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dipsal

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Hello folks,

I am making a brewing journal and need some inspiration. How have y'all set up your brewing/beer journal? Digital? Old school paper notebook? Cool designs?

As a way to give something back I have found the templates used for the Moleskine Beer Journal (which is what prompted me to make my own journal in the first place) over here : http://minus.com/mGlBIcKhc/1l

Thanks everyone.
 
I use Brew software (the old version of Beer Smith) for my recipe development, notes and brew day information, no need for anything on paper.
 
BeerSmith,
Originally version 1.
Now version 2.
Installed on the PC and the laptop. I develop the recipe on the PC, and on brewday I load the recipe onto a flashdrive and run it on the laptop in the brewery.
Keeps everything I need to keep, including brewday notes about mash temps and length, boil length etc, and it's all backed up on an external HD in case of a fatal crash.
 
I too use brew software for recipes etc. (Brewmate)
And print them out and keep in a display book so I know what I've brewed.
But would prefer to have something electronically where I can record some basic details of each brew I do including tasting notes.
Was thinking of doing something up in a spreadsheet maybe. But curious to read what others here do
It's a pity brewmate doesn't also have a brewing journal.
 
I write mine. Tried to make it like Jamie Oliver's on his tv show, with the recipe on one page, and what actually happened during the process on the facing page (i typically stuff things up along the way). Lots of drawings & arrows & stuff crossed out & crazy rants & ideas for next brew.

In the back of the journal is my instructions on how to do things like starters, bottling, ferment temps & tips and tricks I've learnt on here interspersed with drawn pics of things like my magnetic stirrer, hydtometer etc with more crazy rants, ideas and theories.

Thought my boys would like to look at it one day especially if they vet into brewing.
 
Ive got an old school leather bound "diary". It is for successful recipes/OG, FG and other details, and a little blurb about the flavour profile, kind of like a recipe book, but this way, if I'm looking for something to brew in a few months that i know was the flavours I'm after, i can look back and find one.

Im toying with the idea of having a photo of each beer in there, and possible additions for next time.
 
There is something so useable about using paper.
I have a basic exercise book and it's just so easy to scribble a note, have arrows pointing everywhere, pics... the lot

But im like this in most things. I love the neatness of using a PC for documents but for ease of use you cant beat the mighty pen
 
I use a simple exel spreadsheet, capture all the key info, brew no. date, name, calc est ABV, ready to drink date (when I bottled), yeast, cost, etc.



Allows me to simply work out the cost per brew and all brews to date, how much beer brewed this year - handy for those "how much have you brewed threads".
Meets all of my needs.

I use Brewmate separately to do the grunt work.



Lemon
smile.gif
 
I just write everything in the notes section in brewmate. My last set of notes were on a vienna lager done at our brew day here in Gero. Notes are short - can't remember what I did. Beer tastes good though.

Cheers
BBB
 
I made a google site, free and you can just copy/paste beersmith reports in. i prefer it over a book as it's access all areas but i can see the attraction of a journal and used to keep something similar before with stocks/recipes/brewdays etc. in.

https://sites.google.com/

 
Started with a pen and paper and manual calculations for everything because i really wanted to understand as much as i could, moved to an excel spreadsheet to keep records and recipes, now use Brewmate and make all sorts of records in the notes section as i go.
Take the notebook into the mancave on brew day...love it. Easier for record keeping and efficient manipulation of formula's IMHO.
 
I think it is still essential to use pen and paper on brew day just to take notes about the little things that don't go to plan so that you can take it into account for next time such as mash temperature variations or and boil off to help customise your system... it helps to give you a better understanding of the process as a whole.
 
I print my brewmate pages and take that with me. Note my targets , volumes etc.

Then keep all these in a folder.


I would like a notebook or some easy system to look them all up again, may have a goo at a google site at some stage.
 

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