Do you use an inventory?

[slash22000]

Only recently started using Beersmith, having used Brewmate for a long time.

Honestly I've found Beersmith is a serious pain in the arse to use. It has many more features than Brewmate, but you need a friggin PHD or something to figure it out. It's just not "instinctive" software at all. Brewmate you can just quickly enter in all your percentages or weights or whatever of every ingredient. Beersmith you need to change every .. ingredient .. individually .. in its own .. little .. window .. <_<

It also has some other seriously weird choices as well. For example, in Brewmate, if you change the volume it defaults to scaling up the recipe. Beersmith dilutes the recipe. I was pulling my hair out and had to Google how to scale a recipe in Beersmith. Turns out there is a button on the top left of the screen (nowhere near any of the other buttons for ingredients) that lets you do it. Why is it not an easy option!? Why would you dilute the recipe by default?!

Also, the way the recipes in Beersmith print out is ridiculous. It takes up like 3 pages full of just extraneous bullshit (why do I want to print out my "Assistant Brewer's Name"? If the field is empty, why not just remove it from the print out!?). I want my recipe on 1 page, in an easily readable format. Apparently impossible.

...

But, yes, I will use the inventory feature when I can be bothered setting it up. At the moment I just keep a spreadsheet.

 

[Smokomark]

I use Beersmith for inventory. I used to have stock level discrepancies due to not removing inventory.
Now I write REMOVED INV on my brew day sheet when I remove inventory from Beersmith.
If there's a brew sheet in my folder without anything written across the top I just simply remove inventory then.
Stock levels have been pretty accurate since doing it this way.

I did send Brad Smith an email a couple of months ago re inventory in the cloud and he said it was something he was working on.

 

[fletcher]

Good question. I only live about 20 mins from craftbrewer but nothing worse than driving out there, coming home and realising that I forgot something. If I had access to my inventory from work it would be awesome.

i just uploaded my spreadsheet, and can change it and edit it using google docs. accessible anywhere. home on brewday, my phone, at work, etc.

 

[Nibbo]

Started a spreadsheet on my ancient laptop that i never use. So i've let it slip.

Will be back onto stock inventory very soon though...

 

[Diesel80]

I use my freezer for Hop inventory (open it and have a look whats left). Generally I will plan brews around what i have left to avoid ending up with too many 'leftovers' buying new stuff all the time.

My Grain bags are my grain inventory. I just look at them and see how full they are and if i need more. Generally keep only two types on hand. MO or an Ale Malt, and a bag of something else for when i want a break from english ales / bitters.

For spec grain I order about 1kg or so of a variety of spec malts and then just use them as i go along. Again, visual inspection is required to update inventory. If i don't have a particular grain i will sub it with what i do have and then plan another order. When I run out of all forms of Crystal Malt, an order goes in for a top up.

This system is pretty fool proof really and whilst it will mean it limits ability to brew certain things, it does also keep things under control with regard to not ending up with many bags of grain etc and having to worry about storage logistics and the Mrs cracking it because there is brewing gear and ingredients turning up around the house as you run out of place to store it!

Cheers,
D80

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

I use my freezer for Hop inventory (open it and have a look whats left). Generally I will plan brews around what i have left to avoid ending up with too many 'leftovers' buying new stuff all the time.

My Grain bags are my grain inventory. I just look at them and see how full they are and if i need more. Generally keep only two types on hand. MO or an Ale Malt, and a bag of something else for when i want a break from english ales / bitters.

For spec grain I order about 1kg or so of a variety of spec malts and then just use them as i go along. Again, visual inspection is required to update inventory. If i don't have a particular grain i will sub it with what i do have and then plan another order. When I run out of all forms of Crystal Malt, an order goes in for a top up.

This system is pretty fool proof really and whilst it will mean it limits ability to brew certain things, it does also keep things under control with regard to not ending up with many bags of grain etc and having to worry about storage logistics and the Mrs cracking it because there is brewing gear and ingredients turning up around the house as you run out of place to store it!

Cheers,
D80

Close to what I did in brissie. Since I could go to CB and grab stuff as I felt like (and could brew), it was a 'have a look' inventory.

Now I'm not near anything, making sure I have an inventory is important.