[MattyAHA]

what variables would you say are the most important in terms of documenting your brew/logging? i'm gonna really start writing everything down. basically i'm asking what details should i really pay attention to as i document brews?, i feel i can get ocd and write down too much or even too little and lose cohesiveness, and what i write down does not really help me on the next go as a result i tend to make changes as i brew which is not a good habit. i wanna just tighten up everything so i can come back to a recipe and have a more linear attack on brewday and more repeatable beers

[denny]

I did a whole article about that in the July-Aug BYO.

[Wilbur]

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/from-concept-to-carboy-5-seminars-on-beer-recipe-design/

I like Gordon Strongs (AHA members only).

Denny's is also hidden behind the paywall:
https://byo.com/article/record-keeping-become-a-homebrewing-bookie/

I think the most important documentation comes after brewday. I'm switching my brewing log to include more space for tasting notes by the recipe. My goal this year is to make tasting notes 5 times for each beer I brew. I'm realizing both beer changes over time and I do, and how I taste my beer may change because I'm tired, it's hot out, or I just went to town on some garlic hummus.

[BrewBama]

It took me all summer last year to dial in my system so that I am confident in predictable results. I took one task at a time and determined a best practice for my system. Each brewday during that period I brewed the same grain bill and measured pH and gravity every 20 minutes throughout the mash and experimented with boiling power. I varied hops and yeast to create different beers.

For example mashing: if I mill at a gap that results in 70% remaining on a No 14 sieve at .155 RIMS pump flow valve gap and 5.5 gal strike liquor volume with ~12# of grain in my standard grain bills mashed at 152*F, I’ll get 1.047 +/- a point or two here or there at 20 minutes.

Sparging: using 5.5 gal of brewing liquor to mash with using my standard ~12# grain bills will provide me with 3 gal of liquor to sparge with giving me a predictable 7.5 gal pre boil volume in the BK. 

...and for the boil:  if I boil 60 minutes at 2.4Kw I get a predictable 1 gal boiloff rate and 6-8 point gain in SG.

I now take one sample at 20 minutes into the mash and if I am within a few SG or pH points +/- I know I’m good all the way to the finished product.  I verify with a hydrometer sample as I am draining the BK into the FV.

However, we are dealing with natural phenomenon and agricultural products so variability to some degree is acceptable.

Each system will be different so my numbers will probably not match anyone else’s.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[EnkAMania]

I take great brew day notes, but I almost never have tasting notes. 

[ravenwater]

what variables would you say are the most important in terms of documenting your brew/logging? i'm gonna really start writing everything down. basically i'm asking what details should i really pay attention to as i document brews?, i feel i can get ocd and write down too much or even too little and lose cohesiveness, and what i write down does not really help me on the next go as a result i tend to make changes as i brew which is not a good habit. i wanna just tighten up everything so i can come back to a recipe and have a more linear attack on brewday and more repeatable beers

My starting point is formulating in Beersmith. I've dialed in equipment profile over time, partly by paying attention to outcomes and incorporating them in future recipe formulations. I print out a brew day sheet as checklist and also to have a place to write down my numbers as I go, stuff like gravities and adjustments made on the fly, and to note any discrepancies or variances that occur in my process (did I get higher than expected mash efficiency so overshot start of boil gravity then add water because of this, or did I space out and end up having to add hops later than intended in the recipe). Most of what I'm writing as I brew is what goes wrong or not according to plan. I make notes in Beersmith such as gravity measurements and dates measured (helps me know how rapidly a yeast worked), and also make notes on temp as fermentation progresses if I think its relevant - that doesn't always go as planned - if I'm doing a laundry room sink ferment versus my controlled fridge ambient temp may not be what I expected & I write that down. I take tasting notes when I take a gravity, at kegging time, and periodically as I drink the beer. This helps to track my impressions of the beer including whether it's changing over time. As part of tasting notes I like to critique the beer as if I was a beer judge (which I am) - noting flaws and weaknesses as well as what I like about it. I also make notes as I'm tasting on what I'd change if I were to rebrew - - I want to know where I missed the mark from my intended flavors or other aspects, which then is a guide for recipe tweaks. Even though this may sound like I'm pretty thorough or anal, I still sometimes find I didn't write something down I wish I had. I like to be precise on a lot of stuff.