Frequently Asked Questions

Who are we and what is this?

MIBrew is a homebrewing recipe creator brought to you by Michigan Brew Supply. Michigan Brew Supply is a homebrew supply shop that opened it's doors in 2012. We began building this tool for our own internal use at the shop and decided to polish it up and release it to the world. Click here for more info.

Things have changed. How can I keep track of updates?

MIBrew is in constant development. All changes will be added to our Change Log as they go live. Big changes will be announced via our Blog and Social Media Pages.

How do we estimate IBUs?

We currently support both the Tinseth and Rager IBU equations. Tinseth is the default but you can change this under Advanced Options when creating or editing a recipe.

What about whirlpool hop additions?

Unfortunately there is no clear definition as to what a whirlpool is. Some chill for a bit, while others start shortly after flameout. Alpha acids will continue to isomerize until the temperature of the wort reaches about 175F. So anytime we are above 175F, we'll be contributing to IBUs. MIBrews treats whirlpool additions the same as 5 min boil additions.

How do we estimate beer color (SRM)?

We have implemented the Morey equation for estimating SRM.

Malt Color Unit (MCU) = (grain color in Lovibond * grain weight in lbs) / volume in gallons

SRM = 1.4922 * [MCU ^ 0.6859]

How do we estimate original gravity (OG)?

Gravity is calculated differently based on your brewing method.

All-Grain

Your OG is based on the max parts per gallon (PPG) of your grains and your mash efficiency. The default efficiency is 75% but this can be updated in Settings or when you create or edit a recipe.

Extract

Your OG is based on the max parts per gallon (PPG) of your liquid and dry extract.

Partial Mash

We use a combination of the above based on either mashing of grains or boiling of extracts.

How do we estimate final gravity (FG)?

We use the average of the attenuation published by the yeast manufacturer.

How do we estimate alcohol by volume (ABV)?

(O.G - F.G) - 131.25

How do we handle lactose and maltodextrin?

We currently treat lactose as 8% fermentable and maltodextrin as 5%.

What if I can't find an ingredient?

We are constantly updating our database with new items. If you the ingredient you are looking isn't find, you can add a custom ingredient. When your ingredient search returns no results, you'll have the option to add a new custom ingredient.

We monitor these custom ingredients and add them to our main database as needed.

How can we be contacted?

Please visit our Contact Us page.