Using the recipe editor

Vinyasa

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I am trying to enter this recipe, (https://bitterandesters.com/collections/beer-kits/products/conifer-conspiracy), into the recipe editor. My recipe is here: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1095670/conifer-conspiracy

I was hoping someone could look over the recipe and what I have done and provide any constructive criticism. I also have specific questions if you can help...


1) At the top of the recipe page, when I entered the batch size of 5g, the boil size was set for me at 6.5 pre and 6 post. Should I change this to 5.5 and 5 or leave it?

2) The Efficiency is set at 70%. I don't know what to do with this field...?

3) For Fermentables, I found what looks like to be the closest match. The recipe doesn't specify Belgian, or German, etc.

4) The recipe shows 1lb Dextrose under "Grains," so I entered it in the Fermentables section, but perhaps this should go in the "other ingredients" section?

5) I found the yeast I am using, but don't know what else to do in this field.

6) For the priming field, it automatically set to 5.2oz sugar, but the kit includes 4oz. Should I get more?

7) Hopefully I can ignore water chem...?
 
1) At the top of the recipe page, when I entered the batch size of 5g, the boil size was set for me at 6.5 pre and 6 post. Should I change this to 5.5 and 5 or leave it? Leave it. You will have more pre since it boils off and if you want a 5 gallon batch you need more than 5 gallons in the fermenter

2) The Efficiency is set at 70%. I don't know what to do with this field...? It’s a good guess unless you haven’t measured efficiency before. If you haven’t mashed all grain much then it may be lower. If you leave it at 70 and you don’t hit 70 you will have lower abv (I find that isn’t a problem since you can drink more:)

3) For Fermentables, I found what looks like to be the closest match. The recipe doesn't specify Belgian, or German, etc. get close. You can probably find the brand you are using and adjust for OG then..

4) The recipe shows 1lb Dextrose under "Grains," so I entered it in the Fermentables section, but perhaps this should go in the "other ingredients" section? I think it’s under other fermentables

5) I found the yeast I am using, but don't know what else to do in this field. If you are using a packet then set it at one,

6) For the priming field, it automatically set to 5.2oz sugar, but the kit includes 4oz. Should I get more? Depends on the style. If it recommends more sugar then you may want for. Kits just throw the same amount in

7) Hopefully I can ignore water chem...?


this is of course what I do. Lots of smart people on here to help you
 
Thank you. Is it a concern that the gravities on the recipe are different then that on the software?
 
Thank you. Is it a concern that the gravities on the recipe are different then that on the software?
I change them around to match. UNLESS you are using a kit. I seem to recall Northern Brewer’s kits being under in volume if using the standard 5.5 gallon batch size. You can hit a button and set the OG and it will adjust the grain to match.
 
Thank you. Is it a concern that the gravities on the recipe are different then that on the software?
Depends by how much...
Just a little I probably wouldn't worry about it especially if your just using the best matches on your Fermentables anyways. There's bound to be alittle difference.
 
I change them around to match. UNLESS you are using a kit. I seem to recall Northern Brewer’s kits being under in volume if using the standard 5.5 gallon batch size. You can hit a button and set the OG and it will adjust the grain to match.

I don't understand. Here is a comparison:

Kit Recipe Recipe Editor
OG: 1.073 1.069
FG: 1.018 1.011
IBU: 85 106
APV: 7.1 7.6

Am I not using the recipe editor correcly?
 
I don't understand. Here is a comparison:

Kit Recipe Recipe Editor
OG: 1.073 1.069
FG: 1.018 1.011
IBU: 85 106
APV: 7.1 7.6

Am I not using the recipe editor correcly?
There's smarter opinions than mine but I think the 4 points on the OG is within the margin of error since your fermentables might not exactly match up. I could also even explain the final gravity being so much lower as a combination of that and using a yeast with better attenuation than what they based the recipe off of. What throws me is the IBUs but that could just be that the numbers BF has for those hops are different than what's in your kit.
Hops are an agricultural product and there's a degree of variation even within the same variety based on where and how it grew. I always trust the number on the bag over Brewer's Friend. What you can do is once you have your hops go back into the recipe editor and manually enter the amount of AAs (alpha acids) marked on the bag instead of using the preset. That should change your IBUs from there you can adjust the amounts up or down to get the desired numbers. I'm not an IPA guy so I can't help you there. Someone else might have better answers but other than that I'd just make sure your volumes match on each too (although you can use the recipe editor to scale a recipe larger or smaller)
 
...I was today years old when I learned this. Seriously? What button is it?
C7CB2D2E-F809-45D6-AB80-C31669FB7880.jpeg
 
I don't understand. Here is a comparison:

Kit Recipe Recipe Editor
OG: 1.073 1.069
FG: 1.018 1.011
IBU: 85 106
APV: 7.1 7.6

Am I not using the recipe editor correcly?
Could be water volume. Many times a recipe or kit isn’t at 5.5 gallons so numbers don’t match or at least I’ve experienced that. Many times I’ll take a recipe out of BYO and put in the recipe calculator. I then change to the ingredients I have. Usually I have to change the volume or efficiency and then it matches. @Nosybear said a few IBU won’t be detectable when I asked about that before. Odd yours I higher on the editor side...but I have also had IBU not change correctly when I scale. Just lower the amount to match. Your OG is close enough that I bet it’s water. The kit is for 5 gallons and the editor is 5.5 or something like that. My thoughts
 
Could be water volume. Many times a recipe or kit isn’t at 5.5 gallons so numbers don’t match or at least I’ve experienced that. Many times I’ll take a recipe out of BYO and put in the recipe calculator. I then change to the ingredients I have. Usually I have to change the volume or efficiency and then it matches. @Nosybear said a few IBU won’t be detectable when I asked about that before. Odd yours I higher on the editor side...but I have also had IBU not change correctly when I scale. Just lower the amount to match. Your OG is close enough that I bet it’s water. The kit is for 5 gallons and the editor is 5.5 or something like that. My thoughts
That's what I was thinking that a higher volume would lower the gravity but that should also lower the IBUs. So I think there's definitely more than one thing going on there
 
I don't understand. Here is a comparison:

Kit Recipe Recipe Editor
OG: 1.073 1.069
FG: 1.018 1.011
IBU: 85 106
APV: 7.1 7.6

Am I not using the recipe editor correcly?
The kit's data likely comes from measurements of actual brews while the Recipe Builder has to rely on calculations. There are different equations, even the ingredients can vary. In other words, expect this kind of variance from one calculator to another.
 
There's smarter opinions than mine but I think the 4 points on the OG is within the margin of error since your fermentables might not exactly match up. I could also even explain the final gravity being so much lower as a combination of that and using a yeast with better attenuation than what they based the recipe off of. What throws me is the IBUs but that could just be that the numbers BF has for those hops are different than what's in your kit.
Hops are an agricultural product and there's a degree of variation even within the same variety based on where and how it grew. I always trust the number on the bag over Brewer's Friend. What you can do is once you have your hops go back into the recipe editor and manually enter the amount of AAs (alpha acids) marked on the bag instead of using the preset. That should change your IBUs from there you can adjust the amounts up or down to get the desired numbers. I'm not an IPA guy so I can't help you there. Someone else might have better answers but other than that I'd just make sure your volumes match on each too (although you can use the recipe editor to scale a recipe larger or smaller)

Thanks. I noticed last time that the numbers on the bags of hops didn't match. Ill give it a try.
 
The kit's data likely comes from measurements of actual brews while the Recipe Builder has to rely on calculations. There are different equations, even the ingredients can vary. In other words, expect this kind of variance from one calculator to another.
Thank you!
 
Here's something I didn't notice before. Why does it say Sparge:0 gal? And how do I find out how much sparge water I need?

upload_2020-12-29_11-58-57.png
 

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You need however much water to reach your pre boil volume. I do BIAB so I don’t sparge, I squeeze :)
 
You need however much water to reach your pre boil volume. I do BIAB so I don’t sparge, I squeeze :)
Same here. There are mash calculators out there that can help you figure out your water needs. There are a couple BIAB calculators I frequently refer to myself. But yeah similar to sparging I only drain/squeeze my grain bag till I hit my target pre-boil volume. That's the number you're trying to get to
 
Keep in mind brewing is as much art as is it science so you're going to get some variation. As long as it comes in close at both ends to what you're aiming for it's nothing to worry about.
 

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