BeerSmith 3: Difference between major and minor updates?

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hezagenius

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Does anyone know the difference between major and minor updates in BS 3?

I have BS 2 and find the water profile section to be worthless. I downloaded the trial version of BS 3 and at least it actually estimates pH in line with Brewer's Friend, Bru'n and MME. I don't want to throw good money after bad and move to BS 3 if having only minor updates will make the software obsolete. The subscription model is completely unappealing to me so I'm looking at either the 1-time purchase of BS 3 or some other software.
 
For what it is worth, I did not renew my subscription to BS3. I am using Brewfaher and am pleased with its user interface along with its integrations (Tilt, etc.). I stopped using Brewer's Friend over a year ago and did not renew that subscription either.

I have BS2 as backup if I ever need it. Personally, I liked the water target profiles in BS3, but it wasn't enough to keep me subscribed. BTW, I use MME for my estimated pH even though Brewfather calculates estimated pH. I am very comfortable with Mash Made Easy.

Here is a link about why one would consider upgrading to BS3...http://beersmith.com/blog/2019/05/2...y-sale-48-hours-only-great-chance-to-upgrade/
 
All I really need is estimated mash pH pre and post additions. I made a spreadsheet to calculate gravities, efficiencies and solve for salt additions. I just don't have a reliable way to estimate the mash pH based on the inputs to my beer. Sounds like maybe MME might be a better option than BS.
 
hezagenius said:
All I really need is estimated mash pH pre and post additions. I made a spreadsheet to calculate gravities, efficiencies and solve for salt additions. I just don't have a reliable way to estimate the mash pH based on the inputs to my beer. Sounds like maybe MME might be a better option than BS.
Click to expand...

Without a doubt, MME is a lot better than BS3. Give it a try!
 
What is MME?

I have been looking for another program since my computer updated and my BS2 disappeared.

I have looked at Grainfather and have used the free version of Brewer's Friend and use Bru'n Water for my water adjustments.
 
I don't think BS3 will become obsolete as long as the way we make beer doesn't change. By buying the one-time version you miss out on any major feature additions Brad may make, but you probably get bug fixes and small enhancements. That is what I did and I have no regrets. (Not that BS3 is perfect, far from it, but I got my $20 out of it and will continue to use it.)
 
The one time basic model gets you the full BS software with minor updates that include patches & fixes, ingredient, style and other additions as they occur and anything that is not a substantial re-write of the software. Considering that version 2 was around for 7 years it would be safe to say that if you opted for BS3 one-time basic you wouldn't have to purchase anything until version 4 comes out.

I had BS2 for three years and the biggest appeal to me when BS3 was introduced is the increase in cloud storage... 125 recipes instead of 15. I filled that 15 pretty fast and had to constantly make decisions about which ones to delete to make room for something new. Something I haven't even had to think about with the Gold subscription.
 
I'm using BS3 with the subscription I think for same reason as @kevin58. The cloud service is awesome and integrates well with my work flow. I tend to design my beers on my mac upstairs in my office and I brew in my garage. I print the brewday instructions but can also access the recipe from my ipad via the cloud while brewing. The cloud is also great for when I take my beer to club meetings or other tastings and want to be able to answer questions about the recipe or process. I get the value in having the cloud and the price to me is modest compared to some of my other brewing expenses.

Many objections I see to BS2 and BS3 have to do with the water calculations. I've tried many including Bru'n Water, Beer Alchemy, MME and Brewer's Friend. I haven't found any of the various ph predictors to be substantially more predictive than BS3, I tend to use about 2/3 of the BS lactic acid recommendation and land within about 0.15 units of target. I think the lack of accuracy of all of the calculators may be due to the fact my city water comes from different wells and so week to week there is going to be some variability. If I was using a RO system I might see things differently. I've started accepting "good enough" for mash pH - anywhere form 5.1-5.5 I am not worried - and then I am adjusting pH in the kettle at end of boil to 5.0-5.1.

My only real complaint about BS are lack of ability to attach photos to the logs. I end up keeping separate brew day logs in Apple Notes but I'd really prefer to be able to attach at least limited size photos to my recipes.

My minor quibbles are the steep learning curve - but that is behind me, and desire for a few customizable data fields. Maybe data points not everyone needs to capture but points I wish to capture, and be reminded to capture, every brew. (for me it would be pH into fermentor and pH at packaging)
 
eric19312 said:
....My only real complaint about BS are lack of ability to attach photos to the logs. I end up keeping separate brew day logs in Apple Notes but I'd really prefer to be able to attach at least limited size photos to my recipes.....
Click to expand...

As of now, only one photo can be uploaded with Brewfather...

Eric's Brew.PNG
 
Anyone familiar with the history of BeerSmith likely dismissed the notion of a major update occurring for many years and just took the one-time hit for BS3, assuming point releases will be included...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
Anyone familiar with the history of BeerSmith likely dismissed the notion of a major update occurring for many years and just took the one-time hit for BS3, assuming point releases will be included...

Cheers!
Click to expand...


^^^^ This!!!! ^^^^

Last major update from 2.x to 3.x was 6+ years in coming. Meanwhile, Brad added minor functionality improvements (whirlpool hop calculations, elevation effects on bittering, etc.) as part of the 2.x release. I am definitely willing to bet that it will be another 3 to 4 years before he does another major upgrade.
 
I do not know much about current programing (Fortran, etc in college 40+ years ago), but others appear way ahead of BS3. I do not know what is taking Brad so long to integrate items like Tilt or iSpindel into BS3. Brewer's Friend integrated Tilt in 2019 and Brewfather has various integrations.

Brewfather intregrations.PNG
 
day_trippr said:
I can't imagine why Brad would integrate real time sensing of any stripe in a recipe building program...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

I could...would get me to buy that tilt repeater so it would work inside my freezer inside my conical and prob a new tilt for longer battery life too. Logging gravity and temp measurements by hand in BS is silly.
 

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