Brewmate

[johnnie]

Just downloaded the Brewmate software and have been playing around with it. In the top right hand corner of the recipe page is balance value. I'm assuming this is whether or not the beer will have a balanced flavour. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Cheers
J

 

[bobsbeer]

I use Beersmith but bump as lots use Brewmate.

 

[Dave1970]

It's a ratio of BU:GU...Bittering units: Gravity Units, so how bitter your finished beer will be from hop additions balanced against how sweet it will be from unfermented sugars.
There's no 'correct' value, when you choose a style in Brewmate it will assign a balance value that is appropriate for that style. If you hover your pointer over the balance value it will tell you a mid value for that style. If you have 'Style Nazi' mode turned on it will turn yellow if you go outside the defined range for that style

 

[graysalchemy]

No balance value is a different to the BU:GU which is also stated as a different value. It does however have a similar function.

I have just found this

The balance value, it's calculated from the real terminal extract (not just the simple ibu/og). The simple IBU/OG fails when attenuation is not average - a beer that starts at 1.080 and ends at 1.020 is much sweeter than one that starts at 1.080 and ends at 1.010. The Balance Value tries to remedy that, and also normalizes it so that a balanced beer is around 1.0.

Values close to 1 mean the beer is balanced. Values greater than 1 means the beer is out of balance toward the hoppy side, values less than 1 means the beer is out of balance toward the malty side.

 

[BIGJIM72]

Thanks for explaining greys-I use brewmate all of the time & I didn't know! Hopefully I can help illustrate though.

Made something akin to White Shield last week.

OG 1051,FG 1013.IBU 40.3
BU GU ratio .79 Balance value 1.73

So if I understand you correctly the balance value is well over 1 because of the highish IBU

 

[Dave1970]

No balance value is a different to the BU:GU which is also stated as a different value. It does however have a similar function

Stand corrected.

Made something akin to White Shield last week.

OG 1051,FG 1013.IBU 40.3
BU GU ratio .79 Balance value 1.73

So if I understand you correctly the balance value is well over 1 because of the highish IBU

That's right. White Shield is a hoppy IPA so it's well over 1. Brewmate reckons 1.86 as a mid value for an IPA

Other styles mid values (according to Brewmate):
American Pale: 1.61
ESB: 1.66
Weizen: 0.53
Mild: 1.0
Dry Stout: 2.10
Bohemian Pilsner: 1.58

 

[graysalchemy]

No balance value is a different to the BU:GU which is also stated as a different value. It does however have a similar function

Stand corrected.

It does have a similar function though.

I always use BU:GU as a reference. :thumb:

 

[BIGJIM72]

Now all I need to understand is what the AA% function does!

 

[johnnie]

Thanks everyone :

 

[paraffin]

Now all I need to understand is what the AA% function does!

I think this is the yeast attenuation - so if you end up with a lower FG than expected, dialling up the AA% will give you the attenuation and give the final ABV. It's defaulted at 75, but can go a lot higher.

 

[pittsy]

Isn't that the Alpha Acids in your hops (AA%)

 

[PD]

no its the attenuation value of the yeast, how well your yeast works out on the brew its default value is set at 75%.
Depending on what your FG comes in at alter the AA% to give that FG reading in the software. The resulting AA figure is then correct for that yeast and brew.
Hopefully when using the same type of yeast again you can put in the AA figure straight off and see what the FG SHOULD go down to, and with your OG you can see what the abv will come out at...
So you can play with the OG value ( which is dependant on your efficiency figure), and you can play with your FG value with the AA figure.....

 

[BIGJIM72]

Well I never did-thanks for that