StrangeBrew

Everything you eat and drink is based on a recipe that has been developed and improved throughout the years. It all started out through experimenting with different ingredients and observation of effects in time. If you've ever wondered what's inside your beer, as simple search on the web reveals its secret and enthusiasts can even try out new formulas with applications like StrangeBrew.

Once the download process is finished, you can go ahead and launch the application to see what it's all about, without having to go through an installation. This is a neat advantage because it keeps your computer's health status intact, but you need to make sure it's equipped with Java Runtime Environment, since it's built on this engine.

The interface, although simple in terms of design, with tab support, feels a little overwhelming. An abundance of tabs, panels, drop-down menus and input fields are found in every corner, with corresponding titles not helping that much.

Luckily, there are an abundance of recipes you can import to view every detail and get an idea of how to create your own, or simply work on the given template. There's also a random name generator in case you can't decide on a good title, with ridiculous, funny and normal titles generated such as “Red Yummy Flaggon Koelsch” or “Unbefreakinglievable American Light Lager”.

The application keeps track an impressive array of operations that need to be performed to make the beverage. These are all found in tabs and let you manage details, style, dilution, mash, ferment, carbonation, water and even cost of ingredients.

Values go hand in hand, with a few fields such as alcohol level, international bittering units or color changing according to the amount and type of ingredients used, as well as processes these undergo. What's more, a cost estimator gives you an insight as to how much money you have to pull from your pocket.

You can use a few tools to measure malt percentage, extract potential, convert units or recipes. The application is packed with measurement unit support for different types and standards. However, there's no general option to apply to all areas and it gets frustrating to change it for every field you fill in.

On an ending note, StrangeBrew is a little bit of what the name suggests, but proves to be practical if you got the right knowledge and want to test out new ideas for home-made beverages. It might take some time to go through all it has to offer, but this is only to assure you that if you follow given values your product is sure to come out the way you want it to, unless the taste proves otherwise.