# Software Poll



## tangent (6/5/06)

I mention to a few "oldies" that I use software, and they reel back in terror. Seems like, to them, a computer should never be part of the brewing process. But I love to tinker with a recipe with BeerAlchemy for ages without having to calculate IBUs etc.

What floats your boat?

I'd be interested to hear from the pen & paper crowd on this one.
& also to hear of good free software available.


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## T.D. (6/5/06)

I use Beersmith. Like you said Tangent, computer programs are great to use for playing around with recipes. The best thing about it is they calculate all the vital statistics for you - colour, IBU, efficiency, priming sugar etc etc. I must say I do like the idea of going off a pad of paper, and when I actually brew I usually just write rough figures on a piece of paper that Beersmith tells me like the grain and hop bill, and mash/sparge water and temps, and then I just brew off the top of my head. I would hate to have to calculate all the recipe's stats by hand though. The computer programs take all the guess work out of it, and I think they potentially increase consistency too.

I have been finding recently that for the more "stock standard" brews I hardly use beersmith at all. But when I am brewing a style I have never done before, or just trying something new, I reckon they are a really valuable pirce of brewing equipment.


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## BruceL (6/5/06)

Im only an extract brewer. So I wrote my own brew calculator on Excel. Not fancy, but does a good job on simple brews. 

I sometimes use qbrew and The Brew Recipator

Bruce


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## BruceL (6/5/06)

The brew recipator is an online calculaator. I had meant to put the link in above but it didn't work so here it is:

http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator?6202354#tag

Bruce


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## Jazman (6/5/06)

my first partials were pen and paper so if need be i would know how to work it all out but know its promash and i still have to find me old notes with calcs it is good to use pen and paper to kmow how to work it out


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## Trent (6/5/06)

I still work out all my calcs by pen and paper, which, like T.D said can get to be a real pain, though IMO only when I miss my boil gravity target, and madly have to find a calculator and my copy of How to Brew and work out my new additions for my new IBU target! Tangent sent me a link to the Beer Alchemy website, and I have been playing around on that a bit (I use a mac), and it may be the way I will head, but it is a good way to fill in lunch break, working out new recipes, it just takes quite a bit longer than on the computer.
All the best
Trent


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## pb unleaded (6/5/06)

I use nothing.
When I brew AG I use 5kg of pale malt and 50-60g of hops in a 20lt batch. I don't bother about the efficiency, colour, SG etc.


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## Tony (6/5/06)

used to do it on pen and paper too.......then i bought promash.

had a go at the trial version of beersmith but didnt like it much.

but thats me  It is a bit more simplera to use but i like to overcomplicate things 

cheers


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## Doc (7/5/06)

Wow, Promash and Beersmith neck and neck.
I have both, but still prefer Promash. 

Doc


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## tangent (7/5/06)

well i know there's more than just me using BeerAlchemy


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## Aaron (7/5/06)

tangent said:


> well i know there's more than just me using BeerAlchemy
> [post="124793"][/post]​


But nobody else is willing to admit they are running MacOS 

I have been using promash and beersmith. I have also been using Brewsta. I like Brewsta as I can use it regardless of what system I am on (Linux/BSD.....). The more I use Brewsta the more I like it. I can see myself moving to it permanently in the near future.


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## Bobby (7/5/06)

i have both and also prefer promash.


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## sah (7/5/06)

I used to use Promash but gave Beersmith a stab recently and I think I'll stick with it.

I know one brewer who prefers Beertools http://www.beertools.com over promash because he has found the results are more accurate. They are developing and testing a non-web based application now too.

Scott


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## doglet (7/5/06)

I have been using ProMash and have just started playing around with Beersmith. I am enjoying Beersmith as it is all in one window and I don't end up with 2 or 3 open like in ProMash. Setting up the programs will take a few brews and I'll run them side by side for a while I think.

The only thing I wish is that both could get a more 'user friendly' grip on batch sparging.


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## nifty (7/5/06)

I use both. 

I first started with Beersmith and was happy with it for ages. Like Doglet said everything is in 1 window. I then tried Promash and found it a better program in some respects and prefer it over Beersmith. 

1 thing it doesn't have is a decent brew sheet that I can print out and refer to on the day. Even though the brew sheet is not essential to have, I still like to look at the steps involved in the brew day and I always record my times and gravities etc on it for future reference. 

I now use Doc's Promash convertor to xml and import it in to Beersmith and print out the brew sheet.

nifty


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## Airgead (8/5/06)

Guys

I had to vote Other. I use Strangebrew which I find excelellnt. I seem to be the only one in the world who uses it. I don't know why it isn't more popular. Its cheaper than promash and does pretty much everything promash does. Its easier to use than any of the others I've seen (IMHO YMMV etc etc) and it uses the standard beerXML format so you can share recipies.

Cheers
Dave


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## SJW (8/5/06)

I use Beersmith, I find it get the job done. Its only a tool to get the basics on track when putting together a recipe.


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## Trough Lolly (9/5/06)

Doc said:


> Wow, Promash and Beersmith neck and neck.
> I have both, but still prefer Promash.
> 
> Doc
> [post="124789"][/post]​



Yeah, I just pushed Promash in front by a vote!! :super: 
Ditto the rest of your reply...

TL


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## Batz (9/5/06)

I find Beersmith easier to use than Promash

Easier is better for Batz when computers are involved  

Batz


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## Samwise Gamgee (9/5/06)

Promash gets my vote and i use pen a paper too.


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## warrenlw63 (9/5/06)

8 Year ProMash user. :beerbang: 

Come to think of it I'd be stumped if I knew how to formulate a recipe without it.  

Warren -


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## jayse (9/5/06)

Use both beersmith and promash here but voted for promash as thats what i prefer. I might aswell add some points to my post, I like how you can have more than one promash loaded at a time so you can be working on several recipes at once without having to close and open them all the time, you can have many recipes on screen at once.
Beersmith i like the left hand section lay out with the folders and so forth.

I don't generally use software for anything other than recipe formulation. Water needed for mash and sparge, dead spaces, kettle loss and what not i just work out in my head on the day as after brewing for so long and getting to know your system all that stuff becomes automatic and easy to work out in your head quickly. Although i have programmed it all into the software anyway most brewers never need to look at it after a few brews.

Oh yeah and my first 50 odd brews were all pen and paper and calculator, I'd recomend most brewers learn how the actuall calculations are done but of course its one of those things you don't have to know to make great beer.

Alcohol fueled brewtality
Jayse


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## Millet Man (9/5/06)

I voted for Excel but...

I use Promash for recipe formulation, useful for converting regular recipes to gluten free - punch in the recipe from BYO etc.. then start substituting products. The only thing it won't do for me is handle the complex mash schedule I use and I find the carbonation options a bit light on.

I have a spreadsheet I developed for recipe record keeping and the mash schedule, I punch all the recorded actuals back into this at the end of the day so I have a good record of all my experiments, helps me track the perfomance of my malt quality as well.

Cheers, Andrew.


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## warrenlw63 (9/5/06)

jayse said:


> Oh yeah and my first 50 odd brews were all pen and paper and calculator, I'd recomend most brewers learn how the actuall calculations are done but of course its one of those things you don't have to know to make great beer.
> 
> Alcohol fueled brewtality
> Jayse
> [post="125302"][/post]​



C'mon Jayse, how did you work out IBUs and EBC units when you run out of fingers? :lol: 

That's the thing these days. I'm so attuned to ProMash I'd be buggered as to how I'd figure out my bittering hop levels and how much roast to add to a dark beer.  

I sort of got ProMash the day I started A/G brewing. In fact if the computer spat it I'd almost have to cancel my brewday. :blink: 

Warren -


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## mje1980 (9/5/06)

If there is an easier program to use than beertools, i'd like to know, its just too easy to use. Promash is for squares  

Flame suit on!!


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## deebee (3/1/07)

Bumping this.

Interested in the result and wonder if any didn't vote the first time round.

I am a rule o' thumb man and go pen and paper for partials and extract brewing. Have tried promash for AG and not sure whether to buy it or one of the others. Simpler is better for me and I like Batz's advice so far.


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## peas_and_corn (3/1/07)

I voted promash. I just find that it makes sense to me.


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## stoutdrinker (3/1/07)

I've only done a few AG brews so far and they have been with pen & paper in one hand and Palmers how to brew in the other. It all made sense but was a bit slow. I ended up buying Promash and like the way you can tweak recipes & see how the ibu's & colour change automatically. Even the inventory function is ok.


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## PostModern (3/1/07)

I'm a Promash user, but looking long and hard at registering Beer Tools Pro.


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## Cortez The Killer (3/1/07)

I'm gonna be using promash. 

I've had a good play and understand the functions now

Cheers


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (4/1/07)

Up until recently when Santa dropped Beersmith down the chimney, I was using Recipator, the online freebie from HBD.
A bit limited but that suits my pc skills, well worth a look.


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## sah (4/1/07)

I like Beersmith and will keep using it for a lot of things (if I can get it working again). I have bought Beer Tools Pro though as it comes highly recommended for its recipe tool.

regards
Scott


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## albrews (4/1/07)

PostModern said:


> I'm a Promash user, but looking long and hard at registering Beer Tools Pro.
> [/quote
> '
> hi, from analysis of recipes on beertools by "raydownunder" the bitterness calculated by beertools is approx 20% higher than an average calculation.
> ...


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## lonte (4/1/07)

When this poll was first published I was a ProMash user but have since switched to Beersmith just 'cos it's so much simpler (to me) to use. I also regiustered BeerTools Pro as I liked the web integration but then found out you couldn't upload recipes developed on the native client to the web, you can only d/l from the web to the client. If (when?) they add that upload functionality I'll be giving BeerTools another check over.


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## wedge (4/1/07)

ProMash all the way. After doing a few brews now i can calculate what should make a good brew day ie 5kg grain, hops and me, but still really rely upon Promash


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## fixa (4/1/07)

Beersmith for me. I found promash far too complicated.


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## cubbie (8/1/09)

In light of the Best Software thread floating around today I thought I may bump this poll. I use Promash, but the lack of updates and support has me thinking about trialling BeerSmith


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## clean brewer (8/1/09)

I find Beersmith quite good, now im onto AG, i just set up all my ingredients seperately in what I have in Stock(inventory), and I dont have to worry about all the ingredients that is pre-installed on there..

Another forum member set mine up as there is a couple gliches on there, i just punch in my ingredients as I go for each recipe and slowly build it up that way.. The brewsheet that you can print off makes things very easy on brewday..

Cheers


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## TidalPete (8/1/09)

cubbie said:


> In light of the Best Software thread floating around today I thought I may bump this poll. I use ProMash, but the lack of updates and support has me thinking about trialling BeerSmith



I have been thinking similar thoughts lately but am reluctant to discard ProMash as there is no real way to transfer my recipes from ProMash to BeerSmith except for Doc's program which I have yet to try out.
A search on the subject has led me to believe that Doc's conversion prog is not quite 100% efficient?
Would love it if you could put my mind at rest Doc. :icon_cheers: 

TP :beer: 

PS --- Can quite understand Jeffery Donovan's lack of progress in updating ProMash what with his wife's illness taking top priority.


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## cubbie (8/1/09)

TidalPete said:


> I have been thinking similar thoughts lately but am reluctant to discard ProMash as there is no real way to transfer my recipes from ProMash to BeerSmith except for Doc's program which I have yet to try out.
> A search on the subject has led me to believe that Doc's conversion prog is not quite 100% efficient?
> Would love it if you could put my mind at rest Doc. :icon_cheers:
> 
> ...




I was about to :angry: at you until I finished reading your sentence. Yes I think his priorities lie elsewhere.


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## TidalPete (8/1/09)

cubbie said:


> I was about to :angry: at you until I finished reading your sentence. Yes I think his priorities lie elsewhere.



Cubbie,

Why would you get upset at my post? I thought that my reply was quite self-explanatory?
PM me if you want?

TP :beer:


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## mika (8/1/09)

What updates does Promash need ? It's one of the things I'm actually enjoying about it. Unlike Windoze and other associated programs that are forever 'updating' and replacing the good features with annoying new ones that don't work, so then there's version 2.03, but then it drops out something that's been there since the birth of the program, so you've got to upgrade to version 4.82 when it finally becomes available.
Quite frankly...stuff the updates. If it works, leave it alone !

[\rant]


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## boingk (8/1/09)

I voted 'pen and paper' as that describes me most of the time, although I prefer the feel of a pencil. Call me old fashioned. For style matching and other messing around I use a free program called 'Brew Wizard' that was recommended in a thread here not too long ago. It works for my uses.

Cheers - boingk


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## cubbie (8/1/09)

TidalPete said:


> Cubbie,
> 
> Why would you get upset at my post? I thought that my reply was quite self-explanatory?
> PM me if you want?
> ...




Nah mate I am not upset. I just read the "Can quite understand Jeffery Donovan's lack of progress in updating ProMash" and thought to myself hang on the guys wife is sick, but then you went on to say that.

It was only a slight frown and then a ahh as i finished reading.


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## Angry (8/1/09)

Qbrew for me.

Being a Mac user and a tight ass (it's free) made it an easy choice.

Of the Mac native apps I found Beer Tools to be excellent and if I decide to buy a program that will be the one.

Might just wait for the aussie dollar to make a bit of a comeback first.


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## Thirsty Boy (8/1/09)

I'm a very happy pro-mash user - there are maybe a couple of things that could do with updating... but then again, it works well enough now so who cares if it doesn't get updated.

and it has the lovely advantage of being free - the trial version works forever and does all the things you need it to. It just wont "save" more than 3 or 4 new recipes or sessions or whatever. If you are willing to write down your recipes then you never have to pay.

I paid


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## barls (8/1/09)

Angry said:


> Qbrew for me.
> 
> Being a Mac user and a tight ass (it's free) made it an easy choice.
> 
> ...


i use beer alchemy found it better than beer tools and qbrew.


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## Franko (8/1/09)

Im with you Barls

Beer Alchemy


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## NickB (8/1/09)

+2 BeerAlchemy - one of the best purchases I've ever made for my Mac 

Cheers


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## peas_and_corn (9/1/09)

mika said:


> What updates does Promash need ? It's one of the things I'm actually enjoying about it. Unlike Windoze and other associated programs that are forever 'updating' and replacing the good features with annoying new ones that don't work, so then there's version 2.03, but then it drops out something that's been there since the birth of the program, so you've got to upgrade to version 4.82 when it finally becomes available.
> Quite frankly...stuff the updates. If it works, leave it alone !
> 
> [\rant]



I use Promash but there are a bunch of hops and grains that just aren't there- I was putting in the Dark Wheat Dunkelweisen recipe and Choc Wheat wasn't in the grain database (well, I couldn't find it at least...). that's the most important thing that needs updating IMO.


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