Batch Records Explained: What Gets Written Down for Each Brew

A batch record is the file for one brew. It says what you meant to make, what you actually did, and what came out. Paper versions are usually a sheet or a notebook page. Software versions are a set of fields.

The exact fields differ by program. Treat what follows as a sketch drawn from one maker's help guides, not a fixed list.

Starting from the recipe

One maker's guide says "Your brew sheet reflects what has been entered into your recipe".¹ In plain terms, the recipe is the plan. The brew sheet is the copy you fill in on the day.

That split matters. The plan says what should happen, and the sheet says what did. The gap between them is where you learn things.

What goes in on brew day

The same guide says that when you add an ingredient on the sheet, "this will be taken from your inventory and impact your stock level".¹ That ties ingredient use to the batch. It's the link you'd otherwise rebuild by hand from receipts. The ingredient lots page goes further on this.

Typical entries are what went in, which vessels were used, and the numbers you measured. Which fields exist, and what they're called, is the maker's choice.

Comparing with earlier batches

The guide describes how "the brew sheet shows a small sparkline of recent readings from previous batches of the same beer alongside the current batch's value".¹ On paper, you'd do that by flipping back through old sheets.

Readings after brew day

Fermentation entries usually hang off the same batch. The fermentation page covers how those readings are taken.

Checks before the beer leaves

Some programs hold a batch until checks are done. One guide says "If approval is marked as required, the relevant action (packaging) cannot proceed until the approval is completed."² Whether you use that is your call. A check can only pass or fail if someone enters the result.

Batch numbers and lot numbers

Every batch needs an identifier. A lot number is a related idea for materials. Wikipedia says it "enables tracing of the constituent parts or ingredients" of a product.³ Your batch number does a similar job for your beer. It's what ties a keg or can back to a brew.

Pick a numbering scheme and stick to it. Once kegs and cans carry the number, changing it gets messy. Whether a program makes batch numbers for you or lets you set your own is something to check in the maker's documentation.

What a record can't do

It can't tell you the beer was good. It stores what people enter. A tidy record of a bad brew is still a tidy record, and a patchy record of a good brew is still patchy.

For the full list of fields in any one program, read the maker's own documentation. Next in this set is the tank side, in fermentation logs.