Beersmith

[Vossy1]

Got a few questions for any of you guys who use beersmith.

It is possible to input a target OG and then input a %age of each fermentable, Beersmith then calculating the weights?
I know it's possible to enter new grain into your inventory, but how do I change the extract potential into something I recognise :hmm:

 

[warra48]

I'm not sure BeerSmith will allow you to do exactly what you ask. However, there are ways to manipulate your recipes.

Firstly, I'd go to Tools, Options, Units, and set your desired units, ie metric, imperial etc.
Then specify Ingredient Increments. I've set mine for .1 litre batch size, 10 gr grains, 1 gr hops.

Then go to New Recipe. Input a recipe with your ingredients for what you want to brew, and select your Batch Size, and Brewhouse Efficiency.
In Beer Profile, it will then show what it calculates to be your OG Estimate.
If you are under or over what you plan, you can click on each individual component to highlight it, and then use the Increase Amount or Decrease Amount buttons to manipulate the OG Estimate to what you want.

You can then do the same with your hops to achieve your desired IBU and Bitterness Ratio.

Hope it helps.

 

[EskiBrew]

It is possible to input a target OG and then input a %age of each fermentable, Beersmith then calculating the weights?

Don't think so. I could potentially add that facility to the forum recipe tool if you think it would be used.

I know it's possible to enter new grain into your inventory, but how do I change the extract potential into something I recognise :hmm:

Take your gravity points (e.g. 1036) and subtract 1000 then multiply by (approx) 8.328 to get degree litres per kilo. e.g. 1036 - 1000 = 36 then do 36 * 8.328 = 300 deg l/kg. :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

Firstly, I'd go to Tools, Options, Units, and set your desired units, ie metric, imperial etc.Then specify Ingredient Increments. I've set mine for .1 litre batch size, 10 gr grains, 1 gr hops.

Thanks warra. I've got those set to my preferences already :thumb:

Then go to New Recipe. Input a recipe with your ingredients for what you want to brew, and select your Batch Size, and Brewhouse Efficiency.
In Beer Profile, it will then show what it calculates to be your OG Estimate.
If you are under or over what you plan, you can click on each individual component to highlight it, and then use the Increase Amount or Decrease Amount buttons to manipulate the OG Estimate to what you want.
You can then do the same with your hops to achieve your desired IBU and Bitterness Ratio.

Yep, that's the question I'm asking, can you avoid having to do this.

Don't think so.

That's a shame. One thing that niggles me when preparing recipes using beersmith is having to 'play' with the grain weight to get what I want. At the moment I am working it out long hand and that kind of negates the point of using BS

I could potentially add that facility to the forum recipe tool if you think it would be used.

As a noob it may be easier to use as you wouldn't have a clue what figures to input for a recipe. Having said that you also wouldn't have an idea about percentages :hmm: I suppose for a 100 pale it would be a doddle.

EB, I know the extract potential in deg/ltr of my malt, but beersmith has it as extract potential 1.000. How do you convert deg/ltr to a 1.000 potential figure. I seem to remember its the amount of extract using 1kg in 1 ltr but can't find the info for love nor money, not represented as 1.000 anyway
I would imagine I can use the formula above, will have a look later.

I'm having a blonde moment :lol:

 

[Wez]

Being able to input %ge's would be great EB :thumb:

 

[EskiBrew]

EB, I know the extract potential in deg/ltr of my malt, but beersmith has it as extract potential 1.000. How do you convert deg/ltr to a 1.000 potential figure. I seem to remember its the amount of extract using 1kg in 1 ltr but can't find the info for love nor money, not represented as 1.000 anyway
I would imagine I can use the formula above, will have a look later.
I'm having a blonde moment :lol:

:lol: very good.

Take your deg ltr/kg figure (e.g. 300) and divide by 8.328 then add 1000.
e.g. 300 / 8.328 = 36 (rounded). Therefore 36 + 1000 = 1036 points (or 1.036 SG).

Hope that helps :thumb:

 

[Aleman]

I work all my grain weights out based on % extract(Rather than % Grain Weight), which is a great way of doing it . . . as far as I know there is only one software program that allows you to do this (Apart from my spreadsheet ) which is Graham Wheelers Beer Engine.

I love the way with TBE that you can say I want 15% of the IBU to come from the 90 Minute addition, 60% from the 15 Minute, and 25% from the 5 Minute, which is the way I happen to think about things when formulating a recipe

 

[Vossy1]

Thanks EB, a couple of the extract figures in my Beersmith were out, by quite some way :thumb:
Aleman, that is a very useful calculator, love the %ages for working out....very handy
Well worth a look at EB :thumb:

One last question, I'm re-working a recipe from Ollossons book for one of my fav recipes.
I've worked out the contributions by weight, easy enough, but I can't proportion the weight to potentials, as it includes invert sugar in the boil. I've worked out the individual contributions but totalled they give a gravity of 47 when the recipe is for 44.

I'm assuming that the extract figures for the malts are out...so...I'm working the recipe backwards assuming that the only known potential contribution is from the invert sugar, which should be 100% fermentable.

The problem is that Beersmith gives golden syrup as 1.036 and invert sugar as 1.046, while wheeler gives invert with an extract potential as 319 deg (about 1.038)

Once I know the cotribution of the golden syrup I can easily work out the contribution from the malt, and hence know when to stop sparging.

Help :wha:

 

[EskiBrew]

I'm assuming that the extract figures for the malts are out...

When you say out, that is a moot point. Potentials will vary from batch to batch of grain because of growing conditions etc therefore the figures in any program will never be "correct". Ideally, work it out using the figures you have for your malt (if you got it from the maltster then you have the specifications for it). Often, people will not have any idea what figure their specific bag of grain has so the best we can do is use average figures for a number of years.

The problem is that Beersmith gives golden syrup as 1.036 and invert sugar as 1.046, while wheeler gives invert with an extract potential as 319 deg (about 1.038)

:hmm: You've got me there :wha:

 

[Vossy1]

When you say out, that is a moot point. Potentials will vary from batch to batch of grain because of growing conditions etc therefore the figures in any program will never be "correct". Ideally, work it out using the figures you have for your malt (if you got it from the maltster then you have the specifications for it). Often, people will not have any idea what figure their specific bag of grain has so the best we can do is use average figures for a number of years.

That's what I meant by 'out' but couldn't be bothered typing it :lol:
I still need a fixed reference point ie, the invert sugar to say what contribution the malts gave to the OG :hmm: ...and then I find mixed figures for invert :lol:
I don't understand why 100% fermentable sugar ie, invert and golden syrup, have different potentials :wha: ..is it moisture content?