# Recipes & brew sheets

By using the recipes section in Breww, you can say goodbye to your clipboard, paper, and calculator, as Breww will take care of your ingredient additions, brew sheet actions, and calculations for you!

Whilst Breww can't currently build your recipes for you, you can make a whole host of your day-to-day operations more efficient, with the additional benefit of automatically maintaining traceability for your beer batches, as the recipe you enter will marry up with a live electronic brew sheet that you can use!

> **Note:**
> **Renamed:** What used to be called **Reporting tags** are now **Input variables**, and **Calculated fields** are now **Calculated variables**. They work in exactly the same way — only the names have changed. Existing tags and fields on your account were renamed automatically, and you'll find them under **Settings & options** on the recipes dashboard.

## Creating a new recipe

To create a recipe, head to **Production** -> **View** -> **Recipes** -> **New recipe**.

You will need to enter a batch volume and your expected wastage for the recipe. Our [Recipe/batch volumes](https://breww.com/docs/recipe_batch-volumes/) article explains further how batch volumes are used in Breww and what figures should be entered. You can also optionally associate this recipe with your beer now if you have already created it and enter a brewhouse efficiency (This is not auto-calculated and is for your own records).

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/d81f25ecc8a5d0dfcd765da57c9a96514cfc8ab69296e23da1277f398d8410c2.png)

It is worth noting that the recipe's expected wastage can have some bearing on the valuation of products that have come from a batch using this recipe. You can read more on this in our guide on [Stock value & wastage](https://breww.com/docs/stock-value-_-wastage/).

> **Note:**
> Have a recipe built in BeerSmith, Brewfather or any other recipe builder that allows you to create a BeerXML file? You can also import your recipe here! Check out our [BeerXML recipes](https://breww.com/docs/beerxml-recipes/) guide for more information.

> **Note:**
> Want to import a recipe from another Breww account or from a Breww recipe file? Head to our [Importing and exporting recipes using a Breww recipe file](https://breww.com/docs/breww-recipe-file-import-export/) guide.

## Adding recipe stages

When creating your recipe, you can organise your brewing actions into different stages, referred to in Breww as 'Stage types'. **Mash**, **Boil** and **Fermentation** are some of the default stage types that you will find in your Breww account. You can view all of your existing stage types or create new ones in **Production** -> **View** -> **Recipes** -> **Settings & options** -> **Stage types**.

Each stage type is also assigned a category, for example, **Brewing** for the mash and boil stage types, and **Fermenting** for the fermentation stage type.

When you are in your recipe, you can select **Add stage** to add your stage types (you can also add new types by selecting ). You then have the option as to whether to auto-allocate and pre-allocate stock for the stage and select whether this stage is repeated per turn. For more on multi-turn batches, then please see our [Multi-turn batches](https://breww.com/docs/multi-turn-batches/) help guide!

> **Warning:**
> Please note that when entering your ingredient additions, you **enter the full quantity required for the total volume of the recipe**, and **don't enter the amount you would enter per turn**, as Breww will be able to auto-calculate this for you when scaling multi-turn batches.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/ee0337ac2e0b5b04f43221489c12eeb23cec94ff03ee9fa85942cdcbd7a63040.png)

### Adding recipe actions

Once a stage has been added, you can add recipe actions to these stages from the list below.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/4be6a9a2b856f310276a205c415452949670be432d243af2ca5f3c33519652cf.png)

Once you have selected the action you want to add, you will be able to set the specific action details. These stages can then be reordered and timings adjusted as required.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/8a6f2684e8206119780d7e149cfe9674ca212dccd24e6e8339d836e0160764fa.png)

Any hop additions can auto-adjust, depending on the alpha acid if you want this to auto-calculate your bittering additions!

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/c683b0cc0b8e62f3a055342cc8f4d07ac9e62b51de1a57a494959783d351fbd1.png)

For gravity, pH and temperature readings on stages categorised as **Fermenting** or **Post-fermentation**, you can select whether this is passed on to the **Analysis** tab on the batch. This is particularly handy when entering your OG on your brew sheet, meaning that this is automatically applied.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/7404cc66e983e81f9000c32081f4c6e9dbda94d8fbfe68a498deeb05ec6ce108.png)

### Optional steps

Each recipe action can be **Optional** or required. Optional steps can be [deliberately skipped on the brew sheet](https://breww.com/docs/brew-sheets/#deliberately-skipping-an-optional-step) when they aren't needed on a batch, while required steps must be completed. Readings, checks, temperature changes, custom instructions and notes are optional unless you make them required, and ingredient and water additions are required unless you make them optional. Change this with the **Optional** setting when adding or editing the action. An optional ingredient addition can have a quantity of 0.

To change a whole draft version at once, click **Optional steps** on the recipe. For each type of action, choose **Optional**, **Required** or **Leave unchanged**, and click **Apply**. Choosing Optional or Required overwrites the setting on every action of that type in the version.

An optional step shows an **Optional** badge in the recipe.

### Showing a step as its own production task

If your brewery uses [production tasks](https://breww.com/docs/production-tasks/), a step that happens partway through a stage, such as dry hopping or cold crashing, can be given its own dated task on every batch rather than being part of its stage's task. Click the pin button on the step's row, or enable **Show as its own production task** when editing it. See [Preparing a batch's production tasks](https://breww.com/docs/preparing-batch-production-tasks/#showing-a-recipe-step-as-its-own-production-task) for how these steps behave.

### Choosing the unit for a water addition

When you add an **Add volume of water** action, the quantity has its own unit dropdown, so you can enter the volume in whichever unit suits that particular addition. This is especially useful for small additions, where entering a few gallons is far easier than working out the equivalent fraction of a barrel or hectolitre.

The units on offer depend on your account's production volume unit, which you'll find under **Settings** -> **Production** -> [General production settings](https://breww.com/docs/production-settings/). That unit is selected by default, so you can leave the dropdown alone whenever you're working in your usual unit.

| Your production volume unit              | Units offered on water additions                                             |
| ---------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Litres or hectolitres                    | Litres, hectolitres, US beer barrels, US gallons                             |
| US gallons or US beer barrels            | US beer barrels, US gallons, litres, hectolitres                             |
| British imperial gallons or beer barrels | British imperial beer barrels, British imperial gallons, litres, hectolitres |

No list mixes two different kinds of gallon or barrel, so there's no risk of picking a US gallon when you meant an imperial one.

Breww remembers the unit you chose against that water addition and uses it everywhere the amount is shown - in the recipe, on your electronic brew sheet, and on the PDF brew sheet. Volumes are always stored in a standard unit behind the scenes, so nothing else about the action changes: scaling for larger, smaller and multi-turn batches works exactly as it does for any other action.

### Targets and deviation thresholds on readings

For reading and calculated-variable actions, you can also set a **target** value (or range) so the brew sheet shows the brewer what they're aiming for, and Breww will compare the actual reading against the target using **deviation thresholds**. Readings outside the warning or out-of-spec bands are highlighted on the brew sheet and surfaced on the Alerts tab of the production dashboard.

See our dedicated [Deviation thresholds and targets](https://breww.com/docs/deviation-thresholds-and-targets/) guide for the full explanation, including how to set system-wide thresholds per variable and override them on individual recipe actions.

### Choosing a reading type

When you add a reading action to a recipe, Breww lets you record far more than gravity, pH and temperature. As well as **time of day**, **duration**, **weight** and **volume**, you can now take **distance**, **pressure**, **CO₂**, **percentage**, **dissolved oxygen**, **colour**, **bitterness** and **haze** readings, each with their own appropriate units. There's also a **custom** reading type for anything that doesn't fit a standard measurement.

When you choose to add a reading, Breww shows a two-pane picker to help you find what you need:

- The **left rail** is a searchable list of all the reading types. Start typing to filter the list, and each type shows how many of your input variables already use it.
- The **right pane** shows the input variables available for whichever reading type you've selected, so you can pick the one you want to record against.

If the reading type you need doesn't yet have a suitable input variable, choose the **Other [type] reading** option for that type. Breww will offer to **create an input variable first** (recommended, so the reading is reusable in calculations and reporting) or to **continue without one** if you just want a one-off reading on this recipe.

> **Note:**
> Two of the reading types are easily confused. **Time of day** records a clock time (e.g. `08:45`), and **Duration** records an elapsed length of time (e.g. `1h 30m`). For the full list of reading types, how each is recorded, and how to use them in calculations, see [Input variables and calculated variables](https://breww.com/docs/input-and-calculated-variables/).

## Readings, tags and calculations

When taking readings, you can also tag them with an **input variable**, enabling you to build calculations into your recipe for your brew day. This is also great for reporting, allowing you to report on specific data across your batches.

> **Warning:**
> Please note that the calculations that you add to your recipe are for the purpose of calculating your brew day readings and checks and are not designed to calculate your ingredient additions.

### How to tag a reading with an input variable

Breww has a selection of pre-set input variables that you can use, but you can also create your own by heading to **Settings & options** -> **Input variables** -> **Add new** on the recipes dashboard. In the example below, I have created the input variable **Post boil gravity**.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/f13460a1240c727cc9060410d88e278f3532415353b1901660497cacf931ab79.png)

These input variables can then be applied to your reading or check actions in your recipe. Here I have added the input variable for the Post boil gravity that I created.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/b4d91c237f25e8a2b0732e8561d15d76f779ddf175cd566a69c4793501b363ff.png)

### How to build a calculation

Once all your input variables are applied, you can start to build in your calculations by heading to **Settings & options** → **Calculated variables** → **Add new** on the recipes dashboard. You can then create a title for this calculation; in this example, it will tell us the **Litre degrees**. You can then go to the Formula box and enter the following using the input variable names that you have created and save this calculated variable.

<br />

```SQL
post_boil_gravity * volume_in_fv
```

Return to your recipe edit, go to the appropriate stage, and press **Add action** → **Calculation** → **Calculated variable**. Your calculated variable will now be here, and you can add this to your recipe. Next time you brew, when you enter the post boil gravity and the volume in FV, the litre degrees will now be calculated for you!

You can then carry on this process to create multiple calculated variables from other input variables and even create calculated variables that reference other calculated variables!

Formulas can do rather more than multiply two readings together — they can reference other calculated variables, and they can work with clock times and elapsed lengths of time (for example, subtracting a mash-in time from a mash-out time to get the length of the mash). Our [Input variables and calculated variables](https://breww.com/docs/input-and-calculated-variables/) guide covers the full set of reading types and measurement types, the operators and functions available to you, and how each kind of value is displayed.

## Brew sheets

Once you have entered and saved your recipe, this will be set against the beer. The next time you start a batch, you can select the recipe, and Breww will input the ingredients that have been entered against the recipe. While the batch is **in-progress**, an alert at the top of the batch page lets you open the brew sheet via the **Manage brewing** button, and you'll also see a **View PDF brew sheet** button (and a **Print brew sheet** button) which lets you print your brew sheet. Our [Using your electronic brew sheet on a brew day](https://breww.com/docs/brew-sheets/) help guide outlines how your brew sheets and brewing page work in Breww.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/a8ddd1cf5f29f909a097ee984cd025f70287073e26baba83485a08f046583996.png)

Your calculations will now also be live, allowing you to simply enter any readings, with the results immediately displayed for you. Using the example from earlier, when populating the recipe, you will now see that the litre degrees have been calculated, with an additional calculation added, which tells you the liquor back quantity of 214L needed to hit your OG.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/breww-user-uploads/markdown-external/b4e2f780553dcc0fd273466f8a594857564d5584311f7e2a1968ffab166d47a4.png)

> **Note:**
> You don't need to start a batch to preview its brew sheet. Once a batch is planned with a recipe set against it, open the planned batch, click the**Brewing** icon in the production-stage progression near the top of the page, and use the **View PDF brew sheet** button in the page header to inspect or print the recipe. This is handy if you want to check or print a copy of the recipe before starting the batch. Once a batch is marked complete, the in-progress alert containing the **Manage brewing** button is hidden. To get back to the brew sheet, open the batch and click the **Brewing** icon in the production-stage progression near the top of the page, then click **View PDF brew sheet** in the page header.

## Bulk swapping an ingredient in all your recipes

If an ingredient is discontinued or you switch supplier, you can swap it for another ingredient in every recipe at once, and adjust the quantities with a multiplier. Go to **Settings & options** -> **Bulk swap recipe ingredient** on the recipes dashboard. See [Bulk swapping an ingredient across your recipes](https://breww.com/docs/bulk-swapping-an-ingredient-in-recipes/) for how drafts, new versions and planned batches are handled.

## Tidying up unused or retired recipes

If you no longer need a recipe — for example, an early test recipe that was never brewed, or an old version of a recipe that's been replaced — you can either **delete** it (if it has never been used on a batch) or mark it as **obsolete** (if it has been used). See [Delete or obsolete a recipe](https://breww.com/docs/delete-or-obsolete-a-recipe/) for the full process.

> **Note:**
> **Just getting started with Breww?** The next step of **'Getting ready to go live'** is [Deliveries & distribution](https://breww.com/docs/deliveries-and-distribution/)**.**

## More in this guide

- [Deviation thresholds and targets](https://breww.com/docs/deviation-thresholds-and-targets.md)
- [Input variables and calculated variables](https://breww.com/docs/input-and-calculated-variables.md)