John Palmer VS BeerSmith2 a noobie question

[JediMaster77]

Hello,

I very much a beginner, ive been using the Brew-Masters Bible and John Palmers How to Brew books extensively to learnt he nuts and bolts of brewing.

im trying to evolve to the next level and formulate some of my own simple recipes.

I am using the formulas and calculations in Palmers book very closely

I have recently also downloaded BeerSmith2 as this seemed to be a very popular homebrew program

my question is why (or should I be concerned) that when I input my recipe into BeerSmith2 why doesn't the math match up?

just to put an example to it I thoroughly calculated my IBUs using Palmers formulas for an American Ale at 36 but inputing my exact info into the software it calculates 29.1

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance

 

[BigEd]

There are several different algorithms used for hop IBU calculations. Not all brewing programs use the same one.

 

[Pie_Man]

+1 - There are different algorithms for estimating IBUs. I believe beersmith uses Rager by default. I use Tinseth because I feel it's more accurate. What really matters is you pick an algorithm and stick with it, so you can estimate IBUs consistently in your beers. Also, the alpha acids in hops change with each year's crop.

 

[BroStefan]

+1 - There are different algorithms for estimating IBUs. I believe beersmith uses Rager by default. I.use Tinseth because I feel it's more accurate. What really matters is you pick an algorithm and stick with it, so you can estimate IBUs consistently in your beers.

The key word here is "IBU estimate." That is all ANY of the formulas can give you. An estimate. Pick one and RDWHAHB.



Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I stick with Tinseth. But like other posters just pick one and roll with it. Like most things in the hobby consistency is more important than accuracy. Also, with beersmith you should set up an equipment profile. It will help with calculations. Other variations will likely be dependent on your equipment settings. If you didn't see the estimated efficiency setting that will impact your calcs as well.

 

[NicolaiGj]

I've used Beersmith for my first 28 batches, but on my last batch I brewed yesterday I formulated the entire recipe by hand (there is an awesome blog post on the subject, I don't have the link atm). This was the first time I've ever hit OG planned by the recipe, so I'm seriously considering dumping Beersmith. The pro's of hand calculations is that I pay a lot more attention to what ingredients I use and in what amounts, instead of just putting something together in Beersmith to satisfy the ranges of the style guidelines in just 5 minutes.

I'm pretty sure it was just luck I hit the planned OG, a lot of things was new that brew day, among that a new mash tun. Still I'm more tempted to continue formulating recipes by hand to really put my mind into developing some house recipes for the different styles and make them my own, and really be able to track changes I make and what impact that makes in my beer.

 

[Trox]

In Beersmith did you set-up an equipment profile for what you are using, and did you adjust the AA value of your hops to match those you used in your calculations or did you just use Beersmith's defualt values?

 

[JediMaster77]

In Beersmith did you set-up an equipment profile for what you are using, and did you adjust the AA value of your hops to match those you used in your calculations or did you just use Beersmith's defualt values?

I calculated everything by hand first then thought I would use BeerSmith as a way to check my math. I didn't expect it to be exact but when the BrewMasters Bible says an American Ale is 20-40 IBUs and I calc 36 then Beersmith comes back with 29, the difference seemed a bit large. the gravities were very close as was most everything.

but the preloaded AA for my hops I knew was wrong because I already had the hops I was going to use so I adjusted the pre-loaded AA for Cascade hops of 5.5 (close) to the 7.1 that I had in hand

 

[MindenMan]

I found Beer Smith, to be, well, BS. I do not have the "perfect tun", and my equipment is nowhere near what they calculate. Don't get me wrong, there are people that swear by BS, and that's great, it just didn't work for me. I have QBrew, Brew Mate, and Brew Target, and sometimes I will use two of them on the same recipe to cross check results. All three of these software packages are free, and for me, I like free. I didn't know BS didn't have a build able database, to change the hop numbers. If I have a particularly odd year for a specific hop, I just change the entry, and off I go. If I got off topic, I apologize. I do write almost all of my recipes; I will say for the noob, there are many great recipes of top shelf ales and lagers on the internet, so give the ones in the styles you prefer a go. The old story is, "don't try to make a cherry, chocolate, vanilla, mint chip ice cream ale (so to speak) when you are a new brewer...) I will be honest, my first few beers were not great, and they were PM's, the whole sparge thing was a mystery to me, and why learn how to use a hydrometer when my beers weren't going to be "measurable" anyway? I read every book available in my local library on home brewing and figured a few things out. I still use a Zapap tun, I bought a turkey fryer with a 30 qt pot, a larger pot and a STC-1000 for my extra freezer. Bargain basement setup, and I make good beer most all the time, and every now and then, a great one or two.

 

[Pie_Man]

I didn't know BS didn't have a build able database, to change the hop numbers. If I have a particularly odd year for a specific hop

Beersmith does have a buildable database for ingredients.

Again, beersmith isn't wrong when calculating the IBUs for the OP, it's just using a different algorithm.