[edrews]

Hi everyone. First time posting here.

I'm working on a free Android app called "Brew Shop" that helps users create and manage homebrew recipes. I would love to receive feedback from fellow Android-owning homebrewers on what they think of it. Right now you can create recipes, add ingredients, select a BJCP style, etc. It calculates the basic recipe stats for you and can serve as a reference during brew day.

The next step is to create a 'local inventory' section and support recipe creation based on what you have at home already. I often want to create recipes based on the broad variety of stuff I already have and right now that's kind of a pain. I want to make this the most user friendly recipe creation/management app available.

Here's the link for the app - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brew.brewshop

... and the GitHub repo if you're interested in helping - https://github.com/edrews/BrewShopApp

Thanks everyone!

[edrews]

I just updated the "Brew Shop" app to v1.4 to support custom ingredient names and added White Labs and Fermentis yeast info. The changes should hit Google Play later today. Check it out if you get a chance. Thanks everyone!

     

[edrews]

I uploaded a new version of the "Brew Shop" app (v1.7) to Google Play today. Added support for managing your local inventory of homebrew ingredients. The next step is supporting recipe creation from your local inventory and creating a shopping list from the remainder. Android users please check it out at the URL below and give it a chance when crafting your next recipe masterpiece.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brew.brewshop

The app is free, open source under GPL, and constantly evolving. I want to me sure we include features that really matter. Thanks AHA buddies. Cheers!

[edrews]

Hi everyone. I've started integrating the inventory portion of the app with the recipe creation part. Now it'll indicate next to the recipe ingredients if you have enough in your inventory or how much you need to go purchase.

In the future we'll add an option to restrict ingredient addition to only those items in your inventory. Then you can more easily create recipes from what you have around the house.

Let me know what you think of the new features if you get a chance. Thanks!

[edrews]

So... haven't received much feedback on this form but I figured I'd keep things updated. I just pushed an update (v1.10) to Google Play with a couple of new features.

1) We've added support for opening and saving recipes in the BeerXML standard format. Several existing homebrew applications (Beersmith, Brewtoad, Strangebrew, etc.) already support this so you can now share recipes between them and Brew Shop. Props go out to GitHub contributor DougEdey for doing all the heavy lifting.

1.1) This also means you can back up all your Brew Shop recipes to your SD Card or Google Drive account in a standard format. This feature is great if you're one of those people who drops their phone into boiling wort during a hop addition...

2) There's also a new option in the recipe viewer to remove all recipe ingredients directly from your inventory. Now you can easily keep things up to date after brew day.

I'd love to hear if anyone has tried out the app and what you think of it. I've received a lot of great feedback already on this HomeBrewTalk thread.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f84/brew-shop-android-homebrew-app-502073/

Cheers!
-Eric

[smkranz]

I downloaded your app today and rooted around in it.  Good start. 

If I'm using a brew-day utility, it has to have mash calculations (volumes and temperatures), and automatic timers/alarms for hop and other kettle additions.  Also must add "other ingredients", and make it customizable so that users can add whatever...fruit, spices, etc.  I also particularly like the very easy sharing of recipes from the BeerSmith Desktop to the mobile app using BeerSmith's Cloud storage.

In all of the brewing software I have used, the thing which developers seem to love to include but which I do not find useful at all, is an ingredient inventory function.  I buy stuff all the time, and I gave it a good try in the software I used long ago, to enter stuff as I bought it.  But it was honestly more of a PITA than a useful tool to me to keep up with the inventory.  I'm guessing maybe some folks like that function, though.

I do not have software development knowledge or skills, so I'm sure this is quite a project.  Some years ago I built a relational brewing database using my Palm TX and an off-the-shelf database called SmartList To Go.  Neither of them have been available commercially for years now, but I still use it sometimes.  For the technology, it's pretty versatile, has very accurate mash and water use calculators, and the built-in timers are the bomb.  But it's main limitation is the number of malts, sugars, and hops I can use in a recipe (3 or 4 of each) because I ran out of available fields in SmartList.

Good luck with your project.

[edrews]

I downloaded your app today and rooted around in it.  Good start. 

If I'm using a brew-day utility, it has to have mash calculations (volumes and temperatures), and automatic timers/alarms for hop and other kettle additions.  Also must add "other ingredients", and make it customizable so that users can add whatever...fruit, spices, etc.  I also particularly like the very easy sharing of recipes from the BeerSmith Desktop to the mobile app using BeerSmith's Cloud storage.

In all of the brewing software I have used, the thing which developers seem to love to include but which I do not find useful at all, is an ingredient inventory function.  I buy stuff all the time, and I gave it a good try in the software I used long ago, to enter stuff as I bought it.  But it was honestly more of a PITA than a useful tool to me to keep up with the inventory.  I'm guessing maybe some folks like that function, though.

I do not have software development knowledge or skills, so I'm sure this is quite a project.  Some years ago I built a relational brewing database using my Palm TX and an off-the-shelf database called SmartList To Go.  Neither of them have been available commercially for years now, but I still use it sometimes.  For the technology, it's pretty versatile, has very accurate mash and water use calculators, and the built-in timers are the bomb.  But it's main limitation is the number of malts, sugars, and hops I can use in a recipe (3 or 4 of each) because I ran out of available fields in SmartList.

Good luck with your project.

Hey, thanks for letting me know your thoughts on the app. Brew day timers and recipe mash schedule are both on our TODO list. I personally have only used dirt-simple BIAB mash schedules so it hasn't been a big deal for me.

I have a couple of motivations for the inventory. First, I usually make up recipes on a Friday to brew on a Saturday but can never remember what we already have around. Second is to eventually share inventories between app users (husband & wife, etc.) so I don't get surprised on brew day by a missing malt or hop that the wife used last weekend.

Cheers!

[JoeB]

Came across your app creation a few days ago and I am very pleased with it. Just finished entering my grain inventory and will get onto hops later today. I hope you keep tweaking and maintaining. Thanks.