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Thefatdoghead

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How do you keep your notes on brewing? Do you have a program and back them up, or do you have an old pad with wort spilt on it to keep them? I wan't ideas ? I use beer tools but its just not good enough so I was thinking of making an excel sheet with questions from brewing the beer, to tasting, to having the recipe right next to the answers, so when your drinking the beer you can see what was in it, rather than opening the beer program. Something thats right there in front of you.
Maybe there are already programs that have this option? I would like to hear your thoughts?

:icon_cheers:
 
i do them in my brewing ap which has a space for notes
 
as an old fart i use pen and paper to back up the computer programs, a excersise book costs cents but is priceless when the computer crashes.
 
i do them in my brewing ap which has a space for notes
Yeah thats what beer tools has but it just aint good enough for me. I have to type every detail but I think every beer would be better if I had the same answers to the same questions of each beer.
 
im only adding if something different happens
 
as an old fart i use pen and paper to back up the computer programs, a excersise book costs cents but is priceless when the computer crashes.
Hows the info when you go back through it? Does it help you brew better beer or do you find yourself asking questions which is what Im finding at the moment?
 
Yeah thats what beer tools has but it just aint good enough for me. I have to type every detail but I think every beer would be better if I had the same answers to the same questions of each beer.
Do you mind if I get you to elaborate on this? I only ask as I have to make some sort of computer program for uni next year and I've been hoping to do something brew related and I'm looking for things that haven't previously been done better than I could do them.
 
So you dont brew heaps of styles then? or you've done all the work beforehand?
have a rotating list basically that gets only slight mods ie change one hop or grain.
but almost all of them go through the same hop and boil schedule. as i said only when something different or unexpected happens like running out of gas.
 
Hows the info when you go back through it? Does it help you brew better beer or do you find yourself asking questions which is what Im finding at the moment?
if you take notes through the whole way from recipe to drinking you can refine the beer to suit your palate as you brew the same brew over time.
 
I have a blue notebook with a page for each recipe.

As I'm tasting the beer, I go back and find its recipe page and under the "mash in, boil start" stuff I write a quick note on what the beer is like.

Nothing technical, usually just, "Awesome, do again!" or "hints of grassiness, be careful in future with hop X" or "think I underpitched" etc.

I reckon it's also a great idea to be drinking the beer while looking at the recipe, because ingredient specific flavours get locked in your head. Specially spec malts. When I go back and look through all the notes for the lagers where I was using FM Boh Pils there's a common theme of baby corn that isn't there using non-FM. So the notes can find faults, and/or ingredients you just don't like (caramel rye).
 
Recipes are all on BeerSmith, and I use the Notes page to keep track of mash temps and times, boil volume and length, bottling details etc, and anything else of relevance.
Any problems with the beers at drinking are noted, so I try and not repeat mistakes.
Works for me, and has done for the last 6 years.
 
Recipes are all on BeerSmith, and I use the Notes page to keep track of mash temps and times, boil volume and length, bottling details etc, and anything else of relevance.
Any problems with the beers at drinking are noted, so I try and not repeat mistakes.
Works for me, and has done for the last 6 years.

I use BS2 too, I use the "taste notes" section for the actual batch diary/tasting notes etc and the notes section for recipe notes, ie "based on DSGA" etc

Then when a i rebrew a recipe I make a copy of the last one, mod that, and clear the taste notes section for a new diary

Ie a entry for each day, pitching, cold crashing, etc
 
I set up a google site. Easy to populate and update. Means I can sort brews by yeast, OG, my rating etc. and means I can access recipes and notes most anywhere. Plus somewhere to keep brew pictures with the brew info, end up with picture history from milling to drinking for each brew when I can be bothered taking pictures.
Pencil and paper sound cool too.
 
I use an old fashioned a5 size notebook from Kmart.

First page is used as an index. On the right hand side of the open book I record retails of the recipe and brew day notes. Left hand side is for tasting notes. Works well for me and I find myself regularly looking a it.

For those wanting to bling it up, here's what James from basic brewing uses:

http://basicbrewingshop.com/index.php?main...p;products_id=1
 
I set up a google site. Easy to populate and update. Means I can sort brews by yeast, OG, my rating etc. and means I can access recipes and notes most anywhere. Plus somewhere to keep brew pictures with the brew info, end up with picture history from milling to drinking for each brew when I can be bothered taking pictures.
Pencil and paper sound cool too.

Link?
 
I just print out the Beersmith brewing page, any changes to hop additions I note on the page. O.G. and F.G. is also noted and the page put in one of those pocketed folders, I use one folder for each year.
When drinking the brew I make notes if needed, it's a bit dark, needs more bittering hops etc. I just write on the back of the page.

I have many years of recipies, I also know how much I brew each year.

Batz
 
I just print out the Beersmith brewing page, any changes to hop additions I note on the page. O.G. and F.G. is also noted and the page put in one of those pocketed folders, I use one folder for each year.
When drinking the brew I make notes if needed, it's a bit dark, needs more bittering hops etc. I just write on the back of the page.

I have many years of recipies, I also know how much I brew each year.

Batz

Pretty much the same but I use Hopville.

Silver
 
:icon_cheers: :icon_cheers: Just want to say merry Christmas to you all! Hope everyone is safe and sound drinking homebrew the best beer in the world. Also thanks heaps for all your ideas and how you go about keeping track of brewing your beers. It's really interesting how different everyone does keep notes. The way I do it just isn't going to be good enough and I'd rather type on a computer than write with a pen so written notes are out. The brewi g program is just a way to make recipes so that's out for notes so I might start a xcell spreadsheet while I'm at sea working and dreaming of the next brew with all the detail so I can just punch in the figures and write a short description on tasting notes etc I really like Nick JD's idea of drinking the beer while looking at the recipe to get a good appreciation of the malt profile etc.So I'll sleep on it and see where it gets me. Once again merry Christmas to all you home brewing champions!
 
I reckon it's also a great idea to be drinking the beer while looking at the recipe, because ingredient specific flavours get locked in your head. Specially spec malts.
This is just such a simple but at the same time fantastic idea that I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I hadn't thought of it myself yet. I often look at previous recipes when working on new ones, but it just never crossed my mind to drink the beer at the same time.

My beers are soooo gonna improve from now on, thanks for sharing!
 

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