BrewCipher

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by VikeMan, Dec 30, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. lakecharlevoixbrewing

    lakecharlevoixbrewing Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2015 Michigan

    I was wondering the password to unlock the program so its not protected anymore so I can add another type of grain that isnt on the program. Please supply or if you know of a contact email or number for me to get ahold of the person who created the program so I could adjust it. I would greatly appreciate it
     
  2. CurtFromHershey

    CurtFromHershey Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2012 Minnesota

    You can add grains to the "GRAINLOOKUP" tab
     
  3. corbmoster

    corbmoster Pundit (848) Dec 15, 2014 Texas
    Trader

  4. lakecharlevoixbrewing

    lakecharlevoixbrewing Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2015 Michigan

    ahhh duh. Thanks. jeez.....
     
  5. waytogo

    waytogo Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2012 Louisiana

    I'm new to BrewCipher and have just downloaded it and overloaded on all that it can do. Thanks so much for sharing this. I'd like to give it a try.
    So, after hours of reading, I'm still not sure how to use a previous water profile when using RO water. Basically, what I see on the water tab without any salt additions, is the ph listed. For example, for a pale ale, with my 2 row and munich and hops added, and using RO with no salts, it shows a mash PH of 5.68. I'm doing a BIAB and it shows 'desired sparge water ph' as 5.5. So, choosing one of the water profiles, am I aiming for the 5.5? No matter what beer profile I choose, the ph of 5.5 is always listed so I'm not sure how accurate that is.
    I can easily add salts and see the ph go from 5.68 to 5.5 but it's the desired ph I'm not sure of and where I find it.

    Thanks much for the help and this great program.
     
  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    The Desired Sparge Water pH field is a user input (it's blue, just like all user-input fields...you enter whatever you want there), and the program tells you how much acid to add to your sparge water to hit that pH (for the sparge water, not the mash). But you are doing BIAB, so there is normally no sparge water. (Make sure you set the BIAB indicator on the Brewhouse Parameters tab to "Y".) So the Desired Sparge Water pH field is not relevant to your batch. Unless you are for some reason doing a sparge with BIAB, you can safely ignore it.

    As far as what Mash pH to shoot for, that's a matter of personal preference. Some people shoot for a low-ish pH for hoppy beers and a high-ish pH for malty beers, but there's no universal consensus. If in doubt, maybe shoot for something like 5.3 or 5.4. (For mash efficiency purposes, anything between 5.2 and 5.6 is good.) Add the salts you want for flavor that will also push the pH in the right direction. If you reach the limit of the salts you want to add, but still want a lower pH, add acid in the Mash Acid Additions section. If pH is where you want it, but you want more salts for flavor, add the additional salts to the kettle.
     
  7. waytogo

    waytogo Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2012 Louisiana

    Awesome. Thanks for the uber fast reply.
     
  8. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    Is it possible to get mash times of 120 added? Or is it a discinction without a difference? I always wondered why mash times jump from 90 to 280.
     
  9. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Why would there even be a 4.67 hour mash preset? Who does that?
     
    scurvy311 likes this.
  10. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    I always joked to myself that his LHBS was 2.3 hours away. :rolling_eyes:
     
  11. DrMindbender

    DrMindbender Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2014 South Carolina

    I do extended mashes all the time for convenience and efficiency...its not uncommon on a Friday for me to mash in at 7:30am, go to work, mash out when I get home at noon-1 and finish brewing in 1.5-2 hours. Cuts the brew day up, I still get work done and then I have the afternoon to go kayaking, climbing or mountain biking. Works well for me.
     
    jlordi12 likes this.
  12. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    Same thing here. It takes me 90 min to cut all the yards so I like 90 min mashes by default, but I had to go into work today. I was 30 min into a 90 min. Ended up being a 140ish min mash. I'm sure I will be close, but it is a curious jump in mash times.
     
    DrMindbender likes this.
  13. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    The choices are the times that have data available. Unfortunately, I have not been able to fit a curve to the data that I like...if I could, I'd make it continuous formula.
     
    jbakajust1 and DrMindbender like this.
  14. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,135) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    That's what I figured. You don't seem like the type to randomly assign some and leave others out. I love BrewCipher and recommend it to every new brewer.
     
  15. sethsticles

    sethsticles Crusader (413) May 6, 2014 California
    Trader

    have you tried polynomial regression on the data?
     
  16. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Yes.
     
  17. joelkids

    joelkids Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2016 Laos

    Hello all! I'm a newbie here and a new to brewing. (Living in Laos for the last 8 years and craving something other than a Lager!) This is an awesome spreadsheet! But, can someone help me with how to save this in a way that doesn't block the "Scale!" options?
    [​IMG]
    Any help is GREATLY appreciated!
     
  18. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    s
    You may have to enable macros in your spreadsheet software. What version of excel (or other software) are you using?

    ETA: I just noticed you changed the file to .xlsm. I don't know if that's part of the problem, but if running in excel, you shouldn't have to do that, which is why the latest versions are distributed only in .xls and .ods formats.
     
    #78 VikeMan, Nov 10, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2016
  19. DVoors

    DVoors Zealot (627) Jan 6, 2014 Indiana

    @VikeMan thanks for all your work and for sharing this with everyone for free. Serious good beer karma coming your way. I have an older version of brew cypher and I love it. I've seen several references to V3.3 and 3.4, but I didn't see any link or way to download them. Could you possibly either email ([email protected]) the most recent version to me or post a link for the download? Thanks so much for all the work you've done. This is definitely the best and most comprehensive brewing/recipe formulation program that i've ever used.
     
    jlordi12 likes this.
  20. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    jlordi12 and DVoors like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.