Keeping Records

[thecrossinn]

Starting with a couple of kits I have and then moving on to extract brewing and eventually BIAB. What details should I record from my brews to be of most use to me as I progress?

Apologies originally posted this in the wrong index.

 

[Sly Fox]

The recipes. A log of specific gravity and temperature throughout fermentation. Finally, don't forget to write some notes on what each brew turned out like. I find nothing more frustrating than digging through my old beer recipes with no idea whether they turned out any good.

 

[bobsbeer]

It really depends on if you want to repeat your recipes. Or identify a problem. The basics apart from the ingredients I record are yeast, og and ph. Length of fermentation, and dates of racking, bottling etc.

 

[CaptainMallard]

I'm doing beer kits, not extract, but here are some thoughts . . .

Date and time of when you do things - I frequently forget when I did something so aren't sure how many days its had.

Ingredients & quantities. eg bottled water; treated tap water; or reverse osmosis water? Cane sugar; inverted sugar (eg golden syrup); dextrose or beer enhancer? Spray malt (how much and how light/dark)? Yeast.

How long do you boil for?

Anything you observe - unexpected scum floating on top. I use a camera to help me with this.

Gravity readings (starting, and when checking to see if its ready for bottling).

Temperature measurements, when you do them. I started off doing them every 3 hours (like a worried new parent), now I only check it if its been very cold and/or I've put the tray heater on, which might make it too warm (like a parent on their 5th child ). { Note to self: I must get on and build a brew fridge - I've read some excellent guides in the brewing how to section, that make it look like childs play }

How much priming sugar you use; and type of sugar. I've just started batch priming, so I'll need to see how much sugar works for me. I've seen numbers like 80g - 110g for 23L depending on style - more for largers, dissolved in 500ml of boiling water. I might try drawing 500ml of beer out and boiling that to dissolve the sugar.

M

 

[danb]

I write recipe, target and actual volumes and gravities. Strike temp and temp hit. Water volumes. Yeast used and temp rehydrated. A list of any problems. Then temps of ferment etc with dates of change. Priming details and then finally tasting info.

 

[ian808]

I just brew kits at the moment but I've started to keep records. I record dates that I do anything, what I've added, OG and FG readings and any in between and then what it's like when drinking. Then I'll know if to do again or if i could change anything to make better. I just use a notepad to keep everthing

 

[tonyhibbett]

I find small details such as variations in ingredients and techniques are well worth recording, as well as comments on the end result. The best records, of course, are the bottles of wine set aside to mature, because they change over time. Sometimes I record notes on the back label and am even considering generating bar codes for the labels, linked to a database.

 

[boozy_shoes]

I do all grain and have 2 books. I have one notepad that I use for planning recipes and approaches and work out hop additions and scrible any idea down. I also use it to write down everything on brewday like actual temps or if i struggle with something incase I need to recall it later. It looks like the scribblings of a mad man that has been thrown in puddles from being around my equipment and getting splashed with all sorts. I then have a best book that goes nowhere near the mess and I copy up into it the things I did and record all the recipes,temperatures,times, additions, SG readings and taste notes and use it as a recipe bookto help me plan rcipes later down the line.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

As i make wow the same way every time i have numbered the DJ's with tipex and i note down in a book what juice i have used and when i put it on, finish it etc, i then use round sticky labels on the bottle tops with the date bottled and what flavour the wow is.

 

[dennisking]

Apart from the obvious I also make tasting notes and mark each one out of ten.

 

[Moley]

Apologies originally posted this in the wrong index.

No problem, duplicate topics now merged :thumb:

 

[kentmark]

I attach a card with a bit of string to the fv. Note on it the kit used, any variations (eg brewed short and to what amount), any additional ingridients. If ingridients added over time/days note when added. Then note date/time brewed and og. When i test gravity note the date/time of test as well as gravity. Finally note when bottled/kegged, with how much sugar and the abv.

The card goes in the brew cupboard with the bottles then gets added to my recipie store once all bottles gone.

 

[Strongarm]

In my very short brewing career I've been using the Brewers Friend website for my brewing and note keeping. Find it very handy to have it all online and printing beer labels from it is pretty useful too.