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Author Topic: Favorite brewing software?  (Read 5500 times)

Offline Beer Monger

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #15 on: March 29, 2011, 11:19:14 am »
Another Beersmith ( and former Promash ) user here.  If you do go with Beersmith, you may want to ask them what the policy is on upgrading.  He is due to release a new version soon ( I hope ) and it would suck if you had to pay to upgrade shortly after paying for the current version.

I emailed Brad earlier this month, and he confirmed that if you purchase now, the upgrade price will be reduced... didn't specify by how much, though.
I emailed Jeffrey Donovan about it (listed on the software's website) - so I'll post back when I get a response...

Good luck with that...

Lol.  Oh.  OK.  He's listed as the software 'Author' on the site, is he bad about emailing back? 
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Offline timberati

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2011, 11:25:04 am »
On the down side, BA doesn't load xml recipe files (it claims it does but every xml file I've attempted failed).

It can but you have to export one recipe per XML file or else it'll fail.  I tried to batch export from Beersmith to BeerAlchemy and it only worked when I exported one recipe at a time.
Tim, you must know the magic incantations! Or, you're holding your tongue in just the right place.  :P Teach me. I've never tried to import more than one xml file. I did a quick search engine (okay I Googled) and found that Kent Software said that many of the xml files were not really "beerxml" files. So I just typed in the recipe. It took only a few minutes longer.

If you can send some links to places where the xml files do import, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
Cervesariis Feliciter
Batch-22 http://52beers.wordpress.com/
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Offline Tim McManus

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #17 on: March 29, 2011, 12:01:38 pm »
If you can send some links to places where the xml files do import, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

I am using BeerSmith 1.4 to do the export.

You need to navigate to the recipe you want to export.  Select it (highlight it), and right click on it.  A menu will appear and you want to select Export As...

The Export Wizard window will appear.  You want to make sure that you have selected "Only the Items that are Selected" and use the BeerXML File Format listed under Use the Following Format.  Click OK to save the file.

Launch BeerAlchemy and click on the Import icon.  Import recipes.  Click Import.  Find your BeerXML file and import it.  The next thing that will appear is the XML import Wizard.  This is where you reconcile the data from the XML recipe to the data contained in BeerAlchemy (things like yeast names, ingredient names, water chemistry, etc.).

I just did an export/import of a doppelbock recipe and it worked perfectly.

Tim McManus
Haskell, NJ

Offline denny

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #18 on: March 29, 2011, 12:49:09 pm »
Good luck with that...

Lol.  Oh.  OK.  He's listed as the software 'Author' on the site, is he bad about emailing back?  
[/quote]

Jeff's life has been turned upside down taking care of a very ill wife.  He sometimes takes a long time to answer emails.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline Beer Monger

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #19 on: March 29, 2011, 12:51:20 pm »
Good luck with that...

Lol.  Oh.  OK.  He's listed as the software 'Author' on the site, is he bad about emailing back?  

Jeff's life has been turned upside down taking care of a very ill wife.  He sometimes takes a long time to answer emails.
[/quote]

Ooh.  That's not good.  Of course, I had no way to know that. 
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Offline spikedhelmet

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #20 on: March 29, 2011, 01:33:18 pm »
I'm with Denny.  I started with Promash many years ago and will use no other.

Offline timberati

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #21 on: March 29, 2011, 02:59:03 pm »
If you can send some links to places where the xml files do import, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!
You need to navigate to the recipe you want to export.  Select it (highlight it), and right click on it.  A menu will appear and you want to select Export As...
For my Mac after right clicking I used the "Save link as..." option and hot darn, I was able to import an xml file.
Thanks for the help, Tim. This makes copying recipes a great deal easier.

To the Brew Cave, Robin!
Cervesariis Feliciter
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Offline weithman5

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #22 on: March 29, 2011, 03:47:34 pm »
i tend to do all my stuff by hand. i have been playing with some things that help with recipe design.   brew pal for my iphone. also have been playing with brewsmarts on line and iphone link.  i like the tastybrew web site and the brewery.org web site. nothing gives me a good print out with everything i like so i will print something then mark it up withmy own notes.
Don AHA member

Offline Beer Monger

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #23 on: April 06, 2011, 11:16:53 am »
After trying both, I think I like the look/feel of Beersmith a bit better. 

I'll probably work up my next few recipes using the trial versions of both, but right now, I'm thinking I'll be buying Beersmith.   8)
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Offline SoPHiSTo

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Re: Favorite brewing software?
« Reply #24 on: April 07, 2011, 01:43:11 pm »

I'll probably work up my next few recipes using the trial versions of both, but right now, I'm thinking I'll be buying Beersmith.   8)

Good choice
Joel
Longmont, CO
Twitter - @SoPHiSTo