Fermenticus Brew Log - Recipe Calculator & Logbook App

Update 6/9/13 Version 2.00 is now available with many major improvements and new features including mash & sparge calculations, logbook organization, and in-app purchases. This post outlines what is new in the update:
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=116767#p1030013

Update 4/16/13 Version 1.01 has been submitted to the app store to fix a few bugs and issues. Email export will no longer crash if the recipe has no notes saved, and international number formatting will now work for decimals for locales that do not use “.” for decimals. Various smaller fixes and adjustments.

Update 4/9/13 - There is a bug where if you try to export (via email) a recipe with no notes (via the notes section on the bottom tab bar when viewing a recipe) the app will crash. This has been fixed and I will an update to the app store soon. In the meantime, just put anything at all in the notes field and it will export fine (I hope!)

I’m happy to announce the release of my free homebrew app for iPhone & iPad. I’m planning on updating it regularly so I’m hoping that on this first version I can get lots of feedback to make improvements. Please feel free to download it and give it a test run! If you like it, have any suggestions, complaints, or find any bugs, please let me know! I’m compiling a list of improvements, new features, and bugs to fix for the next update.

Fermenticus Brew Log - (Price: Free!)


App Store Link:

(Available in all regions that allow for alcohol-related apps, as it turns out, some don’t!)

Features of Version 1.0

  • Optimized for iPhone 5 and retina iPad.

  • Build your recipes before brewing with built in lists of grains, extracts, adjuncts, hops, and yeasts. Selectable ingredients can be adjusted as you like since we know these can vary.

  • As you add grains you will get an update on the new estimated gravity and color, great for building recipes on the go.

  • Built in calculators determine original and final gravity, alcohol (ABV), bitterness (IBU), and color (SRM).

  • Choose a BJCP style or make your own. (Style information limited to BJCP styles at this time)

  • Designed to be an efficient brewing companion for quick logging during your brew day. This is built to be an efficient tool, so I concentrated on “doing more with fewer clicks”. Multi-tasking works as you would expect for fast loading.

  • US & Metric both supported. (Gallons/lbs/oz & Litres/kg/g). You can even combine units in your malt bill or hop bill.

  • The app is a brewing logbook by design (hence the name!) so I am hoping you will come back to it to log information later on in the notes and brew date sections.

  • Unique date handling, so you can have as many dates in the log as possible. This is a super simple process for those days that you make a quick measurement. Open the recipe, add a date and a description and you are done. There is no limitation on this, so even if you just want to note that you saw some activity or smelled something funky you can quickly add this.

  • Calculates predicted gravity for all-grain, extract, partial-mash, or steeped grains. Once you make your own measurement it will let you know your actual brew-house efficiency (for all-grain) and actual yeast attenuation.

  • Save your default settings such as typical batch size and if you brew extract/all-grain/steeped. Of course these can be set on a recipe by recipe basis as well.

  • I have a strict philosophy with regards to who owns your data, and that is you. As of now I have a convenient email export option on the main summary page of the app. This formats all the information into a table that you can save in your email for record keeping, print out for reference, or simply copy & paste into a spreadsheet.

iPhone Screenshots:

iPad Screenshots:



Features and adjustments planned for the next update:

  • Sample recipes
  • Basic instructions on how to use the app when your logbook is empty. (For now, try hitting the + button!)
  • Improved keyboard management (next, done, hide, etc) when going between fields
  • Options with regards to formulas used (currently set to Mosher for ABV and Tinseth for IBU).
  • *Open to suggestions!

Features and updates to be included in a later version:

  • More logging details for your mash & sparge such as temperatures, volumes, measured pH, etc.
  • More logging details for your boil, in particular boil volumes.
  • More logging details for your fermentation temperatures.
  • Recipe scaling options. Take you pilot batch to a larger scale easily.
  • Additional export options and synchronization between your devices.
  • Quick calculators for ABV, Brix/SG/Plato conversion, Hop substitutions
  • *Open to suggestions!

What about Android/Windows Phone/Blackberry/Symbian/Pocket PC/Sega Dreamcast/etc?

  • I’m just one guy, unfortunately. I don’t currently have the means or know how to bring this to non iOS platforms. It could happen in the future, but I would not recommend holding your breath for it!

About me:
I’ve been a homebrewer for over 10 years and an engineer (Acoustics & Audio-Visual) for the past 7 years. I’ve always been a spreadsheet man and after recently taking the dive into learning iOS programming it seemed like a natural fit to build a logging program. Ultimately, this app was built to match my own brewing experiences. I know that yours may vary widely so I’m hoping you’ll want to make suggestions to improve it if you feel this is an app you could see yourself using regularly.

Disclosure:

  • This is a re-post from my original threads on the HBT forums and on r/Homebrewing. I am trying to be careful and limiting where I post to. I genuinely hope that people like the app and give feedback. As you can imagine, this isn’t exactly a smart money-making endeavour. But an endeavour nonetheless!
  • The app is free and I do not intend to charge for it in the future. For now I am very happy to have people use the software and give feedback to make it better. If there is an opportunity in the future to monetize the app without impacting its fast & efficient tool-like nature, I will consider that.

Get in touch:
I’ll be responding to any questions or comments on here, you can tweet @fermenticus, or email brewlog@fermenticus.com

One more thing:
I’d like to extend a special thanks to forum member gregscsu for allowing me to use his nicely curated list of grains & hops from his very excellent EZ Brew spreadsheet!

Cheers,
Mark!

I know it’s your app, but what about us “Non Apple” types?

Ha, that was my first thought too.

[quote=“ipa”][quote=“Stealthcruiser”]I know it’s your app, but what about us “Non Apple” types?[/quote]Ha, that was my first thought too.[/quote]Given than many, if not most, homebrewers are cheap, I’m guessing that a droid app or something for the PC would generate a bit more interest than the elitist Apple route. :wink:

Hey who you calling cheap…I like to tell myself I’m being sensibly frugal :wink:

I’m not cheap, I just hate iAnything on principle. At least Jobs is gone.

So yeah, when does the Android version come out?

DAMN FRUIT PHONE :lol:

I would like to bring it cross-platform but I do not have the capability to do that at this time (brew log is a passion project and I only currently know how to program for iOS). It is possible in the future that I will expand my horizons, but at this point in time I am concentrating my time on iOS.

If people like the project I would certainly be willing to work with someone who can bring it cross platform. I’d love to see it on Android too!

+1 but at least it does not have the fruit names of the old imac. Blueberry iphone anyone :shock:

Cheers

Just a quick shout out to say that I’m actually pretty impressed with this app. I must admit that I’m a pretty new brewer (4 batches so far) and this is the first app I’ve downloaded for brewing but it seems to be a great way to keep the logs that I’ve been keeping digitally. I don’t have much to compare it to yet though. It would be nice when doing the calendar function to have more space to customize it with notes but what a great start. If you have a iPad and don’t know what else to get, I’d highly suggest giving this a try!

Thanks for the input! I’ll look into adding more information for the dates. Especially on the iPad when you have all the extra real estate to work with. The app was certainly design for iphone and scaled up to iPad. I’m hoping to spend some time to make the iPad version a bit better. In the meantime you can use the notes section as it has essentially no limitations (basically just a text file).

Just downloaded this and I’ll play around with it.

Fermenticus Brew Log has been updated to Version 2.00, available on the App Store:

Read more about all the features here:
http://fermenticus.com/fermenticus-brew-log/

Version 2.00 is a major update! Check out what is new:

  • Mash Rest & Sparge calculations! Determine temperatures and volumes for a mash of any complexity. (Including calculations for Infusion & Decoction). Enter your own mash rest details or select from a typical mash rest.
  • Create logbooks to manage, organize, and archive your recipes.
  • Clone your existing recipes so you can brew it again!
  • App function descriptions, instructions, and tips have replaced blank white screens!
  • You can now SEARCH lists of hops, grains, and yeast.
  • Integration of US/Metric units has been reworked under the hood. You can now change recipes from US to Metric and vice versa.
  • Significantly improved user experience for user entered text fields.
  • Default settings now have extensive system & mash settings
  • Brew dates have been renamed to “Fermentation Stages & Dates” and now have a notes field so you can record more in-depth information.
  • You can now have more than one yeast strand in your recipe. You will be responsible for adjusting the anticipated attenuation manually.
  • There is now a Boil Time field for each recipe. Your old recipes will be updated with a boil time equal to your first hop addition or 60 minutes, whichever is higher.
  • A Boil Volume setting has been added to account for partial boils. IBU calculations for partial boil extract brewers will now be more accurate.
  • Many minor bugs have been fixed.
  • Tutorial videos are being added to share tips and tricks on maximizing your Brew Log experience.

Regarding In-App Purchases

Brew Log now has a limitation on the number of recipes you can store on your device. If you are updating from version 1.0x, your existing recipes will not count against your limitation. All users will get 5 empty recipe slots. There is no other limitation on any functions. The free slots are the exact same as paid recipe slots. Purchases are tied to your iTunes account and are permanent. Your purchases on one device will be shared on all your devices. You can refresh to restore your purchases at any time.

I hope you will be understand that this was a difficult decision to make and greatly appreciate your support. Read more or discuss the In-App Purchase system on the Fermenticus Subreddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/fermenticus/comments/1g0c7u/brew_log_all_about_inapp_purchases/

Lastly, if you are enjoying Brew Log, please consider supporting it by leaving a positive review on the App Store. Every rating and review is a big help!

Send me your comments, suggestions, and bug reports via email, twitter, or on the new subreddit at
http://reddit.com/r/fermenticus

Cheers!
Mark