When we started this blog site I was just getting into using BeerTools Pro as my brewing software.  I have since switched to BeerSmith and I am very happy.

My favorite feature of BeerSmith is the recipe organization.  I like the ability to organize recipes into folders, and all those folders are easily accessed through a side panel in the main window. You can also select recipes to view just as a recipe sheet without having to dive into recipe editing mode.

BeerSmith has a very nice brewing log and calender feature for scheduling and tracking events such as fermentation, racking and conditioning (which I have tinkered with, but don’t really use).

There is a shopping list feature which has been a great way to make a list, print it and head to the local shop to get stuff.

If you buy ingredients in bulk there is an inventory feature.  I suppose that inventory feature would also be usable to track your leftovers too.  (Half a pound of this, 2 oz of that)

The limitations that I have learned to live with is in two parts.  First, graphically, its not as pretty as BeerTools.  BeerTools wins in this category over all other softwares I have seen.  The other limitation is that if you are building a recipe with 6 different grains in it, you have to add each grain separately from the grain database.  You can’t just open the grain database and click the 6 you want to add, then edit the amounts back in the recipe editor.  Its a little tedious, but you get used to it.

Overall, I find BeerSmith to be my favorite software this far.  They have good tech support and updates are available.  (Not the case with Promash).

For the $20 or so that it costs, its well worth it.  There are other online recipe generators on the web for free.  But I like having the dedicated software to store, sort and organize my recipes from. There is a free trial version to download, so check it out.

BREW ON!