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Hmm, this is not really true. There are a number of apps/software for brewing and I would wager nearly every brewery is using one and not using paper/pen/manual

by jcomis 7y ago

Hmm, this is not really true. There are a number of apps/software for brewing and I would wager nearly every brewery is using one and not using paper/pen/manual spreadsheets. BeerSmith, Ekos, Fermentable are a few.

jerrysievert 7y ago
hm. there are a ton of craft breweries locally, and there doesn't seem to be much commonality between them, especially when it comes to data and data collection. beersmith targets homebrewers, fermentable replaces some of the note taking and materials ordering, and ekos seems to focus on consulting (no prices available, and "we'll build it!"). none of this replaces the automated brewing systems, even in small production lines or automated data collection, leaving notebooks on pretty much every fermentor. if you want a good look at a large number of craft breweries, and get a good insight to exactly how their processes work, what's missing, and what commonality there is, I'd highly recommend https://oregoncraftbeer.org/zwickelmania/ https://oregoncraftbeer.org/zwickelmania/ - almost every brewery in Oregon ends up open, touring, and explaining their process in depth.
- anfractuosity 7y ago
  By 'automated brewing systems' do you mean a system which controls the initial brewing process (mash, liquor tun temp etc.), controlling valves etc. too maybe, then regulating fermentation? I found out about https://www.craftautomation.com/ https://www.craftautomation.com/ recently from /r/thebrewery, which looks interesting. I'm just a home brewer, but I also enjoy some of the control system aspects. I created a little flow controller display a year or so ago, to measure water from the HLT->mash tun.
hyperbovine 7y ago
BeerSmith is fine and I've seen it used at a number of different craft breweries, but ultimately it is indeed a glorified spreadsheet. I think OP is right, brewing remains pretty low tech. The process is ultimately not that complicated, as befits an 8000-year old craft! The step that is most difficult/error-prone, malting, has been outsourced to a few large industrial producers. The rest is essentially just making tea and letting it sit around.
- jcomis 7y ago
  "craft" malting is becoming a thing now too with smaller producers showing up: https://www.rootshootmalting.com/home https://www.rootshootmalting.com/home and https://coloradomaltingcompany.com/ https://coloradomaltingcompany.com/
- enraged_camel 7y ago
  >> BeerSmith is fine and I've seen it used at a number of different craft breweries, but ultimately it is indeed a glorified spreadsheet. Then again, so is most line-of-business software. ;)

by jcomis 7y ago

jerrysievert 7y ago

hm. there are a ton of craft breweries locally, and there doesn't seem to be much commonality between them, especially when it comes to data and data collection. beersmith targets homebrewers, fermentable replaces some of the note taking and materials ordering, and ekos seems to focus on consulting (no prices available, and "we'll build it!"). none of this replaces the automated brewing systems, even in small production lines or automated data collection, leaving notebooks on pretty much every fermentor. if you want a good look at a large number of craft breweries, and get a good insight to exactly how their processes work, what's missing, and what commonality there is, I'd highly recommend https://oregoncraftbeer.org/zwickelmania/ https://oregoncraftbeer.org/zwickelmania/ - almost every brewery in Oregon ends up open, touring, and explaining their process in depth.

anfractuosity 7y ago
By 'automated brewing systems' do you mean a system which controls the initial brewing process (mash, liquor tun temp etc.), controlling valves etc. too maybe, then regulating fermentation? I found out about https://www.craftautomation.com/ https://www.craftautomation.com/ recently from /r/thebrewery, which looks interesting. I'm just a home brewer, but I also enjoy some of the control system aspects. I created a little flow controller display a year or so ago, to measure water from the HLT->mash tun.

hyperbovine 7y ago

BeerSmith is fine and I've seen it used at a number of different craft breweries, but ultimately it is indeed a glorified spreadsheet. I think OP is right, brewing remains pretty low tech. The process is ultimately not that complicated, as befits an 8000-year old craft! The step that is most difficult/error-prone, malting, has been outsourced to a few large industrial producers. The rest is essentially just making tea and letting it sit around.

jcomis 7y ago
"craft" malting is becoming a thing now too with smaller producers showing up: https://www.rootshootmalting.com/home https://www.rootshootmalting.com/home and https://coloradomaltingcompany.com/ https://coloradomaltingcompany.com/
enraged_camel 7y ago
>> BeerSmith is fine and I've seen it used at a number of different craft breweries, but ultimately it is indeed a glorified spreadsheet. Then again, so is most line-of-business software. ;)