 

[weirdboy]

I use the inventory to keep track of my stash of hops and grain, so I can see at a glance whether or not I have, say, glacier hops, when I'm making a recipe. I love it!

Yooper, could you maybe make a thread about how you use Beersmith to do inventory management? I have tried it many times, and it just doesn't seem to work out well for me. I always end up getting "out of sync" between what's in Beersmith, and what I actually have. At this point, I basically just know my inventory in my head and keep track of it that way.

 

[Seven]

Can the same copy be installed and activated on two different computers? I got a copy for Christmas and will be getting a new computer in the next month or so.

Yes, it can be installed on multiple computers. I installed it on my laptop and on another PC and they share the same data using dropbox.

 

[CanadianQuaffer]

Yes, it can. I installed it on my laptop and on another PC and they share the same data using dropbox.

Great, thanks!

 

[markmc40]

Beersmith is awesome software. Like others have said, it's much better once you dial it in for your setup. My volumes on my last batch were dead on, including boil off, etc. Just takes a few batches to get your baseline efficiency, boil off, etc. My efficiency jumps around some because I don't own a grain mill (YET), and the crush is slightly different from retailer to retailer, but I just keep a running average and it's hitting real close now. Just keep toying with your profiles, etc. BIAB is well supported also to answer your original question.