Brewer's Friend Windows Program NOT AVAILABLE

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I'm not sure what you are seeing. Can you post a screenshot of what you see? Thanks!
 
The OG calculation between the online "All Grain OG, FG, ABV Calculator" calculator and the Windows standalone program don't seem to agree. With this grain bill:

18.5 kg UK pale 2-row
2.25 kg UK 70L crystal
3.4 kg UK brown
1.7 kg UK chocolate

The online calculator gives an OG of 1050. Windows gives 1046.

Are the ingredient attributes different between the two?

Thanks,
Mark
 
Oh, I've got it! Online uses 75% efficiency and Windows uses 70%, by default. Bring up Windows makes them match
 
Like the app, but along with the sparge water volume bug the sparge water temp and the boil gravity are off; both are showing the opposite (sparge water should be heated to 130F to reach 168F and boil gravity is 1.043 to reach an OG of 1.041).
 

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Greetings, Brewer's Friend Windows app developers!!

First of all, let me say Thank You! I really like the program and I use it regularly. It's especially generous of you to do all this work and yet make it available for free. I, for one, would be happy to plunk down some cash to help you keep the changes/fixes rolling. Why not add a Donate button?

I'd really like to do my part in helping you fine tune it and correct the less-than-perfect features. One thing I've noticed is that BFW (Brewer's Friend for Windows) treats lactose like a fermentable. If I enter lactose on the grain bill it will increase the OG accordingly, but it should also increase the FG by the same amount, because yeast can't ferment it. As it is, lactose is calculated to be fermented and adds to the calculated ABV. I'd like to see this corrected.

upload_2016-11-25_19-4-24.png


Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that lactose will not ferment at all, so it can't contribute to alcohol % or SG drop.

The BMData.xml file shows that fermentable and non-fermentable sugars are listed with only potential extract values, and no mention of % of fermentability. It may be necessary to add that info to the definition in order to handle different fermentability levels correctly.

((see below for image that should have been placed here))

On a related note, I noticed that the tool tip shows 'Potential Yield' values for each entry in the grain bill, and different types have different values:
upload_2016-11-25_19-17-50.png
upload_2016-11-25_19-17-59.png


These values aren't stored in the BMData.xml file... where are they kept? What exactly do they mean?

Just tryin' to git eddycated :)

Thanks again!
 
Forgot to attach this picture in the above post:

upload_2016-11-25_19-21-47.png


The purpose of this image is to illustrate that non-fermentable sugars and fermentable sugars are stored in the data file with the same set of info; there is nothing to allow the program to distinguish between the two, so non-fermentables will always be treated as fermentables.
 
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There are also problems with the save routines:

First, the program will often prompt me to save when I attempt to close the app or open a different recipe, even if I haven't changed the currently open recipe. It should only prompt me to save if I've actually made a change.

Also, if you open a recipe XML (to view or export, etc.) that is set as read only, then attempt to close the program, there is an unhandled exception:

upload_2016-11-29_6-46-52.png


Apparently, the program is attempting to write to the file (despite the fact that I haven't changed anything and I haven't told it to save) and it can't, because the file is read only. This exception should be handled, not allowed to crash out of the program.

Occasionally, when I select Quit, it will actually quit, but most of the time it just goes back to the application window, and if I try to quit or switch to a different recipe, the unhandled exception pops up again. So, it's just stuck in a loop and I have to end the process to make it stop.
 
Yes, these are big issues and the developers are aware. I'm sorry for all of the troubles. The biggest issues are in the apps, due to the differences. I'm not a computer person, so I do pass these along daily to our tech people. I just have no answer for this, I'm sorry.
 
No prob... I just wanted to provide some input to the team. Can't fix what you don't know about, right?

I have other observations I'll pass along later. It's a really cool program so far and I hope that the developers can keep it moving forward. I have some experience in software development, so if I can be of assistance (other than nagging) let me know!

Thanks!
 
Got another to add to the list:

Attenuation calculations for the Sugar category are backwards. They're accurate if you set AA% to 100%, but as you reduce the attenuation, it actually reduces the FG and increases the ABV%. That's totally backwards, eh, mate?

Try a 1 gallon batch with 1 lb. of cane sugar as the only fermentable...

With AA% at 100%, FG = 1.000, ABV% = 6.03%
With AA% at 75%, FG = 0.986, ABV% = 7.84%
With AA% at 50%, FG = 0.972, ABV% = 9.66%
With AA% at 25%, FG = 0.958, ABV% = 11.47%
With AA% at 1%, FG = 0.945, ABV% = 13.21%

That's a bit screwy!! :confused:o_O:eek::rolleyes:
 
I have downloaded the app, and it did launch, now a few days later it wont launch. i have reinstalled it a few times without any success. am i doing something wrong?
 
Hey everyone, we have just released the FREE Brewer's Friend Windows Program! (It is currently in beta)

If you find any issues with it please let us know here so that we can get them corrected!

You can find it in the tools menu under "Windows App" or just visit this url:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/windows/
Some long days and late nights I expect?
 
I have downloaded the app, and it did launch, now a few days later it wont launch. i have reinstalled it a few times without any success. am i doing something wrong?

This is for the Windows app? I think we left it still in beta, and aren't supporting it- but I'm not 100% sure and I'll check with the developer today and find out the status.
 
i am not able to download the software, Is the software still alive ? or has it been temporarily down for some reason
 
i am not able to download the software, Is the software still alive ? or has it been temporarily down for some reason
As of right now Brewer's friend is only available on our site. The windows desktop software has been discontinued.
 
As of right now Brewer's friend is only available on our site. The windows desktop software has been discontinued.

I really loved the software, I regret re installing my laptop OS now, Is there any way that i could download it from somewhere ? i tried searching on internet but couldn't find anything.
 
I really loved the software, I regret re installing my laptop OS now, Is there any way that i could download it from somewhere ? i tried searching on internet but couldn't find anything.
Not that we recommend. The windows app is several years out of date, so we no longer support it. Please use the web app if a reliable internet connection is available for your use.
 
Not that we recommend. The windows app is several years out of date, so we no longer support it. Please use the web app if a reliable internet connection is available for your use.
This makes me very sad. I also just reinstalled Windows on my brewing laptop, only to find Brewer's Friend software is no longer available for download. I cannot use online brewing software, so I guess I'll have to find a solution elsewhere.
One of my old backup folders has a copy of the BrewMate installer. Maybe I'll go back to using that.
 
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