Question on All-Grain Terminology

[RandyKlein]

Hi Guys,

Im writing some software to import from BeerXML. I've never done an all-grain brew, so I need a little help with the terminology. The BeerXML section for mash looks like this:

<MASH_STEP>
 <NAME>Mash In</NAME>
 <VERSION>1</VERSION>
 <TYPE>Infusion</TYPE>
 <INFUSE_AMOUNT>10.646532</INFUSE_AMOUNT>
 <STEP_TIME>45</STEP_TIME>
 <STEP_TEMP>70.00000000</STEP_TEMP>
 <RAMP_TIME>2</RAMP_TIME>
 <END_TEMP>70.00000000</END_TEMP>
 <DESCRIPTION>Add 11.25 qt of water at 170.5 F</DESCRIPTION>
 <WATER_GRAIN_RATIO>1.25</WATER_GRAIN_RATIO>
 <DECOCTION_AMT>0.00 qt</DECOCTION_AMT>
 <INFUSE_TEMP>170.5 F</INFUSE_TEMP>
 <DISPLAY_STEP_TEMP>DISPLAY_STEP_TEMP</DISPLAY_STEP_TEMP>
 <DISPLAY_INFUSE_AMT>11.25 qt</DISPLAY_INFUSE_AMT>
</MASH_STEP>

I'm trying to translate this into the plain English that you would see in most brewing recipes posted online. I'm not entirely sure what the important & necessary fields are. I think it would go something like this:

[NAME] + " at "+ [INFUSE_TEMP] + " for " + [STEP_TIME] + " minutes" [

Which would look like:

"Mash In at 170.5 F for 45 minutes"

Can someone tell me if this is right. Is infuse_temp the right temperature field? Are there any other important fields i'm missing? Thanks for the help!

 

[idahoDal]

Ahh... BeerXML, you're going to learn to hate it.

You're on the right track though. What you'll also want is:

[NAME] + " " + [INFUSE_AMOUNT] + " at "+ [INFUSE_TEMP] + " for " + [STEP_TIME] + " minutes for rest temp of " + [END_TEMP]

Now the challenge for the reader is to figure out why BeerXML does most things in metric but for some reason will show the Infuse_Temp in degrees F, and why oh why does it even support "DISPLAY" fields. The purpose of the XML in this case is to transfer recipe information. NOT to tell the system how to display that information. Such choices should be up to the user of whatever system they're actually using.

Big caveat about the Mash portion of BeerXML, Beer Tools Pro simply doesn't support it. Why? Beats me.

http://www.beerxml.com

 

[RandyKlein]

Thanks Idaho... this was a big help! I'm learning about the quirks. I didn't quite understand the reasoning for the display fields, but I thought it was just me.