We brew too
Every homebrewer has a batch that taught them something the hard way. A mash that landed 10 °F (5.5 °C) low. A fermenter lid that popped at 2 a.m. A beer that was perfect at two weeks and flat at six because the priming sugar was a guess. Most of us learned from a forum thread, a friend, or a pint we did not enjoy.
That is the tradition this series belongs to. Homebrewing has always been handed down: from the person who showed you how to sanitize, to the stranger who answered your question at midnight. We want to add to that, not just take from it.
So this first piece has no technique in it. It is who we are, and what we are promising.
Who we are
We are Sparj, an iPhone and iPad app for homebrewers, built by brewers for brewers. We built it because brew day happens in a garage or a kitchen, with wet hands and a timer running, and the device you actually have within reach is your phone.
We brew, and we write this the way we would talk across a fermenter: specific, honest about what we are unsure of, and without the hype.
What we promise
- No ads, ever. Subscriptions are our only income, and we do not sell your data.
- A free plan that brews real beer. Three recipes, full brew-day logging and all the built-in calculators, with no credit card and no trial timer.
- Plain talk about money. When something we write about needs our paid plan, Sparj Plus, we will say so.
- Honest math. We show the formulas, and we say when a number is only an estimate.
What you will find here
A new article every week for the next 31 weeks, in three parts. Foundations covers the basics of a first batch. Dialing In is for brewers who want more control. Going Deep is for the ones who want to know why.
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Across the three parts we will cover ten subjects: water chemistry, malt and mashing, hops, adjuncts, yeast, fermentation, equipment and brew day, formulas and measurement, packaging and carbonation, and recipe design. Each article stands on its own and gives you something to keep, such as a table or a chart.
The last few sentences of each piece will say how Sparj fits that topic, and whether the feature is in the free plan or in Plus. Those notes are short, and you are free to skip them.
You do not need the app to use anything we publish. If you brew with a spreadsheet, a notebook or another app, this series is still for you.
Sparj Homebrewing is free to start: three recipes, all the built-in calculators and brew-day logging, with no credit card and no trial timer. Plus is there when you want more, and we will always say which is which. Get Sparj on the App Store.
Tell us what to cover
What is the batch that taught you the most, and what did it teach you? Tell us in the comments. We read every comment, and your answers will shape which questions we take on next.
Opener · Week 0 of 31
Next week: Extract, partial mash, all grain or BIAB: which brewer are you?
Originally published at https://sparj.substack.com on October 28, 2026.
