New recipe builder

wildmancurry

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This is more of a complaint than anything else. Am I the only one that does not like the wake the new recipe builder works. Finding yeast is less intuitive. When I enter a hop, it includes the theoretical AA in the name, even after I change it in the AA box. Admittedly, that is an annoyance more than anything else but still.
 
Have to say, I'm not thrilled with a lot of the changes either. Although what you mention is actually a plus in my book. I like having the "nominal" AA value available.
 
I've been documenting them as I find them.... Several small failures like the EBC color thing, the mash pH error I couldn't reproduce, print formats. The biggest thing I've noticed is that it's becoming hard to use Brewer's Friend because of the information overload. Too many choices for grains, additional information that doesn't help the brewing process, selections and preferences going wonky, lots of stuff that is gee-whiz but doesn't help the brewing process. But the good news is Yooper has asked me to be on the beta test group and I won't hold back!
 
I have always been under the impression that beta testing was more about running software through the ringer to help discover real bugs and issues. Of course some personal opinions are always going to be voiced, but I think it's more about pleasing the masses and what will serve most the best. Not everyone is going to be happy and welcome change. Those changes will be most noticeable to those of us who have used the software longer.
Personally, I run into minor bugs and glitch things very rarely and welcome the new additions.Some of those changes don't make my beer better or worse, but I do like the new choices I can make.
 
We want to keep expanding the advanced functionality of BF but I understand it can add 'clutter' if they are features you don't like.

So maybe we need to pinpoint specific new features you don't want/use and give the ability to opt out of them?

What specific things would those be?
 
1. The graphs.
2. The expanded fermentables list.
3. All that extra wasted real estate in the print format.
4. Unclear or ambiguous labeling of fields.
5. Inability to group yeasts by manufacturers.
6. I'll let you know as I encounter them - I signed on as a beta tester in order to do so.

I realize some may like these features. To me, they're clutter and complication. I personally would like the option to use the "classic" Brewer's Friend recipe builder but I don't need all the bells and whistles. I've always liked the tool but when I'm using it to demonstrate recipe formulation at my brew club meeting and the mash pH blows up, not a very good outcome as far as marketing the software.
 
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What changes in particular?
Among other things, when I put in a custom AA then go back and edit recipe later, it rests the AA to whatever it thinks it should be
 
I could deal with "clutter" and something as simple as having a way to toggle the graph off of the recipe view was a big plus for me.
Since most of my recipes are built using inventory items, I can work around the much less streamlined fermentables list but the big problem that I have is that Inventory items simply aren't accessible. That has to be fixed for me to be able to continue to use this calculator.
And, yes, please make the hops AA stay at the last used with an option in the drop-down for the default average like it used to be. If it doesn't, I have to go to my inventory list for reference or to my freezer and physically double check the bag of hops that I'm actually using.
 
I could deal with "clutter" and something as simple as having a way to toggle the graph off of the recipe view was a big plus for me.
Since most of my recipes are built using inventory items, I can work around the much less streamlined fermentables list but the big problem that I have is that Inventory items simply aren't accessible. That has to be fixed for me to be able to continue to use this calculator.
And, yes, please make the hops AA stay at the last used with an option in the drop-down for the default average like it used to be. If it doesn't, I have to go to my inventory list for reference or to my freezer and physically double check the bag of hops that I'm actually using.

John, the inventory items should be working for you. You can toggle off the 'user added fermentables' if you'd like, and the inventory issue was fixed this weekend to the best of my knowledge. Can you take another look when you get a chance and let me know if it's not fixed? I want to add a ticket ASAP if it's not working for you.

I know we are working on the AA holding static- not sure where we are with that so I will check into it and let you know.
 
John, the inventory items should be working for you. You can toggle off the 'user added fermentables' if you'd like, and the inventory issue was fixed this weekend to the best of my knowledge.
I've tried it both ways several times...I'll keep trying and see if it works..
Thanks! :)
 
Nope...I've reset it both ways and I get nothing but a very limited fermentables list with no inventory items (there's not even malt extract in the list that comes up)...I'm going to try to log off and back on and see if I access anything that's been refreshed.

Even with a log-off, it still get no inventory items. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong. At least there seems to be a full fermentables list now.
BTW...What's "inventory filter" tab supposed to do. It doesn't seem to be doing anything different whether it's toggled off or on.
 
Nope...I've reset it both ways and I get nothing but a very limited fermentables list with no inventory items (there's not even malt extract in the list that comes up)...I'm going to try to log off and back on and see if I access anything that's been refreshed.

Even with a log-off, it still get no inventory items. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong. At least there seems to be a full fermentables list now.
BTW...What's "inventory filter" tab supposed to do. It doesn't seem to be doing anything different whether it's toggled off or on.

That 'inventory filter' tab turns green when active. When it's green, when you go to add fermentables in the box, you can see the inventory you have.
 
That 'inventory filter' tab turns green when active. When it's green, when you go to add fermentables in the box, you can see the inventory you have.
Except, no...maybe my browsers still hasn't caught up for some reason but even after several refreshes and logouts I get no inventory items. I'll keep trying.
 
That 'inventory filter' tab turns green when active. When it's green, when you go to add fermentables in the box, you can see the inventory you have.
Okay...I'm figuring out what it's doing and as well as what it's not doing. The inventory filter shows only items from the default list that are also in my inventory. No amount of toggling will get either fermentables or Custom fermentable to show me items in my inventory that are not in the default list. Even if I add a new custom fermentable to my inventory, it doesn't show up in the brand or fermentable dropdown.
So it appears that all the entries in my inventory that used to come up at the top of the drop down as inventory items added as custom fermentables don't populate in the list at all. I have no idea whether the "other user contributed" items show up in my list as directed by the "yes" designation in the profile settings but the ones I've added and use regularly don't do so.
Seriously, isn't there just a piece of code leftover from whatever was removed that can be patched in to tell the list to look in the data base of the inventory custom fermentables added? I can't be the only one here that uses the inventory. Anybody else seeing their specific custom fermentable items? This is driving me nuts and I don't think I'm missing something obvious.
 
I concur with the above comments. Only items in my inventory that match the system list of fermantables are shown. In my case only 4 items from my inventory of 12 are showing in the dropdown.

Has a rollback to the last good version of the software/application been considered? I was a very happy subscriber last year, myself and another user I know are already testing/using alternate software to keep brewing during these glitches, I'm sure we are not alone.
 
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Has a rollback to the last good version of the software/application been considered? I was a very happy subscriber last year, myself and another user I know are already testing/using alternate software to keep brewing during these glitches, I'm sure we are not alone.
Yeah...I recently urged one of my brewing friends to sign up and he did so just in time for the bottom to fall out of the functionality. He's looking for a way to build and store all his recipes but I doubt very much that he'll get through the trial membership phase.
 
I'm not having any real issues and like I've said, I do like the changes, but I still can't understand how such a bugged version rolled out of beta? It still just makes zero sense to me...and to not have a back up that can be put back in just seems careless and irresponsible.
The forum is hearing from quite a few long time members that frequent the boards and keep things rolling, but we're also hearing from many long time paying members that never post and just use the software. I know things happen, and things don't always go buttery smooth, but it is a bit concerning. Brewers Friend comes in at one of the highest price tags I've seen for brewing software. It's still not unreasonable, but we are paying a premium price (considering the market) for a product that obviously should not have been rolled out. I hope this is a big lesson on how not to do things in the future. Other software like Brewfather are gaining ground and coming in at a cheaper price tag.
 
Do you use inventory items and does the drop down list include your custom fermentables for you?
I do not. Inventory items were one of my original complaints with BF, and honestly, I never took the time to go back to mess with it.
 
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