New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association

Brewing => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: ECH on January 02, 2015, 05:43:47 PM

Title: Beersmith or Brewer's Friend Beer Recipe Calculator
Post by: ECH on January 02, 2015, 05:43:47 PM

So....trying to decide on whether I want to fork the money out for Beersmith or the Recipe calculator on Brewer's Friend.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/ (http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/)

Price is not a big deal, although for Beer Smith it seems it is one price for life, while Brewer's Friend is so much per year.

I have downloaded the Beer Smith trial version, learning curve seems to be a little steeper than that of the Brewer's Friend one, mind you I have only really played around with it for about 30mins.

Pros, cons? I assume in the full version of Beer Smith you can modify and add stuff that might not be in the software already?

Title: Re: Beersmith or Brewer's Friend Beer Recipe Calculator
Post by: jamie_savoie on January 03, 2015, 09:21:04 AM

I really love beersmith and use it all the time.  one of the best brewing investment you can make imo

Title: Re: Beersmith or Brewer's Friend Beer Recipe Calculator
Post by: ECH on January 03, 2015, 07:52:26 PM

Sprung for Brew Smith, the more I "played" around with it, the more I liked it.

Also my main PC is an actual PC, and not a laptop (IE, can't easily move it), and the fact that they have an app for Andriods, that allows me to share a recipe to the "cloud" and then bring it up on my tablet in the garage (where I brew), along with all the timers and such, then it was a no brainer to go with Brewsmith.

Title: Re: Beersmith or Brewer's Friend Beer Recipe Calculator
Post by: Waterlogged on January 04, 2015, 10:27:43 AM

I did not know about that ap.  I will have to give it a try.  Thanks for the heads up.

Title: Re: Beersmith or Brewer's Friend Beer Recipe Calculator
Post by: ECH on January 04, 2015, 06:04:58 PM

There are 2 apps.

Beersmith Lite, will allow you to search for recipes, as well integrates to your desktop/laptop version via the recipe cloud. IE: upload a recipe from your PC to the cloud, and you can then get it on your android (think it supports Ipad/phones as well), and allows you to use the timers and all that sort of thing. Only thing it can't do is make or modify recipes, and is like $4 for the ap.

The regular Beersmith app is $9, and the only difference I see is that it does allow you to make and modify recipes on the app, on the fly.

I only went for the "lite" app, as I didn't see the point in the full version on the tablet when I had it on the PC.

Presumably the full version app maybe doesn't have all the same capability as the full program, considering the app is $9, and the full program $28

Title: Re: Beersmith or Brewer's Friend Beer Recipe Calculator
Post by: brew on January 09, 2015, 09:59:59 AM

I've used the Lite app on my tablet at the mashoccur's as well - timers are handy and recipes to the cloud make it easy to travel - nice investment!