Smart Brewer > Blog

Point of Origin?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:14:00 +0000

So the title is a little misleading. I have a problem with Smart Brewer that I cannot really solve. When a user adds a Malt to a recipe it might look something like this:

2-Row Pale Ale Malt

Or This...

American 2-Row Pale Ale Malt

Or This...

Great Western 2-Row Pale Ale Malt (US)

Or This...

Great Western 2-Row Pale Ale Malt

I guess the main issue is that I cannot have every variation of every vendor and country of origin for each malt. Can I? I think I'll go back to square one without using any Vendor specific malts in my "Fermentables Table". I can also make the Country of Origin optional.

-Andy

Fixed the "My Ingredients" Bugs

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:55:00 +0000

Sometimes a picture is more valuable....

Here's a picture of my current ingredients, looks like it's working well.

Feasibility of a 1/2 Barrel Startup?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:12:00 +0000

So, most people know a barrel of beer in the U.S. is 31 gallons and a half barrel (the kind most people buy) is 15.5 gallons. This is generally the largest home brew setup people can build in their homes. Occasionally people get as big as 20 gallons but 15.5 gallons is pretty big.

Is it feasible to start a brewery with a 1/2 barrel system?

In theory, maybe, in practical application, no.

Here's why:

Say you can brew 5 days a week at 15 gallons per day. That would be 75 gallons of beer per week or 300 gallons per month. Of course, there are always problems with production when getting started so say that 300 gallons is now 280 gallons per month. One gallon holds 128 ounces or roughly 5.8 bottles of beer per (at 22 ounces). So 5.8 bottles x 280 gallons = 1,624 bottles of beer per month.

Ok, now hypothetically say you can skip the distributor and sell directly to the retailers for $2.50/ bottle. If the bottle, label, water, propane comes to $1/bottle there's a $1.50 profit per bottle.

$1.50 x 1,624 = $2,436

Take into account the Tax man because this is alchohol and subtract %40. Your take home profit would be $1,416 dollars.

Feasible yes, profitable, not really.

Test

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:42:00 +0000

test

12th Annual IPA Festival - Hayward, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:49:00 +0000

12th Annual IPA Festival - Hayward

Looks like a very cool event.

"Our 12th Annual IPA Festival will be Saturday, August 8, 2009 from 11-7pm. This event is always a great party! Where else can you taste so many different - 50 IPA's on tap side by side? Of course we will have fabulous music, BBQ and ample room in the street adjacent to The Bistro.
Admission is $25 for glass and 5 - 6oz pours. We will have pints of light beer, wine, tea, coffee and other beverages for those who do not drink IPA's.
The Bistro is CASH ONLY - with ATM on premises - we no longer accept Credit or Debit Cards."

World Beer Competition, Berkeley April 4, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:14:00 +0000

I finally participated in my first ever "official" beer competition! Held at the Trumer Brauerei in Berkeley.

The Trumer Brewery, produces perhaps the best Pilsner I've ever had and their facilities were very impressive. A warehouse filled with kegs five pallets high sat as the backdrop for the Brewing Judges. The Barbeque and participants was in the outside courtyard area.

I also got to meet David Teckman from Elk Grove California (see Beer Judge School). David is my coach for my November National Beer Judge Exam. From our brief talks I could easily tell David is perhaps one of the most passionate people when it comes to describing beer, and I appreciate his ability to cut through bullshit. His 20+ years of experience were very apparent.

But back to the contest, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I assumed it was going to be a sort of drunkfest but I could not have been more wrong. Of the 200 or so people there I only saw 2 that showed any obvious signs of intoxication. My biases from college were VERY wrong. The people that compete in brewing contests Enjoy beer, they're not just out to drink. The winners of particular styles are also not necessarily what people stereotype as beer drinkers, although there were a few of those too.Most particpants were Male but the women who entered did much better than the men (all judging is done "blindfolded", meaning the taster has no idea who brewed the beer).

I also did a little volunteer work stuffing the judge sheets into envelopes. Most people entered 2 or 3 beers in any of about 30 styles. The more serious brewers entered 15 or 20 beers. This bothered me a little. If someone enters 20 beers are they just betting on the odds they'll score high with a few? I guess this is pessimistic, but if all entrants were limited to a few entries the true brewers would shine through.

I entered three beers myself. An American IPA which in all honesty lacked carbonation and had an overpowering citrusy hop aroma that lingers as an aftertaste. The beer needed a more crisp mouthfeel. I also entered a Belgian Specialty Beer that was WAY off because the yeast strain wasn't pure, the common fruitiness of a Belgian just wasn't strong enough. Finally I entered an American Lager I've nicknamed Laurel Canyon Lager. The two problems with this beer (both minor) are the over carbonation and the chocolate grittiness. Overall I scored very well with this lager, I earned a third place ribbon.

Common Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:34:00 +0000

Many people have asked me, "Why make another online recipe website? Aren't there sites out there already?".

First, Smart Brewer is brewing software first and a list of beer recipes second.

Smart Brewer allows a user to add/modify/update and delete their own recipes. This is different from virtually all the sites out there that just allow a user to "Post" their recipes.

Smart Brewer also categorizes based on a standardized set of styles created by the Beer Judge Certificate Program. Finding a particular style based on the ingredients you already have is easy.

Just my two cents,
Andy

SmartBrewer.com - Email #1

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Below is the content of my first user email. My hope is that people will start seeing Smart Brewer more as brewing software and less as "another place to post a recipe".

-Andy

Hello All,

Thought I'd send out an email outlining some of the recent improvements on SmartBrewer.com. I've been adding function to the site almost daily. Most notable are the following features:

1). Smart Brewer now has working "My Ingredients" inventory section. Once logged on users can add/modify/delete ingredients AND use this inventory to find recipes.

2). Users can browse recipes using the "Advanced Search" to find recipes they have ingredients for (either some or all).

3). Smart Brewer now has the capability to copy and modify recipes in the "My Recipes" section. Once logged in ANY recipe can be copied into the "My Recipes" section.

4). Every recipe now calculates the "Smart Brewer Efficiency" located in the upper right hand corner. The Smart Brewer Efficiency is minimum efficiency needed to achieve the brewer;s stated original gravity for a beer.

6). The "Smart Brewer OG" displayed on each recipe automatically calculates the Original Gravity a brewer could achieve based on the ingredients and the efficiency the brewer claims.

7). The International Bittering Unit Calculator is fully automated!! Smart Brewer approximates the bitterness of a given beer based on the hops added, type of hops and the length a hop might be boiled. Try clicking on the "Smart Brewer IBUs" on a recipe to learn more. Here's an example recipe:

http://www.smartbrewer.com/recipes/recipedetails.php?id=5

8). We have 41 Recipes and counting!!! My favorite is the Papa John Pilsner, I just finished bottling this beer two days ago. The Lager Yeast leaves a remarkable finish with just enough hops so you'll notice:

http://www.smartbrewer.com/recipes/recipedetails.php?id=93

I need your feedback!! What works? What doesn't work? Also, if you're a brewer please add one of your favorite recipes.

-Andy

Final Goal??

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:51:00 +0000

So, at this point I have people actually browsing the recipes (Thanks Google Analytics) but far fewer people actually trying to use Smart Brewer for its intended purpose: To share and develop recipes.

I think people are hesitant to enter all their ingredients because they don't want to spend the time creating an inventory list only to browse through 37 recipes. I probably wouldn't.

It's sort of dilemma. I need quality recipes for people to begin to use Smart Brewer but to get quality recipes I need people to actually enter them. I suppose I could enter 5 or so a day and eventually there will be enough content but I am just one person and I really have only brewed about 20 times. It would be great if people posted recipes that they brew or recipes they really like but how do I get them to do this?

I guess this dilemma isn't much of a big deal, I'll get through it. However, there's other much bigger problems that I'm not sure how to work through.

I think a key component will be the videos section. People are much more likely to watch 30-45 second videos on individual sections if they have questions. Need to get started on that.

-Andy

Cleanup

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Cleaned Up printing for "My Ingredients", cleaned up "searchme.php" and fixed grains to include "createdby" and "updatedby".

-A

Users' can now vote on recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:52:00 +0000

I also cleaned up "Ingredient Admin" so other users can add to the public database.

Progess...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:42:00 +0000

1). Added a comment section to all recipes
2). Added new icons to login/update/modify recipes
3). Revised advanced search here
4). Fixed profile so user can change their username
5). Added a couple of Yeasts

Just stumbled on Beer Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Wow, nice site,

I intend for my site to have more function. Their database of 8,025 recipes is impressive. I hope to have 1,000 recipes in three months.

Hmmm, I guess I have a new goal.

-Andy

Created Recipe Size Conversion

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:03:00 +0000

Any user (even guests) can modify the quantities needed for grains/hops and adjuncts. This doesn't cover needed water for a mash infusion but I think people can figure that out on their own.

I also added adjunct ozs and lbs.

Progress,
Andy

Saturday Progess

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Whoah,

Got a lot done today...

1). Ran a full backup
2). Added "Notes" to Grain field when adding recipes
3). Added "Notes" to Yeast field when adding recipes
4). Setup "mash instructions" and "general instructions" to only display if there is data
5). Tightened overal recipe display so more data can fit on a single page
6). Added "created on" and "last logon" to user registration
7). Fixed "add" and "Update" for specific recipes
8). Fixed adjunct notes section on recipe add
9). Fixed broken hop display

-Andy

Adjuncts Finished!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:53:00 +0000

It's a start, I also updated the adjunct drop down and allowed registered users to add recipes.

-Andy

Few little things

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +0000

1). Added FAQ categories in forum, need to test to make sure they're working

2). Cleaned up "confirm.php" to integrate with web site.

3). Created and posted to classifieds

Added a "first/last" name to registration

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:17:00 +0000

This is important because I'll want to be able to personalize emails to people in the future. Will work on adjuncts tomorrow.

-A

Working on Hop Union Variables

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:27:00 +0000

Wow, there's a lot to hops, trying to add all the variables so the hops ingredients are comprehensive, 2 hours of work. Here's an example page

http://www.smartbrewer.com/ingredients/hopdetails.php?id=457

-Andy

Ideally people can also comment on hops so it has more of a forum approach.

Oven Light...

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:53:00 +0000

Making a yeast starter is pretty simple. Boil some water, add some Dry Malt Extract (about 1 half cup), cool the mixture to about 70 degrees and then add the yeast.

One issue I've run across is having a stable environment to let the yeast do its thing. I imagine large fluctuations in the temp stress the yeast. Too cold, no propagation, too hot, probably dead yeast all together.

So, I found the perfect environment, the oven light provides just enough heat. It's almost 80 degrees, which may be a little hot but I'm just trying to create lots of yeast cells, not ferment beer.

So, there you have it, the oven light.

-Andy

New Components

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:56:00 +0000

While running I decided to create a "comments" section for all ingredients. Within the details of any ingredients will be user comments.

These same comments can be viewed/modifed in the users profile.

-Andy

Cleaned up "Yeast Modify'

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:57:00 +0000

Added two yeasts, set "variables" to include drop down variables like vendors for yeasts.

Added "videos" link for future how two's on how smart brewer will work

Hopefully I'll be done with "adjuncts" by the end of the week.

Need to start working on beer interface and "My Schedules".

-Andy

Yeasts Added!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:55:00 +0000

enough said

Cleaned Up My Ingredients

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Few Things

1). Removed unnecessary "delete" info under My Ingredients.

2). Made default hop add "Pellet"

3). Fixed "notes" section to correctly add to "My Ingredients"

4). Added hop origin to fields for "my ingredients"

-A

Progress on Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Krone) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Got a few things done:

1). Created a cool little beer icon for the address bar

2). Created a range for both the Alpha Acid and Beta Acid definitions in the "Ingredients > Hops" section. This makes much more sense because no plant contains the exact alpha acids

3). Added a brief definition to the "Tools > Glossary" for Alpha Acids, seemed like a good thing to define, thanks wikipedia

4). Defined the cohumulone as a percentage of the hop weight, because that's what it really is. Added the % symbol in the details of each hop

5). Finished the Admin management section of users so its very easy to modify and promote users to admin level

6). Updated "Hops" display to include the alpha range (plan to add asteric for noble hops

7). Renameed "Grains" to Grains and Extracts"

8). Added flocculation to glossary: colloid chemistry, flocculation refers to the process by which fine particulates are caused to clump together into floc. The floc may then float to the top of the liquid, settle to the bottom of the liquid, or can be readily filtered from the liquid.

-Andy