BeerAlchemy 1.1.2 and the recipes page

Yesterday, we released a new version of BeerAlchemy 1.1.2. This new version includes a few things that didn't quite make it into the 1.1 release but I wanted to get out to users before the next major release. I've mentioned the features in a previous blog entry. Unless any major bugs are reported, 1.1.2 will be the last 1.1.x release as work will begin shortly on 1.2. It will consequently be a couple of months (probably) until there's another release.

Yesterday, we also uploaded a recipes area to the website. This has been requested a number of times by users so we hope it's helpful. In it's current form it is hardly an extensive collection but we hope users will contribute some of their recipes to the cause! The collection right now consists mainly of recreations of English commercial beers - albeit cunningly disguised under different names. Some brewers may be surprised to see sugar as an ingredient in a couple of the beers. My defence would be that that is what the commercial breweries in question use. Personally I wouldn't use sugar in a standard gravity bitter but that is what some breweries do. I do feel that the use of sugar is however essential to get the right level of body in some of the Belgian styles.

I would particularly like to hear from brewers with great lager recipes they wish to share. I don't brew lagers (I lack a fermentation fridge) so I haven't got any to publish on the recipes page.