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Author Topic: My reason for signing up here...  (Read 4341 times)

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #15 on: August 13, 2014, 10:42:51 pm »
It was proven in the 1500s that beer can not be brewed without software. Thats why software was invented originally. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "If god really loved us he would have designed brewing software that made us happy".

Offline ranchovillabrew

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2014, 11:08:32 pm »
I use software for design and tweaking but have 90% of the recipe figured out before sitting down at the computer. The two things I like best about the beersmith is inventory tracking and that I can copy and then manipulate the recipe.

However, as a field biologist before being a brewer, I record lots of data in my notebook also.
- Charles

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #17 on: August 14, 2014, 12:03:30 am »
It was proven in the 1500s that beer can not be brewed without software. Thats why software was invented originally. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "If god really loved us he would have designed brewing software that made us happy".

I thought I'd better self fact check. Turns out some of this isnt entirely accurate. Aparantly I had the software thing backwards. Its software that can't be written without beer. And the Franklin quote is way off. I guess that was actually Richard Nixon

Offline ynotbrusum

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #18 on: August 14, 2014, 05:41:30 am »
I knew Nixon was prescient -but I never would have thought that he foresaw Brad Smith and Martin Brungard!
Hodge Garage Brewing: "Brew with a glad heart!"

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #19 on: August 14, 2014, 06:10:30 am »
I can't imagine not using software.

I cannot imagine being dependent on software.  I can formulate a recipe on the back of a cocktail napkin faster than I can enter data into a program, and I can type pretty darn fast.  I have brewing data in my collection of paper brewing logs that dates back to early 1993.  If I had used software back then, the data would be unusable today.  Well, that's kind of lie because I would just write a data conversion program, but the average brewer does not have that skill.

The main reason why I do not use software is because I have spent over three decades of my life designing software and hardware professionally (my undergraduate and graduate degrees are on the computer engineering side of computer science).  The last thing that I want to do when I come home is spend time entering data into yet another piece of software.  The only way that software is going to enter my brewery is if I decide to design an embedded control system for my brew house.



I've got written logs going back a long way too, but working in a non-software field, gotta be honest - I love the brewing software. I figured it out by hand before out of necessity.
Jon H.

Offline majorvices

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #20 on: August 14, 2014, 07:21:16 am »
I didn't start using software either but I definitely love to use it now. That said, I love software for graphic design but I still can hand draw my type, so there's that. ;)

Offline duboman

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #21 on: August 14, 2014, 07:25:51 am »
I thoroughly enjoy BeerSmith and use it for every recipe, inventory, scaling, etc. but I still start my recipes on whatever piece of paper I find as inspiration hits me. Basic gravity and ingredients and rough calculations all get jotted down, usually over a beer:)
Peace....Love......Beer......

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Offline leejoreilly

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #22 on: August 14, 2014, 08:48:55 am »
There's a difference between being dependent on software and using it to make the process easier and more enjoyable. I'm sure I can do all of the relevant calculations on the back of a cocktail napkin if necessary; it's not that difficult, but it's sure ain't fun (for me). But I use and appreciate BeerSmith because: I don't HAVE to do the math; the program keeps my equipment and process standards available for me; the program accesses the details of a wide range of possible ingredients for me; I can change a recipe in seconds and see (roughly) what the outcome is likely to be; the program gives me a series of brew steps that simplify planning and executing my brew day; the program keeps my brewing history available in useful and easily retrievable format. All of this is certainly possible manually, just as it is possible for me to get to my homebrew store by walking the ten miles there and back. I understand the joy of manual effort, but I also appreciate being able to focus on the parts of brewing I enjoy more than the drudgery of the calculations. YMMV.

Offline case thrower

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #23 on: August 14, 2014, 08:52:14 am »
It was proven in the 1500s that beer can not be brewed without software. Thats why software was invented originally. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "If god really loved us he would have designed brewing software that made us happy".

Jim, can I quote you on that?
Dave C.

Woke up this mornin' and I got myself a beer.
The future's uncertain and the end is always near.

Offline case thrower

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #24 on: August 14, 2014, 09:07:35 am »
It was proven in the 1500s that beer can not be brewed without software. Thats why software was invented originally. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "If god really loved us he would have designed brewing software that made us happy".

I thought I'd better self fact check. Turns out some of this isnt entirely accurate. Aparantly I had the software thing backwards. Its software that can't be written without beer. And the Franklin quote is way off. I guess that was actually Richard Nixon

Wait a minute.  Of course I can quote you.  They're not allowed to put it on the internet if it's not true.
Dave C.

Woke up this mornin' and I got myself a beer.
The future's uncertain and the end is always near.

Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #25 on: August 14, 2014, 09:08:42 am »
Although I could do the math if I had to, I'm glad software will do it for me. I could do it but it's not my favorite part of brewing. Math is to me what bottling is to most homebrewers.

To the OP's question, like any hobby there is a strong acquisition drive that makes people want to constantly upgrade their equipment and buy new toys for brewing. There is nothing wrong with it except it lends itself to burning a lot of money. I suggest first getting a solid foundation of brewing knowledge (from reputable sources) and have some fun with it before you start trying to upgrade your equipment. Then figure out what batch sizes you want to brew and what equipment you need before you start buying stuff you want but don't necessarily need.

Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline Stevie

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #26 on: August 14, 2014, 09:23:05 am »
Although I could do the math if I had to, I'm glad software will do it for me. I could do it but it's not my favorite part of brewing. Math is to me what bottling is to most homebrewers.

To the OP's question, like any hobby there is a strong acquisition drive that makes people want to constantly upgrade their equipment and buy new toys for brewing. There is nothing wrong with it except it lends itself to burning a lot of money. I suggest first getting a solid foundation of brewing knowledge (from reputable sources) and have some fun with it before you start trying to upgrade your equipment. Then figure out what batch sizes you want to brew and what equipment you need before you start buying stuff you want but don't necessarily need.
+1 on both statements.

Offline darwin18

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #27 on: August 14, 2014, 10:55:41 am »
Once you've had a chance to read through a basic brewing book, like How to Brew, focus on your sanitation and your controlling your fermentation temperatures.  If you intend to brew in the summer and fall, then you'll need at least a basic level of fermentation temperature control.  This is really important for about 95% of styles with the exception of a few Belgian styles like saison. 

You can drop bank of shiny equipment, fancy ingredients, or brewing software (I do love BeerSmith) but controlling your fermentation temps is the most important part of brewing right up there with proper sanitation.  If you decide that you want to use liquid yeasts then also do some research in yeast starters but for new brewers I'd recommend starting out with dry yeast. 

Good luck and welcome to a great hobby. 
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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #28 on: August 14, 2014, 11:16:54 am »
It was proven in the 1500s that beer can not be brewed without software. Thats why software was invented originally. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "If god really loved us he would have designed brewing software that made us happy".

I thought I'd better self fact check. Turns out some of this isnt entirely accurate. Aparantly I had the software thing backwards. Its software that can't be written without beer. And the Franklin quote is way off. I guess that was actually Richard Nixon

Wait a minute.  Of course I can quote you.  They're not allowed to put it on the internet if it's not true.

See what you did there? That's good old fashioned independent thinkiing at its finest.

Offline case thrower

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Re: My reason for signing up here...
« Reply #29 on: August 14, 2014, 12:09:22 pm »

See what you did there? That's good old fashioned independent thinkiing at its finest.
[/quote]

Thanks, but it's not really my thinking.  I saw it on an auto insurance commercial.  And you KNOW they wouldn't lie.
Dave C.

Woke up this mornin' and I got myself a beer.
The future's uncertain and the end is always near.