Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Brewey is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. However, you must be of legal age to create alcohol-related content in your jurisdiction (typically 18-21 years old). Your data may be processed and stored in various locations worldwide through our service providers. By using Brewey, you consent to international data transfer.

Brewey is designed for personal homebrewing use by individual hobbyists. Commercial use, including professional brewing operations or commercial recipe database services, is not permitted under our Terms of Use. If you're interested in commercial licensing, please contact support@mail.brewey.ai to discuss options.

Brewey is an AI-powered beer recipe creator with a conversational chatbot interface. It helps homebrewers create, modify, and manage beer recipes.

The app features:

• Automatic brewing calculations
• BJCP style matching
• Water chemistry management
• Comprehensive ingredient databases

Brewey is free to access with no ongoing subscription fees - you can view, print, and download recipes at no cost. AI features like recipe creation and brewing advice use a simple credit system.

You can find our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy on our website. These documents explain how we handle your data, what's expected for fair use of the service, and your rights as a user. By using Brewey, you agree to these terms. Key points: We don't sell your data, your recipes remain yours, and the service is for personal homebrewing use only.

Brewey was created by Scott Ryburn as a personal project to explore the possibilities of using AI to assist homebrewers to create beer recipes. He is a homebrew enthusiast and has been brewing for over 15 years.

No, all credits are non-refundable and non-transferable. Credits have no cash value and cannot be exchanged. If the service is discontinued, we will provide at least 30 days notice via email, after which unused credits expire without refund.

Yes! You can provide your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, and OpenRouter.

Setup: Go to Settings > Chat tab and select 'Use custom models and parameters' to configure your keys.

Benefits: When using custom keys, you won't be charged credits.

Important: Using custom keys will override Brewey's model optimizations (such as using specific models for certain tasks) and you'll be responsible for costs from your API provider.

You can delete your account from the Settings page in the app.

⚠️ WARNING: This will IMMEDIATELY and PERMANENTLY delete your profile, all recipes, and associated data. This action cannot be undone and we cannot restore deleted accounts or recipes, even if deleted by mistake.

Important: Always export your recipes using /export before deleting your account. Once deleted, your data is gone forever.

If we ever need to discontinue the service, we will provide at least 30 days advance notice via email to your registered email address.

During Notice Period:

• You can export all your recipes using the /export command
• After the termination date, all data will be permanently deleted
• Any remaining credits will expire without refund

Important: It's important to keep your email address current in your account settings to receive such notices.

The app uses a credit system to manage AI usage. Credits are consumed when you use AI features like recipe creation, modification suggestions, or brewing advice.

Pricing: Credits are priced at $1 USD per credit.

Viewing Credits: You can view your current credit balance in the navigation menu (when expanded) or in the bottom right of the chat pane on desktop view.

Usage: Credit usage depends on factors like chat length and request complexity, but one credit typically provides enough AI assistance to create several recipes with expert knowledge and insights.

Important: All credits are non-refundable and costs may change without notice.

Alternative: You can provide your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter in Settings > Chat tab to use your own accounts instead of credits.

There is currently no hard limit on the number of recipes you can create and store. However, we expect reasonable personal use in accordance with our Terms of Service. The service is intended for individual homebrewers, not automated/bot usage or commercial recipe databases. We reserve the right to implement or change usage limits at any time without notice to ensure quality service for all users.

Yes, the API has rate limits to ensure fair usage. Each Personal Access Token (PAT) has a limit of 1,000 requests per hour. All API responses include rate limit headers to help you track usage. For higher limits or specific project needs, contact support@mail.brewey.ai. See the complete API documentation for detailed rate limiting information.

Yes! Brewey provides a REST API for programmatic access to your recipes, ingredients, and brewing data.

To get started:

1. Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT) under Settings > API Tokens tab
2. View the complete API documentation
3. Include your PAT in API requests for authentication

The API follows RESTful conventions and returns JSON responses.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the system that allows AI models to interact with Brewey's database. It provides the AI with tools to create recipes, search ingredients, perform calculations, and manage your brewing data.

MCP ensures the AI can take direct actions while maintaining security through authentication.

For Technical Users: You can connect the Brewey MCP server to tools like Claude Code or other MCP-compatible applications using a Personal Access Token (PAT) - generate one under Settings > API Tokens tab. This allows you to access your brewing data from AI assistants outside of the Brewey web interface.

You can export your recipes for offline storage or sharing with other users.

Export Options:

• Use the /export command in the chat to download recipes
• Use the /print command to generate a print-friendly recipe for brew day

File Formats:

• Native .brewey format (JSON based) for perfect fidelity
• Support for BeerJSON and BeerXML formats coming soon

Brewey can import multiple formats:

Supported Formats:

• Native .brewey files (instant import with perfect accuracy)
• BeerSmith .bsmx files (AI-powered conversion)
• XML recipes
• JSON/BeerJSON
• YAML
• Plain text recipes

Use the /import command to upload any supported file. Tip: you can also cut and paste text from a recipe into the chat input and ask brewey to import it.

The .brewey format is Brewey's native recipe format that preserves 100% of your recipe data with perfect fidelity. It's a compact, human-readable JSON format that includes all ingredients, water chemistry, notes, and calculations. Use .brewey files for backing up recipes or sharing with other Brewey users for instant, accurate import.

No, deleted recipes cannot be recovered. When you delete a recipe, it is permanently removed from our database.

Use the /print command in the chat to generate a clean, print-friendly version of your recipe. This opens a formatted brew sheet in a new tab with all ingredients, steps, and calculations clearly laid out.

Print Options:

• Print to paper using your browser's print function (Ctrl/Cmd+P)
• Save as PDF by selecting 'Save as PDF' or 'Print to PDF' as the destination in your print dialog

Compatibility: Available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and most mobile devices. The exact wording varies by operating system, but all modern browsers support saving printed pages as PDF files.

Yes! You can share your recipes in several ways:

Sharing Methods:

• Use the /export command to download your recipe as a .brewey file that other Brewey users can import for perfect accuracy
• Use the /print command to generate a clean, formatted brew sheet that's perfect for sharing as a PDF or printing

These exports include all ingredients, calculations, and brewing notes.

Brewey uses industry-standard brewing formulas for all calculations. Original Gravity uses standard brewing gravity calculations, IBUs use the Tinseth formula, colour uses Morey's equation, and ABV uses the standard formula. All calculations are performed in the database for consistency and have been validated against established brewing software.

Yes! You can customise your profile with information about your brewing system, experience level, and preferences. This helps the AI provide more personalised suggestions. Access Settings > Profile tab to add details about your equipment, favourite styles, and brewing goals. The AI uses this context to tailor its recommendations.

Yes! You can switch between Metric and US (Imperial) unit systems in your profile settings.

To Change Units:

• Go to Settings > Profile tab
• Select your preferred unit system (Metric or US)
• Save your changes

What Changes:

• Recipe measurements (kg/lb, litres/gallons, °C/°F)
• Ingredient amounts and volumes
• Temperature displays
• All calculations and displays will use your selected units

Note: The database always stores values in metric units for consistency, but the interface will display and accept values in your preferred system.

Slash commands are quick system operations that bypass AI processing. Type / followed by the command in the chat.

Available Commands:

• /help - Show available slash commands
• /clear - Clear all messages from the chat interface
• /topup - Buy more credits
• /profile - View and edit your profile
• /import - Import a beer recipe file (JSON, XML, TXT, BSMX, YAML, YML, BREWEY)
• /export - Export current recipe as native Brewey format (.brewey file)
• /print - Generate a print friendly recipe for brew day
• /debug - Open the debug log as a self-contained HTML page in a new tab

Yes! Brewey works perfectly on phones and tablets. It's a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means you can install it directly from your web browser instead of an app store. This gives you the same convenient, app-like experience — including an icon on your home screen — without needing a separate download.

To install the app:

On Android: Open the site in Chrome, tap the three dots in the top-right corner, and select "Add to Home screen."

On iPhone/iPad (Safari): Tap the Share icon at the bottom of the screen, then choose "Add to Home Screen."

This approach keeps the app lightweight, always up-to-date, and easy to install on any device.

Brewey is an online service requiring internet connectivity for AI features, recipe saving, and calculations.

Brewey includes the complete BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines, the most current version. The database contains all 84 beer styles across 23 categories with detailed statistics, sensory descriptions, and commercial examples. Brewey can automatically match your recipes to appropriate styles and highlight any deviations.

The water chemistry tool helps you adjust your brewing water for optimal results. You can set base water profiles (your tap water), target profiles (desired style), and the system calculates required salt additions. It tracks important ions (calcium, sulfate, chloride) and brewing parameters (pH, residual alkalinity) with automatic conversions between units.

Brewey supports multiple AI providers including OpenAI (GPT models), Anthropic (Claude models), and various models through OpenRouter (Gemini, Grok, Deepseek, etc.). You can configure your preferred model in Settings. The app intelligently routes requests to optimize for cost and performance based on your preferences.

Your recipe data is stored on secure servers with regular automated backups for disaster recovery purposes.

Important Limitations:

• These system backups are for catastrophic failures only
• If you accidentally delete a recipe or your account, we cannot restore individual data
• Always use the /export command to maintain your own backups of important recipes before making changes or deletions

Yes, your data is highly secure. Brewey uses Supabase with Row Level Security (RLS) to ensure users can only access their own recipes. All connections use HTTPS encryption, authentication is handled via secure JWT tokens, and we follow industry-standard security practices. Your recipes are private by default and can only be accessed by you.

Chat history is saved in your browser's local storage (i.e. on your device) and persists across sessions. It's automatically cleared when you sign out for privacy. We do not store your chat history on our servers and therefore do not have access to it. Once cleared, chat history cannot be retrieved.

Important Notes:

• You can extract your visible chat history along with other technical information via the /debug command. It is helpful for you to supply this file for support purposes, e.g., if reporting a bug or suggestion to improve Brewey's actions or chat responses.

• Your chat conversations are processed by third-party services (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter) who may retain them according to their privacy policies.

• We recommend clearing your chat history between recipes. A short chat history reduces credit usage and improves AI performance. You can clear your chat history anytime using the /clear command or the 'Clear Chat' button.

Tip:

• Ask Brewey to summarise the key aspects of a recipe conversation and save it to the recipe notes field for future reference.

When you use the AI assistant, the following is sent to third-party AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter):

Data Shared:

• Your chat messages
• Your user profile information (brewing experience, system details you've added)
• Current recipe data when relevant
• Context needed for brewing assistance

Important: These providers process your data under their own Terms of Service and Privacy Policies, which you should review. Only include information in your profile that you're comfortable sharing with AI services.

We love hearing from our users! Please send feature suggestions to support@mail.brewey.ai with 'Feature Request' in the subject line. While we can't implement every request, we carefully consider all feedback to improve Brewey for the homebrewing community.

Please email support@mail.brewey.ai to report any bugs or issues with the app.