Beer Forum

Does anyone have an opinion on which brewing software is best? I want to take my homebrewing to the next level and realize I should be using some sort of software program instead of just writing everything down and messing up calculations while I am half drunk. So I am looking for some tips. Promash or Beersmith or are there others I should be aware of ?

drinks on me

I like ProMash, though the data files need to have some of the new malts, hop varieties and yeast strains added manually, and the BJCP beer style guidelines updated to the new 2008 standards... otherwise it's very a simple and straight forward interface.

Much like other types of software, it's a lot about personal choice.

I've used both promash and beersmith, and would recommend either one. I haven't used beer tools but have heard good things.

Try downloading the trial version of these, and see what works best for you. At the end of the day, you'll likely only spend for the full version on one or the other, so see what you like first....

I am going to go out on a controversial limb here.... but I would not put much effort into evaluating Promash. As good a tool that it is, it is unfortunately a victim of no support. The other tools have surpassed it, and are actively being enhanced and upgraded. One of the biggest differenciators is the support of "beerxml". Both BeerSmith and BeerTools supports it. Promash does not. Since this hobby is really collaborative and open to sharing, it helps to have a common format to trade recipes with - and beerxml is that format.

But like others have mentioned - it's really a toss up and a matter of personal preference.


Mylo

so beersmith gets the thumbs up?

+1 Beersmith

I like it, but I haven't tried Promash.

I use BeerSmith at the moment.