19 replies to this topic

[BarelyBrews]

I have only been brewing for 4.5 years , but i have kept some notes.My notes have gotten a lot more detailed, it's actually fun to re-read some and see how i grew up.Mr.beer kits,open-ferments,partial mashing,to all-grain,botting to kegging,etc,,,Do you old timers keep notes yet? or is it foolish note taking for the students?

[consumes]

ive been slackin alot lately ....

[MtnBrewer]

It's easy to slack. I usually add notes to my brewing sessions if something major needs to be noted. I could be a lot more detailed and thorough though.

[DaBearSox]

It's easy to slack. I usually add notes to my brewing sessions if something major needs to be noted. I could be a lot more detailed and thorough though.

pretty much this...I have a spiral notebook that my brew days get recorded in. Basic notes and the recipe.

[Deerslyr]

Hell, I've forgotten to take gravity readings the last several brews. I need to be better though.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I take some general notes so I know how things went, when I did certain steps, etc. Here is a screen shot from the "notes" tab of my brewing spreadsheet for the rare vos clone I have bottled right now:

[ncbeerbrewer]

I keep notes on all of my beers. I have been brewing for 12 years 3 all grain. Last year 2009 and again this year I bought a Basic Brewing Brewer's Logbook and record every recipe that I brew. I keep the same process for each beer so I take notes if there are deviations or situations that happen along the way. I have rebrewed many beers and for consistency it really helps to take notes and look back. I even record what temp I heat my strike water to to obtain my mash temp and it helps to replicate each time too.

[djinkc]

Since the restart of brewing I've kept basic notes on each batch. I need to update comments for the ones brewed in the last few months before I forget if anything was really notable.

[denny]

I've been brewing for 12 years. I keep detailed notes on all batches, both in Promash and in a spiral notebook.

[OhioMurb]

That's a really good question. I've been brewing 4 years and I take fewer notes, but smarter notes. I don't write down which foot I leaned on when I doughed in, but I do record absorption rate, volumes, etc.I'm pretty anal, but I take fewer notes that have more impact on my actual brewing.

[MtnBrewer]

you old timers and your quaint "notebooks"! welcome to the computer age!!!!

Hey I said I added my notes to my brewing sessions.

[chuck_d]

That's a really good question. I've been brewing 4 years and I take fewer notes, but smarter notes. I don't write down which foot I leaned on when I doughed in, but I do record absorption rate, volumes, etc.I'm pretty anal, but I take fewer notes that have more impact on my actual brewing.

That's true. My earliest notes read like stories. Now my notes are mostly just numbers. I move around a lot and have lost a lot of my old notes, but luckily I still have the notes from my first batch. I basically slept with my first ferment in college: "The yeast have continued their processes throughout the day and temps have ranged from 68-71. I plan to get up @ 4:00 AM to check the temp."

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

That's true. My earliest notes read like stories. Now my notes are mostly just numbers. I move around a lot and have lost a lot of my old notes, but luckily I still have the notes from my first batch. I basically slept with my first ferment in college: "The yeast have continued their processes throughout the day and temps have ranged from 68-71. I plan to get up @ 4:00 AM to check the temp."

woah - you def needed to RDWHAHB!

[macbrak]

I still keep notes on the computer but they've shrunk massively since I first started.

[3rd party JKor]

I've been brewing for over 10 years now and I've only taken notes for about the last year. I utilize the 'Notes' section in the ProMash brewing sessions. Previously, I always made pretty good beer, and I wasn't terribly worried about making it much better. I just started taking it a lot more seriously last year, which prompted me to start being much more careful recording what I do. The ProMash brewing sessions are a great way to keep track of changes you make on brew day and to keep notes on a brew from recipe formulation until the kegs are kicked. Not surprisingly, my beer has improved quite a bit in the last year.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Not surprisingly, my beer has improved quite a bit in the last year.

How did the notes help here? I take the notes but I'm not so sure they've really helped me that much.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I used to take notes in Beersmith only for each batch that I brewed starting back in 2008 but shortly afterwards the computer crashed and the notes were lost. Thats when I started keeping the Basic Brewing Logbook which is at my side for all my brew sessions. I write all my notes out so that I don't lose anything electronically. I still put them in Beersmith but just wanna guard against losing anything in the future.

[3rd party JKor]

How did the notes help here? I take the notes but I'm not so sure they've really helped me that much.

It just helps me remain consistent from batch to batch. I've done lots of other things that have helped just as much, or more.

[jimdkc]

I usually print out the recipe and take notes on the bottom of the page. Maybe someday I'll organize those into a notebook!I find taking notes helps. For example I wrote this note at the top of the recipe I'm brewing today: "Don't forget to heat sparge water near end of mash!" A mistake I keep making! But, not today!Jim