Record keeping

[HopHeadNole]

What do you use for record keeping on your brews? Is there something you've created yourself, something you found online, or a physical journal? Also, what are the most important things to record for each brew?

 

[andrewf1985]

My lovely lady created a spread sheet on xcell for me so i can have it either printed or electronic. Used to keep all my notes in a note pad, things could get slightly messy as the day moved along and the beers got flowing. She created it from the method i took my notes. She's the organised one if you couldnt guess. I still like to have paper copies incase my hard drive packs up or something

 

[Gavin C]

Brewing software stores all the data. (Beersmith) I just collect and enter it. Paperless.

It records among others

Recipe
predicted and actual OG
predicted and actual FG
Mash schedule
Fermentation schedule
Water additions
Notes related to brewday if any
Tasting Notes
Picture of beer

All backed up to the cloud.

 

[Brew_G]

I use a ledger and hand write everything.

I may eventually hand jam it all into a spreadsheet, but for now I like having it all right in front of me without having to mess with a computer.

 

[Natdavis777]

I utilize brewing software as well. I use BeerAlchemy. All recipes and stats are stored. I can even export each as a beersmith file, promash file, pdf, etc. It even combines my ingredient usage into pie charts, which is useful when buying in bulk.

 

[Calypso]

Another BeerSmith user here. And I sync my BeerSmith data to Dropbox, so that it's available on all my devices and so that it's reasonably crash-proof.

 

[HopHeadNole]

For those of you using Beersmith, do you have any experience with the iPad app? I don't own a laptop or computer anymore so my only option would be on the iPad.

 

[Calypso]

For those of you using Beersmith, do you have any experience with the iPad app? I don't own a laptop or computer anymore so my only option would be on the iPad.

Yes. I would consider it a supplement to the main application, not a replacement. It's useful for viewing recipes you've already created, but creating recipes on it is painful, and you can't view all the recipe information. There are some poor design decisions that make using it confusing or awkward.

My main use case for the iOS app is when I go to the store to buy ingredients or on brew day.

 

[bcbeatty]

I started using brew log by fermentus. It give 5 free logs for trial. Then a step up charge for more slots. Approx $2 for 10. $4 for 25 or $10 for unlimited. I haven't decided if I'm going to buy it or not.

 

[phyllobeddo]

I use Evernote. I follow a general format for each brewday entry. I upload pics as well. I like being able to log in to Evernote at work and update notes or put together new recipes as well. Also, if I'm in the basement and need an ingredient list, I don't have to walk upstairs; I just pull Evernote up on my phone and get the info I need.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I keep a notebook full of recipes with hand written notes on them (OG, FG, yeast used, any deviations from recipe, temperatures at specific points of the process, when bottled, batch size vs bottled, etc.). I also have a spread sheet with all of this to include which yeast used (if using recovered yeast from a previous batch), plus all of the above. I also have Beersmith and us it to document my recipes/batches along with researching forecasted gravity levels for upcoming batches.

Doing all of this has helped me to identify areas in my brewing that could use improving on. I am on my 60th batch in 1 1/2 years and still learning.

 

[beergolf]

I do both. BeerAlchemy for electronic. I have it on my desktop and my iPad so if I make adjustments on the fly I just enter them into the software using my iPad, and the synch electronically.

I also keep three ring binders with sheet protectors. In the front is a log of brews and brew dates, dates of dry hops, secondary andding bret etc. Also each brew get cap ID that is also recorded there. After that each sheet protector has a brew checklist and a printed version of the recipe along with any notes. OG, FG, brew date, or any orther important info about the brew.

I keep both because if for some reason something happens to the electronic version I always have the paper backup. Also to log with bottling dates and cap ID is very useful.

I have every brew since I first started logged that way.

 

[passedpawn]

Beersmith. I kept a notebook a long time ago, but it literally fell apart. So sorry I did that, those notes are lost forever.

I print out the process sheet, keep notes on it, and transfer to Beersmith when the session is complete.

 

[SeraW]

The stats and recipes for my brews are on Brewtoad. The details of brew day, bottling, and tastings are in a cheap composition book on the coffee table.

 

[pshankstar]

I use Evernote. I follow a general format for each brewday entry. I upload pics as well. I like being able to log in to Evernote at work and update notes or put together new recipes as well. Also, if I'm in the basement and need an ingredient list, I don't have to walk upstairs; I just pull Evernote up on my phone and get the info I need.

Did you create a template in Evernote that you use for each brew? If so, would you be willing to share it? Right now I'm using Evernote to:
store recipes I find
a bottling log (so I can keep one bottle from each batch to age)
for a list of equipment that I would like to buy with pricing

I am looking into buying Beersmith eventually. I am only doing extract brews right now so part of me feels I should hold off on it for the time being. But who knows, I'll probably pull the trigger before too long.

 

[Derek1985]

Pen and Paper.

 

[locolorenzo22]

brewing software eventually, right now, just good old pen and paper, taking notes about what works and what doesn't (like waiting close to 3 hours for the wort to cool off, even after using an immersion chiller)

 

[CJ-3]

I prefer to write mine by hand.

For Christmas my wife got me a copy of 'The Homebrewers Lab Book' which has space to write everything about each brew.

 

[mattdee1]

So far, I'm finding Beersmith most useful for recipe formulation and as a reference. Worth every penny.

For actual notekeeping though, I use Microsoft OneNote with embedded spreadsheets that contain all the data I need.

 

[phyllobeddo]

Did you create a template in Evernote that you use for each brew? If so, would you be willing to share it? Right now I'm using Evernote to:
store recipes I find
a bottling log (so I can keep one bottle from each batch to age)
for a list of equipment that I would like to buy with pricing

I am looking into buying Beersmith eventually. I am only doing extract brews right now so part of me feels I should hold off on it for the time being. But who knows, I'll probably pull the trigger before too long.

Something like the following is what I use. The list gets modified from time to time, of course. I attach a few pics from my phone as well. I added a few example notes. I usually update the notes pretty well, so I can keep up with the wins and the fails to learn from and apply to the next batch.

Brewday - 06/22/2015 | Monday

OG -
FG -
ABV -
IBU -
Yeast -
Fermentation temp (STC) -
Fermenter -
Mash Temp -
Mash Efficiency (from Beersmith) -
Brewhouse Efficiency -
Yield - (keg or # of bottles)

Recipe

Grain

Hops

General Notes
Drug ass out of bed at 5:00AM....
Ran out of propane....idiot!....

Mash Notes (with time stamps)
05:15AM - Heat mash water
06:00AM - Mashed in (temp 152)
07:00AM - Mashed out (temp 151)
07:30AM - Start boil
07:52AM - First hops
etc
etc

Updates

06/23/2015 Tuesday 7AM - bubbling good.....
06/27/2015 - little to no bubbling...
07/13/2015 - Sat fermenter out and raised to room temp....
07/19/2015 - kegged the batch!...

Tasting Notes
08/04/2015 - Still waiting impatiently to tap the keg.

Lessons Learned
buy extra propane before starting boil

 

[FloppyKnockers]

A three-ring binder with recipes and notes attached.

A little Avery tag gets tied to the airlock then to the pressure release ring on the keg that holds the name of the brew, date brewed, O.G., F.G., date kegged, ABV, etc.

For bottles, I made a dry-erase board with a row of magnets on the side. The brew's name, date bottled, & ABV get written on the white board, and the corresponding cap gets placed on the magnet.

 

[aprichman]

I use a leather bound journal that I found in a free pile. I think it's due to the fact that there is a really tacky peace sign stamped on the front of the leather. I record the recipe, temperatures of mash, notes on fermentation, and sometimes tasting notes.

 

[55x11]

I use Evernote. I follow a general format for each brewday entry. I upload pics as well. I like being able to log in to Evernote at work and update notes or put together new recipes as well. Also, if I'm in the basement and need an ingredient list, I don't have to walk upstairs; I just pull Evernote up on my phone and get the info I need.

I love Evernote and use it as well.
Allows me to enter quick notes, often with photos. I tag them #beernotes and can merge them together later if i like.
I have a long note that contains my full brewing chronological history, as a result - with photos, numbers, prices, temperatures, etc. Very useful.

I also use BeerSmith, but save (cut and paste) BeerSmith recipe into Evernote once brewed.

 

[budbo]

I feel old, I still use Pro Mash

 

[pshankstar]

Something like the following is what I use. The list gets modified from time to time, of course. I attach a few pics from my phone as well. I added a few example notes. I usually update the notes pretty well, so I can keep up with the wins and the fails to learn from and apply to the next batch.

Brewday - 06/22/2015 | Monday

OG -
FG -
ABV -
IBU -
Yeast -
Fermentation temp (STC) -
Fermenter -
Mash Temp -
Mash Efficiency (from Beersmith) -
Brewhouse Efficiency -
Yield - (keg or # of bottles)

Recipe

Grain

Hops

General Notes
Drug ass out of bed at 5:00AM....
Ran out of propane....idiot!....

Mash Notes (with time stamps)
05:15AM - Heat mash water
06:00AM - Mashed in (temp 152)
07:00AM - Mashed out (temp 151)
07:30AM - Start boil
07:52AM - First hops
etc
etc

Updates

06/23/2015 Tuesday 7AM - bubbling good.....
06/27/2015 - little to no bubbling...
07/13/2015 - Sat fermenter out and raised to room temp....
07/19/2015 - kegged the batch!...

Tasting Notes
08/04/2015 - Still waiting impatiently to tap the keg.

Lessons Learned
buy extra propane before starting boil

AWESOME, thank you so much! Already made a template with your format in Evernote. :rockin:

 

[robertus]

I used to jot my notes in one of those small Moleskine journals, but I have a few of those and a four-year-old who likes to move things around when I'm not looking, so I recently started an Excel spreadsheet to track recipes and notes.

 

[55x11]

AWESOME, thank you so much! Already made a template with your format in Evernote. :rockin:

I use Evernote but don't follow specific format. I just add notes as I go along.
But I found it useful to simply cut and paste recipe from Beersmith, with all pertinent information already there. See below as an example (I used "Plain text" for export here, but for Evernote I use recipe or "classic recipe" since Evernote handles tables and images very nicely.

I also use Evernote to save recipes I want to try, articles or comments about beers, photos etc.



Monday, August 3, 2015
Brewed Oatmeal Stout. Running started at ~1.052, finished at 1.010.
Mashed at around 155-158 for ~90min.
First ~4.5 G at around 1.040 gravity (at 155F).
Substituted 1 oz of glacier by 1.45 oz of EKG. Boil ~60min.
Cool down to 90F in 12 minutes, transfer.
About 5 Gallons. SG=1.041, as it should be (target 1.042).
Aerated for 2 min vigorously.
Temperature down to ~70 in ~3-4 hours, and to 64F (18C) overnight. Still going strong, solid krausen. No blow-off tube, a lot of headspace.




Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.48 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 5.98 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 5.00 gal
Fermentation: My Aging Profile
Date: 05 Jul 2015
Brewer:
Asst Brewer:
Equipment:
Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 73.2 %
Taste Rating: 35.0



Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
6 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 72.2 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 2 11.1 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 3 5.6 %
8.0 oz Dark Crystal, English (75.0 SRM) Grain 4 5.6 %
8.0 oz Roasted Barley (500.0 SRM) Grain 5 5.6 %
1.45 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 6 25.3 IBUs
1.0 pkg Irish Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP004) Yeast 7 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 11.25 qt of water at 169.6 F 154.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Add 6.30 qt of water at 198.3 F 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 3.78 gal water at 168.0 F