Recording you brews - what do you use?

davekate · Post by **davekate** » Thursday Nov 25, 2004 5:47 pm

Hi all, I was just wondering what you all use to recode your brews, I have up until now just been writing them down in a log book, but I would like to find something on the PC that I can record the brews in. I am a bit of an excel nut so I was going to have a go at it myself, but I thought I might see if anyone else has already got a system they might like to share.

Cheers
David

goatsby · Post by **goatsby** » Thursday Nov 25, 2004 6:05 pm

Well I used the old balckboard method writer them down with chalk that was 96

Yes i have a excel programme now which i made up , but i do most of drinking in the shed
http://www.abc.net.au/sa/stories/s866677.htm
so when i come inside the horse and switch the computer on I usually go to the sublime directory Big Tits and forget to update.

I prefer the blackboard method in the shed.

Gough · Post by **Gough** » Thursday Nov 25, 2004 7:15 pm

goatsby wrote: so when i come inside the horse

Life is just different in the country, isn't it...

Shawn.

Evo · Post by **Evo** » Thursday Nov 25, 2004 8:17 pm

Gold Gough. Pure gold !

Umm... what was the question again ?

Yeah, being the nerd that I am I wrote my own database program. Stores recipes, works out ABV, total brewing time, all the necessary stuff. Has a web based interface for me and my brewing brothers to enter their brews and posts all the brews on our website. It also includes tasting notes from the brewers and friends that have had the pleasure of drinking em. Hope to update it when I go all grain.

Maybe I should spend less time on beer and computer and actually go and get a life. Nah ! I'm happy here.

Gough · Post by **Gough** » Thursday Nov 25, 2004 9:04 pm

Evo,

Beer + footy (sorry, tragic Knights fan!) = life. Well, a big part of it anyway

Shawn.

Evo · Post by **Evo** » Thursday Nov 25, 2004 9:39 pm

Oh Gough. And I had so much respect for you and your brewing tips. What can I say ? You got it half right, but the Knights ? They don't play footy. They play that "other" game.

Gough · Post by **Gough** » Thursday Nov 25, 2004 9:45 pm

Ah Evo, us working class types up here digging the coal and respecting our betters can only understand the one true game

The evil rah rah's may mock us but they still only function when they buy our players...

Here we go Knights!

Shawn.

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 12:40 am

mmmm footy season, not long to go, (GO FREO!!!!!) until then there is cricket!!!

hey Goatsby/Evo, you keen to share your database/excel sheet? I have one i put together in excel but is very basic, can email to anyone interested. It records basics;
date brewed
style/make
IG and FG
date bottled
taste notes
etc

gregb · Post by **gregb** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 4:04 am

Started recording details on an Excel sheet. Then came back and created an Access database to record brew details. Another computer nerd.

Cheers,

Greg.

Evo · Post by **Evo** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 7:40 am

Well, yeah, you could have mine but it's done in Filemaker Pro and Active Server Pages. So if you have FMP and your website is on a Windows server, then yeah. It'd take a sh*t tin of configuration as well, but if anyone's up for it...

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 9:17 am

Evo,

just checked out your website, pretty cool. The brew links don't appear to be working though!

Also in the links you could add for WA:
Westbrew - http://www.westbrew.com.au (my favourite HBS, top staff, huge range, top prices)
Malthouse - http://www.malthouse.com.au (friendly staff, great advice)

cheers

Simon

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 10:33 am

I used to record them.

They all tasted good so I never bothered to do them again. I just had a basis and I drove on. ie 1 beer kit 1 kilo malt some honey or maple syrup, what else do I have that I can ferment, look my wifes frozen blue berries, she wont miss them. Add some hops, doesn't really matter. This lacksidasical attitude was driven by 1. We never had what I really wanted

2. I love a good adventure. Never the same beer twice. If I ever repeat one I am moving to a different local to get a change in water

Thats why every batch is a whole new ball game. Then I found White Labs Yeast, look out.

Recently shifting into all grains I have been keeping track, only to pay attention to Temp and volumes of grains, extraction efficiencies etc. Once I get that weighed off look out.

Just another Liquor Pig, any old alcohol will do especially if it is free

Dogger

thehipone · Post by **thehipone** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 11:29 am

Just a plain old small notebook for me. I tend to remember pretty well the ingredients in my head, so I just note stuff like the date I brewed and bottled and the hop boiling times, nothing too detailed.

rain · Post by **rain** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 12:00 pm

Hmmmmm?
I used to rather like and admire you blokes, but now I'm not sure.
Beer makers AND computer literate - that pees me a bit.

I can't even get labels to print straight, and my diary of brewing - well, "duh" comes to mind. But, being ever willing to learn, how about someone (any one) pointing me at a computer application costing very little (say, even free) which will allow me to record all the stats before, during and after the MC - that stands for magnificant creation.

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 12:32 pm

Hey Rain,

I found one of those but can't remember where I found it.

Its called Brewers Workshop 4.0. Try a google on that and see what happens.

Google on that, sounds way better than web crawl that or MSN Search that or even Yahoo that,

Ironicly I use the term Yahoo for very sacred moments like when I am staring at work through the rear view mirror on a Friday.

But once again I diagress

Time for another wet

Dogger

Evo · Post by **Evo** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 12:36 pm

Yeah. That website, in fact all my websites are hosted at work (gratis). The joys of being the manager of IT. Was actually thinking of offering Oliver and Geoff some web space (that way we could post photos etc) but as you can see, by the non-operational page, it may not be as reliable as other servers. As IT manager I also have the responsibility of maintaining the servers and at the moment they are r*#ted. Looks like a long and fun weekend ahead. I'll just focus on the $'s.

Cheers for the links though. Can and will put them up now. Any others you can think of it would be good if you could mail em on in to me scott@daking-dom.com

Evo · Post by **Evo** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 12:54 pm

Sorry. That was a response to Grabman's post about five posts ago. Whoops.

sago · Post by **sago** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 2:50 pm

For my last two brews I have written down the bottling date and tossed it in on top of the milk crate.
I bottle in the garage with the t.v. on and Craig and I (Daughters boyfriend) do the filling and capping whilst having a cold ale or plenty.
We are trying to leave the beer for two months to condition hence the need to record the date.
I would find it againgst my principles to use the HOME computer for recording brewing details.
This is the reason our employers provide us with P.C.'s at work.

I reckon unless you are into the full on mash ,grain bit then a notebook is easier.
By the time the computer has booted up you could have written down the relevant info in a book and be halfway down a glass of nectar.
Just another thought:- If you use Coopers cans they have a little info expanding paper that looks like a beer coaster.I noticed that this has a section to record the basics.

grabman · Post by **grabman** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 7:12 pm

rain,
give me your email address and I'll send you the excel sheet I use. Give it a try it may be what you're after.

Simon

Evo · Post by **Evo** » Friday Nov 26, 2004 11:33 pm

Here's a link for a stack of brewing software, including the Brewer's Workshop 4.0 that Dogger mentioned. Worth a look.

http://brewery.org/brewery/Software.html