Modern Homebrew Recipes (54 page)

Even with these formulas, the measurements are only an approximation. There are other factors not included in the equation, such as wort pH, boil vigor, break material present, boil temperature as a function of altitude, etc. The alpha acid percentage of the hops is nominal, and is reported by the hop supplier; the alpha acids could have degraded during storage because of storage temperature, oxidation (packaging), time, and hop variety.

The calculations of IBUs does not take into account the overall solubility of alpha acids in wort, as there is an upper limit on how many IBUs can be present in beer before they start to precipitate out (some say around 100 IBUs). The formulas also don’t describe hops added outside the boil, such as whirlpool hops. Recent research
⁴
suggests whirlpool utilization can range from 12 to 22% (15% seems to be an average) in commercial craft beer operations. To my own palate, I thought whirlpool additions on my homebrew system were about the same as a 15 minute boil addition, which equates to roughly 10 to 11% utilization (but obviously that last measure is both anecdotal and subjective).

10.
Calculating ABV and ABW
– These are easy calculations everyone should know. In these formulas, use the actual specific gravity not gravity points per gallon:

For example, suppose your original gravity (OG) is 1.050 and your final gravity (FG) is 1.012. Your alcohol by weight (ABW) would be 4.0% ([1.050 – 1.012] = 0.038; 0.038 • 105). The alcohol by volume (ABV) is 5.1% (4.0% • 1.27). If I’m doing a quick approximation, I often multiply by 1.25 instead of 1.27 since that’s easier to do in my head.

¹
The term gravity point is used to describe the total amount of extract in solution. Specific gravity measures the concentration of sugar in solution, and is expressed as a number such as 1.048. The ‘48’ portion of the specific gravity number is the points per gallon of extract.

²
If you are interested, see Stephen Holle’s A Handbook of Basic Brewing Calculations for more detail.

³
http://www.realbeer.com/hops/research.html

⁴
For the Love of Hops, Stan Hieronymus, p. 201.

B. WORKING WITH RECIPE SOFTWARE

Many of the standard brewing calculations have been automated by recipe software. There is certainly not a one-size-fits-all type of solution available, so I recommend that brewers approach recipe software much in the same way they approach equipment selection. Find something that works for how you and your process, and try not to fight with it. If you force it to do something it wasn’t designed for, you are unlikely to be happy with the results.

I’d like to explore how and when to use recipe software, and what common problems can arise. I’ll discuss my use of recipe software as an example, and talk about some considerations for how you might select your own. In my experience, the best software supports the processes your existing processes, and does not force you to brew a certain way.

Keep in mind that any computer program that estimates or predicts an outcome based on inputs is a model, and models may or may not be accurate. The model may be based on assumptions that are different from the processes you actually use, so it’s critical to validate the model by repeatedly comparing the predicted outcomes with your actual results. A single data point cannot validate a model, so be wary until you build confidence with your tools.

Types of recipe software
– There are two basic types of recipe software: the recipe formulation or brew session management application, and single function calculator-type tools. Full recipe software tends to be more comprehensive, and can often perform many different functions, such as inventory control, formatted printing, batch cost estimation, and advanced process control. These full systems tend to be more expensive, and include features that range from necessary and helpful to the completely unnecessary to many brewers (such as label printing and cost
calculations). The calculator-type tools can be single function or groups of tools in a single application (full recipe systems often include these tools as part of the overall software package). The standalone tools tend to be inexpensive or free, but typically lack the comprehensive recipe formulation and brew session management features.

Advantages
– Recipe software is great for automating repetitive calculations, looking up reference information, and maintaining brewing records. When formulating recipes, it’s great to be able to instantly see the effects of ingredient substitutions or varying percentages of grist components. Nobody likes to do IBU calculations manually, and thankfully, brewing software has completely automated the task. If you change your recipes or like to modify other people’s recipes, brewing software lets you scale recipes, change efficiency, use different ingredients, convert between all-grain and extract, and generally adjust the recipe to your needs. Recording brewing records (including comparisons of the differences between standard recipes and as-brewed batches) can prove very useful when researching future recipes and deciding why one batch is better than another.

Disadvantages
– Computer programs include models, which can be a problem if the basic way the brewing software works doesn’t accurately reflect how you brew. Some software wants you to make brewing lifestyle changes, or develop different methods so that it can predict your outcomes more effectively.

For instance, some software assumes hop additions at the end of the boil contribute zero IBUs of bitterness. That’s true if you chill your wort immediately, but what if you let it stand to help clarify or what if you add additional hops afterwards? If the software doesn’t model hop stands correctly, your IBU estimates will be too low. Software often overestimates water calculations, resulting in beer that looks great but tastes like minerals. Software might not take into account that you aren’t putting all your grains in the mash at the same time, or that you have loss between steps.

Despite how helpful it can be, software tends to make you dependent on it. You may be so focused on hitting a certain number that you lose sight of what those numbers represent. An IBU level is just a number that doesn’t really take into account the quality of bitterness, the perceived bitterness, how IBU perception changes based on the final gravity, sweetness, alcohol level, carbonation, and pH of the beer. So yes, you might hit your target, but software won’t help you understand whether you were
aiming at the right target or not. Software is your assistant; don’t delegate too much responsibility to it.

Selecting software
– I think the two most important questions you can ask when it comes to selecting recipe software are, “How will I use it?” and “Where will I use it?”

When researching full recipe management systems, consider how many of its features you will use, how long it takes to enter a recipe, how cluttered the interface is, and how well the data entry matches your workflow. I also like to see how much it can be customized, and whether it can accurately represent my brewing system and process. Ask yourself if it can record all the information you need, and present it in a way that makes sense to you. Think about the learning curve, and whether it’s something that you can see integrating into your overall process of recipe design, brewing, and review.

Some key features of recipe software include:

• Integrated ingredient database that allows you to quickly select the grain, adjuncts, hops, yeast, and other ingredients in your beer. The grain database should have the name, potential extract (how many gravity points could be extracted from the malt with 100% efficiency) and the color, as well as other helpful information like country of origin and maltster. The hop database should have the name, country of origin, and alpha acid content. The yeast database should include the product ID, name, and producer. The database should be searchable and sortable so you can find what you need quickly, and either regularly updated by the vendor or extensible so you can edit it yourself. I like to reset the default alpha acid levels to the hops I have in stock, for instance.

• Batch size scaling so that you can easily change the recipe to match any potential size.

• Mash efficiency scaling so that you can adjust a recipe to match your system.

• Goal-seeking that allows you to change the desired style parameters of the batch. For instance, if I enter my ingredients and the calculated original gravity is too high, I’d like to be able to set the desired target gravity and have the software scale the ingredients accordingly.

• Beer style reference so that you can compare the calculated parameters of your recipe against BJCP (or other) style guidelines.

When evaluating calculator-type applications, you should check whether the calculations you regularly perform are included, and what kind of interface is provided. You use calculators because they are fast, so check to see how long it takes to access each formula, enter the necessary information, and get a result. Does it let you specify variables in the units you want to use, and do the calculations seem accurate when checked against other methods?

It’s also important to consider where you’ll be using the software: on a traditional computer (desktop or laptop) or on a mobile device (phone or tablet)? Does the software run on the type of hardware platform and operating system you use? If the software is available on multiple platforms, can it access shared data or easily transfer data? Think about where you will actually need to use the software at each step in your brewing process, and if the platform matches what devices you are likely to be using in each step.

While not as important as how and where you’ll use the software, you should still consider maintenance and support. Ask yourself some questions before committing to any one piece of software: How frequently is the software updated, and is it actively supported? If you have a question, can you get it answered through the vendor or a support forum? How responsive are they? Will they take product suggestions and fix reported problems? If the product uses databases, is the content regularly updated, or do you at least have a way to change it? The maintenance issue can become a problem if new versions aren’t released when there are operating system updates, as they may not run properly on newer systems if not updated.

What do I use? Since I’m not always brewing the same way and I’m not really interested in automating inventory management, I find that comprehensive brewing management software is overkill. I also tend to need my recipes written in a style that can appear in a book, magazine, or email response, so I prefer to keep a text copy as well.

I turn to recipe software more frequently when I am able to make notes and actively use the software while I am brewing. My primary tool is
Beer Alchemy
on the iPhone. I use it to work on new recipes, and it is the tool I used to validate the recipes in this book. For straight brewing calculations, I use
BrewBot
(also on the iPhone). It has calculators, ingredient databases, and references, so it supports just about any process (especially calculating recipes using percentages). I also like that I can use it for a single calculation and move on without disrupting my brewing.

I use
Timer+
on the iPhone all the time. It lets me set simple timers so I remember to perform mash steps or hop additions at the correct intervals. When I was verifying recipes for magazines, I tended to use
Brew Pal
on the iPhone, mostly because I wanted to keep those recipes separate from my personal ones.

I tend to create recipes on paper, writing down ideas and adding notes, particularly if I’m doing online research. When I draft a concept, I’ll put it into
Beer Alchemy
to validate the numbers and check the ingredient percentages. I also have an old copy of
ProMash
, and a newer copy of
BeerSmith 2
. I don’t use these often since I do most of my recipe work away from my main computer.

Even though my recipe is electronic, I also write it out by hand to have a paper copy of my brew log. I do this primarily because I don’t have to worry as much about my phone or computer getting wet, dirty, or damaged, and I can quickly take notes if something happens during brewing. I also tend to check off when ingredients are added, so the paper method helps to keep my recipes clean. When the brew session is done, I write up the recipe in a text file in my preferred format so I have it available when I need it. I store these on Dropbox so I can have my recipes handy at all times. When I have tasting notes or other feedback on the beer, I amend the text files to have a record. Using a cloud-based service means that I can edit those files from pretty much any location or device.