What are your methods to keep good brewing records?

[mfischer2]

Every since my wife and I had a kid, I only brew every few months now and not much at all in winter. This leads to me forgetting any useful tips for the next brew such as "pre-warm the mash tun next time". Also, with my carboy in the basement and a heat wrap on it, I have temp control issues that I'd like to track and see if I can get a better handle on.

So, how do you guys keep brewing records? I generate the recipe with beersmith but then I end up filling the back with notes and by the end of the brew day, it's gotten wet anyway.

Ideally there would be a form I could use, with some space for notes. I tried the brewing_logbook which is posted at http://braukaiser.com/documents/brewing_logbook_english_US_units.pdf, but it's way to complicated.

Thoughts?

[keelanfish]

I tried beersmith, but got frustrated because I felt I was having to "trick" it to do what I wanted either to reflect my system or my methods. I've reverted back to a spreadsheet that I use in conjunction with online calculators to formulate recipes and prepare an itemized brewday task list. It's kind of a pain, but at least it's exactly what I want it to be. I have a tab per brew and keep notes on brewday, fermentation, tasting and competitions.

[mfischer2]

I use Beersmith for recipes, so that's not the issue, but recording things like my mash temp, how much water I got out of the mash, notes to myself, that's what I need. Without notes, I cannot improve my brewing and I cannot make the recipe/water adjustments that I need to make.

[spiderwrangler]

I use beersmith for recipes, but like the idea of a task list, especially if you are forgetting to do things you want to try the next time you brew. Would be simple to type up in a word processor and modify the active file each time you have something else you want to try out for the next batch.

[anday6]

Beersmith for recipes and whatnot and an old fashioned notebook for everything else. only because I don't have a place for my computer in my current set up.

[brewinhard]

I set up my recipes in old school promash then print them out for brewday with any added notes hand written in. After the brewday is done I transfer the entire sheet to a hardcover journal for safekeeping. It is there where I keep notes on actual fermentation temps, final gravities, racking/packaging dates, awards, and tastings. In the back of this journal is where I write my "need to" lists of things to always remember for next brew.

I feel that the simple act of writing things down helps to make the neuronal connection between hand and mind which then helps me remember it even better.

[Bugeater]

It sounds like you memorized something I wrote here 4 or 5 years ago. I'm still doing that. Promash to formulate recipe, print it out, write notes on the printout, use notes to edit the Promash session, and then file the hard copy if legible, print and file a new copy if not readable. That hard copy file saved the bacon one time when my hard drive blew up taking all my Promash files with it.

Wayne

[brewinhard]

It sounds like you memorized something I wrote here 4 or 5 years ago. I'm still doing that. Promash to formulate recipe, print it out, write notes on the printout, use notes to edit the Promash session, and then file the hard copy if legible, print and file a new copy if not readable. That hard copy file saved the bacon one time when my hard drive blew up taking all my Promash files with it.

Wayne

Yeah, I guess that's why I write them down too! Just in case something bad happens as you pointed out. As good as technology is, I don't always fully trust it. Something about a pen/pencil and a hand that seems to work better for me.