How do you track your brews?

[muppix]

Gyle is the brewing name for a batch. So for a simple brew, I'd just have a number code - 73 or whatever.

Thanks for explaining that to me, didn't know that. (told you I was green!)

It's fairly rare for me to keep it that simple though, I usually split a batch into gallon buckets to try different yeasts or dry hops or temperatures - in which case it might be 73PJ for the Proper Job yeast, or 73-23 for WLP023.

It's quick and easy to do, and if you want something fancier if you're giving the odd bottle away or something, then as squirt of propanol or meths will wipe off the markerpen and you can then do a proper label, or write on the bottle with white pen or something.

I think this is likely where I'll end up with, though unfortunately my handwriting's crap following years of keyboard-bashing and I'm afraid even I won't know what's in those bottles. Still, it's a nice 'analogue' feel, especially those white markers.

For cleaning off labels, yours or commercial ones, the best thing are stainless steel scourers like this

Cheers - got some Brillo pads by the utility room sink that are there to help with stubborn curry remains, should do the trick. I once used a spare plastic FV to wash out recycled bottles, and one of the labels unexpectedly came off and glued itself to the base of the bucket, despite soapy water. Was a real bugger to shift too ...

 

[Dulwich North]

You're right, but I used to write quite a bit of code in a 'previous life'

That's kind of where I am too. You may not thank me for this tip, but WP supports custom SQL tables and these have the big benefit that you can define them however you want and query them directly - this is better than using custom post metadata and being forced to use the API. Still, you'll wish you did it in Excel or a notepad.....

The advantage of the neck collars is speed, there's no residue on the bottle, and they look good if you store bottles on shelves. If I ever switch to crown caps, I would probably adapt the system by getting a range of coloured caps (Gererbrewed do mixed bags) and shiny stars - similar to someone else's suggestion. Maybe this method would work better if one stored bottles in boxes?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I like this, and as soon as I get the hang of PHP I shall include it in my own solution, same for the days / weeks / months display. There's gotta be some cool ways of representing that graphically as well, i.e. overlaying the soonest-to-expire brews in one's arsenal over a calendar heat-map weighted for weekends and public holidays...

Ah but then you also have to adjust for amount left, and balancing dark/pale - reminds me of something I did ages ago for my wine cellar. I must admit, I find myself using Google Sheets for the "simple" stuff (anything that can be done just with sheet functions, albeit sometimes several lines long) these days.

got some Brillo pads by the utility room sink that are there to help with stubborn curry remains, should do the trick.

Brillos are OK, but the stainless ones are way better for anything stubborn, the extra roughness makes a big difference on the glue on commercial labels, particularly the metallic ones.

 

[Henders]

When I started (3 years ago) I went straight to Brewersfriend, using their recipe builder (via Greg Hughes book) and the brew day tick box list thing.

I go in and out of using that checklist on the day, and last brew I just used the book and found it less hectic. But I still updated my inventory which is one of my favourite features of the aforementioned.

Given I plan everything else in my life to the nth degree this lackadaisical approach doesn't align but other than the klarstein cutting out for presumably wet reasons, I think it went well!

In 6 months when I try to remember what made this IPA good/bad I'll probably change my mind though.

Edit: oh I tend to track what's in kegs with a chalkboard in the house and so far only one tap so easy in/on the keezer.

 

[muppix]

You may not thank me for this tip, but WP supports custom SQL tables and these have the big benefit that you can define them however you want and query them directly - this is better than using custom post metadata and being forced to use the API. Still, you'll wish you did it in Excel or a notepad.....

That's the thing, I'm trying for the sweet spot between hassle and functionality. With custom tables I may end up regretting not writing it from scratch rather than going the WP route, and though I like ACF a lot I sometimes with I had the flexibility of DB views and / or stored procedures. Not for this brewing-log project, for another little headache I'm nurturing. But that's a whole other story ...

Neck collars isn't something I'd considered, and it has a certain appeal, maybe some potential to get crafty. Most of my bottled brews are already in boxes (and on plastic trays) ... in case they go pop.

 

[muppix]

When I started (3 years ago) I went straight to Brewersfriend, using their recipe builder (via Greg Hughes book) and the brew day tick box list thing.

Cheers Henders - nice to see another Berkshire soul since I worked in Reading many years ago. Would you say the Greg Hughes book has been a big influence in where you are today? I'm hoping to go AG before too long (kegs are also on the distant horizon) so I'm open to all advice.

 

[Henders]

Cheers Henders - nice to see another Berkshire soul since I worked in Reading many years ago. Would you say the Greg Hughes book has been a big influence in where you are today? I'm hoping to go AG before too long (kegs are also on the distant horizon) so I'm open to all advice.

Ah are you still around this area? :)

Regarding the book yeah. Like a BBC presenter avoiding a telling off I'll say there are many books out there for everyone :p. But this one yes. It had the right balance of pictures, tables, easily understandable recipe pages for my beginner brain when I was contemplating a Klarstein thing. And it's pretty much been a go-to for at least baseline recipes if not the whole thing ever since.

So yes, I love it! I've since started reading about yeast and hop science but the Greg book just helps me keep things simple. Hope that helps :).

 

[muppix]

Ah are you still around this area? :)

Nope. Presently clinging to a rock in the Irish Sea, though I sometimes slip out when they're not looking. Or I used to, anyway - not exactly incentivised to leave of late.

But thanks for the heads-up on the book. It's in my Amazon basket right now and I'm going to read it cover-to-cover before I finalise my AG kit list. Good to hear your feedback as it meshes well with that of others, and I can certainly get behind the whole 'beginner brain' thing.

 

[yrhendystu]

I have a spreadsheet on my Google drive to track the brews so I can access it whenever.

The columns are...
Brew number, my code name for the brew, quantity, the kit name, what fermentables and extras. Date started, OG, FG, %, date bottled, container used and then how long it's been conditioning.

Spreadsheet allows me to collate info easily plus it means it can do the % calculations and difference between dates automatically. If anyone wants any spreadsheet help just ask.

 

[HockleyPete]

Excel Spreadsheet here too - keep a log of the brews and some basic info (Volume/ Time in Fermenter/ Kit Cost etc) and notes and a small screenshot of the Tilt readings on each row.
Also keep a vague track of overall kit spend and volume made and some links to useful online calculators

 

[HarryFlatters]

One thing I do to keep track of what's going on with my kegs (I have 7) is I bought stick on whiteboard paper stuff from amazon, so I know what's in each keg, when it was kegged, approx abv, if it's got oxy, starsan or if it's cleaned, sanitised, purged and ready to fill.

 

[Richard_H]

For all the ingredients needed for a brew then a word document with the help of Brewers Friend, easy to store and handy for ordering grains online. Also good for detailed notes after the brew.

However I will not go without my trusted notebook and pen, IMO vital for an instant reference on a brewday for an instant glimpse (I write down the weight of grains for each brew for this reason) make any notes without the hassle off firing up the PC and handy for gravity readings, conditioning time etc. Not fussed if it gets some sticky wort on it too.

 

[chthon]

In GIT, with a bunch of spreadsheets.

I actually developed my own brewing model (but I tested, modified and calibrated it against Brewtarget(1)).

My model consists of a couple of spreadsheets (LibreOffice Calc):

• The main spreadsheet with the base model, where I can enter a whole bunch of parameters, and where the amount of malt and adjuncts is automatically calculated dependent upon the percentage I want to use in the brew. I also recently added an IBU calculator (Tinseth), based on my hop inventory. On this sheet I can also enter my measurements, and my expected values are also shown, so that I can immediately compare.
• A spreadsheet where I summarise my brews, with the used yeast and the attenuation obtained, to track the average attenuation of used yeasts. I also keep here the alcohol resistance of those yeasts.
• The first spreadsheet actually references this second one, so that upon selection of a yeast in the first spreadsheet, the fermentable calculation adjusts the amount of fermentables needed. Also, the required alcohol content is matched against the yeast and a warning is given when there is too much alcohol for the yeast.
• In a third spreadsheet I keep a list of purchased hops and their harvest date, and when opened or referenced, their adjusted alpha acid level can be used
• In yet another spreadsheet, I can calculate my water additions, although only for CaCl and CaSO4. I enter the amount of water, the desired Ca level, and the Cl:SO4 ratio, and I get in gram how much of both I need to add to my RO water.
• I keep a folder per year, create folders for each recipe, and then commit them in GIT. This makes it easy to store them in other places.

(1): One problem with Brewtarget is the volatility of its underlying database in case the program was incorrectly shut down. Me and my brother already suffered data loss because of this.

 

[chthon]

This is how the front spreadsheet looks:

In case you wonder: the orange fields are to enter values, the green fields are calculated.

 

[An Ankoù]

This is how I do it: The recipe gets written in an old A4 diary together with thoughts from previous versions, formulation, mash and fermentation conditions and details of Pitching, Racking, Dry Hopping and Bottling. Tasting notes are at the bottom. The baggage label contains details of OG, Pitching, Racking, DH, Bottling dates, OG, FG and yeast used and its generation. This slips over the airlock or the tap. The bottle label has details of bottling date, abv, yeast used and generation in case I want to keep it for culturing in the future. Sorry the photos are so crap.

 

[Stonedhouse]

Spreadsheet fan here too !

Not only with timings and water quantities calculated for individual recipes but each with individual links to my "stock" availability of ingredients too.

I think I may be addicted to spreadsheets.......... yes I have one for Xmas present spend / distribution too

 

[muppix]

This is how the front spreadsheet looks:

Dude, that is some serious high-calibre spreadsheetery right there. Respect!!!

 

[SteveElder]

I always date each recipe and record in BeerSmith.... I keep the Session notes pretty full.

 

[phillc]

@chrisbardell I really do like the kanban approach for managing tasks, but had never really thought about it as a brewing management software tool. I extensively use a tool called Kanboard at work, it's hosted on premises and is open source. Another similar tool called Wekan, also open source and a bit prettier out of the box. I'm always a bit hesitant to use online services like Trello, in case they decide to shut down and one is unable to export the data. This even more so for Trello now it's been bought by Atlassian, who already have a competing product called Jira. However, Wekan for example does support import of Trello boards, which is nice. For general personal tasks, I use a kanban issues board in a private GitLab repository.

My brewing management has been quite pathetic to date. I use a spreadsheet to track high level aspects like general style, OG, SG, which yeast I pitched, the fermenter I used, the brewing date, bottling date and some general notes. I also have a notebook where I scribble recipes and mash steps. Recently I discovered the Brew Target software which looks nice, and is once again open source. After initial installation and a poke around earlier this week, the software looks much nicer than their website would have led me to believe. Some days I dream of coding up something myself, then other things like family, work, brewing, drinking and general lack of motivation get in the way.

Edit: This thread reminded me that I once found a brewing records spreadsheet that I meant to investigate one day. Anyway, there's a Free Resource page on the Hibernian Brewing School website. The spreadsheet is there, along with a few other documents. The website seems to be a bit fickle, so I attached the brew records spreadsheet here anyway.

 

[muppix]

I'm always a bit hesitant to use online services like Trello, in case they decide to shut down and one is unable to export the data. This even more so for Trello now it's been bought by Atlassian, who already have a competing product called Jira.

All together now: "I haven't lost my mind, it's attached to a Jira ticket!"

But seriously, I'd hate to count the hours I spent with that product over the years. To be fair most of the Atlassian stuff is pretty slick, but some corporations tend to justify their spend by using it for absolutely everything, to the point where it becomes a self-serving barrier to progress. We've all been there, I'm sure.

That said I too share the view that it's dangerous to become too reliant on any one cloud service, especially if there's no standards-based import/export facility. Often there isn't, because that partially defeats the the commercial "stickiness", so whenever possible I try to only put my content (i.e. time and effort) into something I can operate independently on my own lapt- [ahem] infrastructure.

Wordpress was pretty much a no-brainer here, since it's a free, widely used open source platform with infinite customisation / expansion options, and since I need to keep my design skillz sharp against the onslaught of all this incoming beer. So far I'm using only custom post types and taxonomy to track brews and notes, and trying to steer clear of any need for a bespoke theme by using shortcodes to get data from the back end into widgets and onto the page. Ideally this will let me share the plugin with the wider world if it ever becomes useful, if not then it'll still be a self-contained, infinitely malleable way of tracking my brewing projects.

At least until other things like family, work, brewing, drinking and general lack of motivation get in the way.

Now, why is this glass empty ... ?