I don’t use brewing software all that much, but before settling on BeerAlchemy I successfully tested both ProMash and Beersmith on my Mac using a bit of magical software called Crossover, which allows you to run many Windoze programs seamlessly on your Mac with the advantage of not having to install the Windows OS at all (to me, installing Windows on a Mac is something akin to putting a lawn mower engine in a Ferrari). ;D
info here:
Is this about the same as Parallels? I’ve got that on my macbook but never thought of using it to run Promash, which I have on my PC.
If you have access to a webserver you can look at BrewBlogger (http://www.brewblogger.net). It’s open source (free) and completely web based. A lot of homebrew clubs install it on their website for their members. It doesn’t give you paint-by-numbers instructions (yet) but it has all the tools you need to maintain/develop/share recipes and keep track of brew sessions (‘blogs’). It uses BeerXML as a format too so you can import/export recipes from other programs like BeerSmith and StrangeBrew. It’s the only web-based solution out there which means you have access to your data from anywhere you have a browser (Linux, Mac, iPhone, Android, etc.).
Wow, thanks for all the advice. It looks like BeerSmith is the winner, should’ve added a poll probably just to be sure. So far I’ve just been taking notes in my “How To Brew” and random envelopes I find, but i think investing in a nice program will help. I have tried hopville and I do like that. I’d like to see more on the Android market, I have Home Brew Calculator now, but if I’m at home, brewing, I’d rather just use my laptop. Thanks again for the advice
Put me down for Beer Tools Pro… I have used them all though, and all have some great attributes. I’m on a mac. BTP on a mac is like fine pale chocolate is to a mild. Bliss it is…
I have used both Promash and Beersmith. Currently I use Beersmith. I feel the interface for Promash is cleaner but I like the layout of Beersmith better. As for a free program… I have tried a couple linux programs awhile back and they just didn’t measure up. I’m sure that they have improved with time but I couldn’t really tell you for sure.
I bought Promash and Beersmith years ago. For a while I entered my recipes into each one, but Promash always seemed a better predictor of color and IBU’s. One recipe came out to around 50 IBU’s on Promash, around 75 on Beersmith but the beer was definitely not a 75 IBU beer. I probably could have changed the hops formula in Beersmith but it just seemed easier to stick with Promash.
I switched from Beer Calculator to Promash back in '98 and haven’t tried or used anything else.
I am a promash user.
I am a Linux user and it runs thru WINE just fine.
Also Mac, and also BTP. Couldn’t be happier.
Not really. With Parallels, you still need to install MS Windows to run Windows programs.
With Crossover,you have the huge advantage of not needing to install Windows at all. and it allows many Windows programs to run seamlessly in the Mac environment.
I believe that Crossover offers a fully functional trial version at the link previously provided.
I’ve used ProMash and BeerSmith, and I find Beersmith a little simpler and more intuitive to use.
I started with ProMash, but didn’t find it as easy to use as Beer Smith. The other issue I have with ProMash is the software doesn’t seem to have updates. I checked the web site and it’s several years since the last change in software. It also doesn’t seem to support Windows 7. I did think it was a better program initially tho.
I have no problem with Windows 7
Same here. Just installed PM on a new laptop with Win7 Home premium and it works flawlessly.
ProMash works with Win7 Ultimate.
I’ve been using Promash for 10 plus years and have been pretty happy with it. An update would be nice but it works well for me and I really don’t want to go through learning another program. Still hoping we will one day see an update 8)
I’ve tried both beersmith and promash and prefer the interface of beersmith a little more.
Beersmith has a lot of features and simplicity of use that I like. It is great for being able to share brew recipes. You can export or import files easily. Scale the batch size to meet your brewing style. If you want to, Beersmith gives you the ability to customize a lot of elements of the brew process. It is a cool program.
To be fair, I have not used any other brew software.
Works well for me.
Its been a long time since there was a ProMash update, but what sort of update do people want? ProMash already does everything Beersmith does, so a feature update isn’t required. Are there other features that could be incorporated? Are there glitches or flaws in ProMash that should be fixed? I haven’t found any.
In some respects I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been an update in a long time, but ProMash continues to perform exactly as I need it to. In these days of seemingly constant software updating, I suppose that users expect change.