What app are you using?

[Nickfalco]

I am new here and have done a few batches already but I am wondering what app would be good for a beginner. I have iPhone and was looking to track the process and progress of making my batches as well as put in recipes. Any thoughts?

I searched all over the site and I don't see any current recommendations.

Thank you in advance

 

[SlitheryDee]

Brewers friend seems fairly accurate and very intuitive for beginners. Beersmith is a lot deeper and more capable, but it's also got a bit of a learning curve. I feel like for extract brewing brewers friend gets the job done, but when you move on to all grain you'll want to learn how to use beersmith.

 

[mauer_62]

I started with Beersmith when i first started partial mash. I feel it was the best bang for the buck purchase i made for my brewing needs

 

[kh54s10]

Beersmith is the probably the most used. There is an app for phones but is a trimmed down program. You will probably want the PC version.

Brewer's Friend is online and very popular.

 

[svt412]

I use 'Brewing Assistant' app. Works pretty well for me.. Has mash and boil timers, including alerts for hop additions and everything.

 

[Murphys_Law]

I do all grain BIAB and have been using BF for two years w/o complaint. At the time I was using a work computer and could not install software so a cloud solution was required. it works very well for my needs.

Edit to add: You may also want to check out the Software forum here.

 

[Bigdaddyale]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=84

 

[catdaddy66]

On my iphone I used 'Fermenticus Brewlog' and liked it a lot. Unless you get the pay version you are limited to 5 recipes but I would get around this by exporting the file to my email in order to free up space.

Now I use 'Wort' on my android and have grown to like it but it has minor issues as any app would. No recipe limit though!

 

[pshankstar]

I use Beersmith on my MacBook and on my iPhone. The other members in the brew club I belong to use Brewers Friend. Either one would work for your needs I'm sure. For me, I wanted to pay once instead of a subscription fee and that's why I went with Beersmith. But it also seemed to meet all of my needs I wanted when I was trying to make the decision.

Beersmith - $27.95 (base option desktop)
Beersmith iOS - $7.99

Brewers Friend - $14.99/year
Brewers Friend iOS - $4.99

 

[Kwitty]

I second SlitheryDee. Brewers Friend is simple for starters but almost too simple for advanced brewers. Still excelent software. Beer Smith is Brewers Friend's big brother. Has everything you could possibly need even for a professional brewer. However it does have a good sized learning curve. I've had the program for 8 batches now and I'm just now getting comfortable with it. That said, I wouldn't go back!

 

[Nickfalco]

Great info. Thank you all. I know about the other area of the forum for software but the last thread was Many years ago about apps. Just wanted an updated take. These things change for better or worse over a few years. Thank you again. I appreciate the help.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I've been using Brewer's Friend and I like it so far. I haven't had any issues or felt limited.

When I first started, I tried Beersmith but as a noob I really struggled with it. BF was much easier.

There are other things I use for my brewing too:

Bru'n Water for my water calcs. I start with RO water and build the profile I want. Bru'n Water has worked well to predict PH (well enough that, for similar malt profiles I don't bother checking PH any more).

I mash in a cooler, and Brew365.com has a mash calculator that works really well. I've been within a degree on every brew except the last one, which came in high. Then I realized I used the wrong temp for the grains (house is hotter now that it's summer).

I brewed with a professional brewer back in March and he was impressed when I was within .3 degrees on my mash temp and within a 10th on my ph. (yes, it is a bit stressful to do a homebrew with a guy who's a pro...he asked a lot of questions and almost had me doubting myself, but I stuck to the plan and it turned out nearly perfect).

 

[pshankstar]

Hey OP, brew hardware has Beersmith on sale right now. Normally $27.99 on sale for $21.99.

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/beersmithkey.htm?Click=6524

Just thought I would share this with you if you were interested in Beersmith.

 

[aleks192]

Beersmith once you have everything dialed in works really well but that takes a bit and some trial and error.

Wort Pro was good for mobile and was actually quite versatile as a quick recipe builder and session tracker

 

[JohnSand]

Thank you all. I'm a bit in flux for programs, and thinking of just using an app.

 

[muledogus]

I use BeerAlchemy. I love the iPhone app but what I love more is that I can sync it to my Mac laptop too so both are always up to date with the same info. It is a little pricey but worth it for me considering I can hardly even stand to look at a lot of other softwares UI.

 

[BrewInspector]

Not sure there is an iPhone version but I user BrewR as a recipe and brew day app. Easy to formulate recipes, scale, add additional ingredients and fine tune to your system. Has a boil timer with alarms for additions. Web recipe backup and exchange.

Nothing for mash and sparge volume calculations but that is easy enough for me.

 

[JohnSand]

Thank you both.
I guesstimate my water volume pretty well from prior batches.

 

[Renan Protector]

I've just released a new app for iOS! It's called Brewer! and it helps the management and creation of beer recipes.

Check it out and let me know your feedbacks. http://bit.ly/brewerapp

 

[JohnSand]

Looks interesting. Are you a brewer?

 

[Renan Protector]

Looks interesting. Are you a brewer?

Hey John!

Yes, I've started brewing at the end of the last year and saw that the available apps looks antiquated.

I'm an indie developer and my wife is a graphic designer. So we came together with the idea of the app and just released the first version yesterday. There's still a lot to do and we believe that great software is made with user feedbacks

 

[Manufacturedevolution]

I've just released a new app for iOS! It's called Brewer! and it helps the management and creation of beer recipes.

Check it out and let me know your feedbacks. http://bit.ly/brewerapp

I can't explain why but the thrifty in me won't allow for a $4 purchase of something I can have for free. I just wish what I already use was available on iOS. Your app seems similar in some ways. I like simple and what I use is just that.

 

[DeeEnvy]

I am also a BIAB brewer, but I use Biabicus. It is just a spreadsheet, but a very powerful one. It is really surprising there are not more people using this. There is a slight learning curve to it but once you use it for a brew or two, you will wonder how you ever did without it.

 

[Renan Protector]

I can't explain why but the thrifty in me won't allow for a $4 purchase of something I can have for free. I just wish what I already use was available on iOS. Your app seems similar in some ways. I like simple and what I use is just that.

I understand you. I know it sounds a little bit expensive but that's the way I've found to keep working on those projects. It's a 1-time purchase fee to use the app as long as you want. I have a policy of 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if you don't like it you can request a refund.

As an Indie Developer I need to set prices for the app so I can still focus on improving the app

 

[Beerlad]

Check out beerlad,com, its free. Just relased it. Contains innovative calculation tools. Really want your feedback and feature requests so I can improve it even more!

 

[Throttle79]

I have been test driving Brew Target for the past few months. It is a free open source program similar to BeerSmith. It seems to have many of the same functions as Beer Smith with out the cost!!

 

[Jako]

i use Wort and honestly i really like it. haven't seen anyone talking about it yet. its also free. nothing wrong a fee for a good product but i am a cheapO.

 

[catdaddy66]

i use Wort and honestly i really like it. haven't seen anyone talking about it yet. its also free. nothing wrong a fee for a good product but i am a cheapO.

It's what I use also... Minor issues but am very happy with this program.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

I am new here and have done a few batches already but I am wondering what app would be good for a beginner. Any thoughts?

Thank you in advance

I use ezRecipe because it's easy to learn and easy to use. It's free and available now in both Imperial and Metric formats.

 

[Jako]

It's what I use also... Minor issues but am very happy with this program.

i have only used it once and the beer is still fermenting, i had to much water but i think that's my fault. but i was able to understand it all and i didn't need instructions to work it.

 

[catdaddy66]

i have only used it once and the beer is still fermenting, i had to much water but i think that's my fault. but i was able to understand it all and i didn't need instructions to work it.

That is one of my issues is the water calculations but I am comfortable with my volumes as I go with a bit less water than recommended. Have a small amount of excess (~.5 gal) that I harvest for use in making starters. Other than that Wort has been a pleasure to use.

 

[El Nino]

BeerAlchemy. I can't compare it to other apps since is the only one I use, but it works for me

 

[blackelbow]

I'd also say Brewer's Friend, except for the FG prediction. For that you might instead try this:
http://www.data-brew.com/fg/

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

the final gravity for Brewers friend is highly base on the yeast attenuation so you can change that as a custom attenuation to suit your needs and recently the mash temperature comes into play

 

[lump42]

I prefer Brewers Friend because I can use all the features from any browser on any device. Inventory is especially helpful when at the LHBS. I can work on a recipe in a pointless work meeting, check my stocks, and make a shopping list.

I haven't noticed any issues with my FG. Just like Beersmith, it's accurate once you dial it in to your system.

 

[Nash91]

I’m a newbie extract brewer and I use BrewLog very simple to use and creatd recipes. However no idea what more experienced brewers would say about it

 

[Titan88]

I hate to resurrect a seemingly dead thread, but you should check out my brewing software. Beersmith is what everyone mostly uses (for now), but with mine, you at least get a say in its features and developments.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/custom-brewing-software-free-for-hbt.658663/

 

[kevin58]

I have the Beersmith app on my iPad but find I use it very little. I use the full version of Beersmith on my laptop 95% of the time.

 

[HerbivorousBrewer]

Check out beerlad,com, its free. Just relased it. Contains innovative calculation tools. Really want your feedback and feature requests so I can improve it even more!

I really like the idea behind this! It's fun choosing exactly what you want the beer to taste/smell like and it giving you suggestions. One issue I found is that the initial boil volume for a 5 gallon batch was 24.6 gallons. Slightly off . The other thing I would have really liked is the efficiency percent in the simple recipe calculator. I noticed it's in the advanced one, but I figured since both calculators appear to be for just all-grain brewers, most of them know their efficiency anyway.

Overall I like the idea and will probably use this sometime to make a beer!