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Frequently Asked Questions

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Some of the most commonly asked questions are locate here.

 

Note: Our Online FAQ is updated frequently and may have the latest answer to your questions

 

See Also: BeerSmith Help, Online Resources, BeerSmith Support Page, BeerSmith Videos, BeerSmith Discussion Forum, BeerSmith Blog/Podcast

 

BeerSmith seems complicated - how can I get started?

oSee our Getting Started page for some of the first steps you should take
oA lot of people enjoy watching the video tutorials which explain how to perform common operations in BeerSmith

 

Can I install BeerSmith on more than one computer?

oBeerSmith now uses an online activation system tied to your BeerSmith Cloud account. Most licenses allow 2 activations per license, though some extended licenses allow more. You can log in at BeerSmithRecipes.com and go to the Profile page or click on this link to renew your license, deactivate or activate a new computer.

 

I'm Receiving a Warning from my Antivirus Program When I Install BeerSmith 3

oBeerSmith 3 is a new program, so some antivirus programs have flagged it incorrectly.  White listing BeerSmith3 in your antivirus program will resolve most issues.
oPlease see this page on how you can help us correct these false-positive reports

 

My computer died or I lost my key and I need to reinstall...

oDownload the latest version of BeerSmith from BeerSmith.com - go to the main download page there.
oBeerSmith now uses an online activation system tied to your BeerSmith Cloud account. Most licenses allow 2 activations per license, though some extended licenses allow more. You can log in at BeerSmithRecipes.com and go to the Profile page or click on this link to renew your license, deactivate your old computer or activate a new computer.

 

Where can I learn more about homebrewing?

oBeerSmith has one of the largest collection of articles about homebrewing on the web including the BeerSmith Blog and Podcast, BeerSmith Discussion Forum and our weekly newsletter.

 

Can I convert/change units to metric/english/imperial units?

oYou can change your default units to Metric, Imperial, or English from the Options Dialog, Units Page.  You can also do in-place unit conversions for any field of the same type by entering the units after any number.

 

How can I transfer my data to another computer or share recipes?

oYou can transfer recipes using the Export All command to export your My Recipes view and then open the file on the other computer.
oAlternately, all of your data is in the Documents/BeerSmith3 directory so if you close BeerSmith, and copy that entire directory over it will take your data with it.

 

How do I import recipes sent or downloaded from the internet?

oYou can use the Cloud Search view in BeerSmith to search thousands of recipes that have been shared on BeerSmithRecipes.com.  Once you find one, just make a local copy of it and scale it to match your particular set of equipment.
oIf you have a BSMX file Open the file and then copy/paste the recipes you want to keep into your My Recipes folder.

 

I'm having a problem with BeerSmith

oPlease visit our main support page online for the latest patches, videos, add-ons, discussion forum and help using BeerSmith

 

Is BeerSmith available for the Macintosh?

oBeerSmith 3.0 is now available for the Macintosh computer from BeerSmith.com

 

Where can I download more recipes for BeerSmith?

oTwo popular places to get BeerSmith recipes include our Recipes Archive and Discussion Forum
oYou can use the Cloud Search view in BeerSmith to search thousands of recipes that have been shared on BeerSmithRecipes.com.

 

How do I customize my equipment settings?

oThis is a critical first step - as you really need to have your own equipment profile to properly design recipes
oSee the article on Equipment Profiles for a field-by-field description of building your own equipment profile

 

How can I change the defaults for creating a new recipe?

oUse the Set Default Recipe command.  This lets you set up a recipe exactly the way you want it and save it as the "default" for future new recipes.

 

What is your upgrade policy?

oWe now have two licensing options: subscription licenses and a one-time-fee license:
oSubscriptions include both major and minor updates - so all updates are included with a subscription license.
oOne time fee licenses include minor version upgrades (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, etc...) only.  Major upgrades (4.0, 5.0) will require a new registration or upgrade fee.

 

Does BeerSmith run on Linux?

oThere is a Linux version available from the main download page thought the supported version only runs on Ubuntu.

 

Why does BeerSmith calculate a different bitterness (IBU) value than program/spreadsheet X?

oBeerSmith uses the Tinseth hop equation to estimate bitterness by default.  Many others use Rager.  You can change the hop equation used from the Options Dialog, Bitterness Tab
oAlso - make sure your equipment profile is properly set up as these can affect the bitterness calculation

 

I'm having problems with Printing/Print preview margins?

oBeerSmith now has a setting to adjust scaling on reports.  Go to My Recipes view and click on the % drop down box on the preview window pane (lower half of the screen) to alter scale for printing.

 

Where can I get more help?

oIn addition to the help included with BeerSmith, we run an extensive set of Online Resources including our Support Page, Discussion Forum, Videos and Blog/Podcast.
oIf you can't find what you are looking for, often posting a message to the discussion forum is a quick way to get an answer