Tips And Recommendations
Things That Help
Log Book
Find a log book that captures every brewday. This can be a simple composition book or a preprinted log book that captures all the necessary data needed for a successful, or unsuccessful, brew day.
This will help you understand what will make your next brew of the same beer even better.
General Knowledge Journal
Any notebook to keep all info learned througout your brewing journey. You can capture everything here to learn your own preferences and common practices. You can also keep important info to return to as needed. These can range from common terms to frequently used calculations.
Software
Choose a software program that wprks best for you. There are many out there, free and paid. Don't rely solely on it but use it for inventory tracking and general recipie design.
There are many out there. Here are a few.
BeerSmith (The one I use)
A Good, Well Placed, White Board
Having a good spot to collect on the fly notes helps to understand your system's capabilities. This helps you track, in real time, any errors or changes made on the fly.This can all be transfered to the brew log after the brewday. You'll know what went right and what went wrong. You can also capture a to do list, a grocery list, or a materials list as you see things that are needed or diminished from your supplies.
Wait To Enjoy A Beer
When brewing, especially with a friend, we want to wait until the kettle is set to boil, at the very least.
If you start the brewday with a beer in hand, you will screw up. Trust me. And if not, good on you.
The temptation to crack one open as soon as you start a brewday is very compelling. Hell, this is why we brew. Just think in moderation.
A Good Thermometer
A good digital instant read thermometer is a staple in the brewhouse.
I use this Ink Bird and have never had to calibrate.
"Eco System"/Automated Monitoring
There are many bits of equipment out there. Many are equipped to get info, in real time, to you via the internet. Choose one that can communicate between all.
WIFI compatible equipment is a game changer for anyone out there liek me that likes the abiluty to monitor their brews while on the run or at work.
I have the Tilt hydrometers and the Inkbird WIFI thermometers.
My overall plan is to move to the Kegland RAPT tools as they have the ability to sync to one place and give me all of info I need to feel like a pro brewer.
Less Is More
Once you get a great brew under your belt, you'll immediately want to do your best to make the next round better. This is the beauty of brewing, you can do whatever you want. However, if you have a great brewday and the beer turns out exactly, or better than expected, consider leaving it as is. Repeatability is what we want.
But if you insist on making tweaks, do so in moderation. You can't take thigs out once you add them. If the tweak is not enough, make the adjustment next round.
Add adjustments in small increments. The small changes can have a big impact.
Practice All Grain Brewing Using SMASH Beers (Single Malt and Single Hop)
This beer style can get you a great brew with minimal ingriedients and equipment. It'll give you a feel for what it takes to brew. A few of these brews will get something in the bottle or keg for easy drinking. It also gives room to experiment on ingredients and techniques.
Easy Recipe:
(Basic) Betty's Otter
Batch Size: 5 gallons
Grain: 9 lb Maris Otter
Hops: 1 oz Cascade @ 60 min, 1 oz Cascade @ 15 min, 2 oz 3 days before kegging/bottling
Yeast: Voss Kveik or clean American ale yeast
Mash: 152°F for 60 minutes
Boil: 60 minutes
Expected ABV: roughly 4.8–5.3% depending on efficiency
Goal: Simple, drinkable pale ale that teaches malt, hop timing, and fermentation basics.
Really that easy.