Getting started with the Valley Brewer app
What the app is for, signing in, finding your way around the five tabs, and where Guides, Tools and Settings live.
On this page
The Valley Brewer app is the club’s brewing companion. It holds your recipes, runs your brew day, keeps a record of every batch and what you measured, tracks your stock, and shares your recipes with the club on valleybrewer.nz. It works offline: everything is on your phone, and it catches up with the website when you have signal.
Install and sign in
- Download the app from valleybrewer.nz → Members → App and install it. Android asks you to allow installs from your browser or Files app, and Play Protect may ask once too.
- Open the app and tap the profile icon at the top of any tab, then sign in with your email. You get a link by email; open it on the phone and you’re in.
- The first time, the app asks for your name. It’s how your brews are credited on the club website, so use your real name rather than your email handle. If you’re new to the club, it asks you to apply to join instead: your name, where you’re based, a favourite beer style, and the club rules. A club admin then approves you. Until you’ve applied, Finish your application is on your account screen.
You can use the app without signing in. Signing in adds the cloud backup of your recipes, stock that follows you to the website, and sharing with the club.
The five tabs
| Tab | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Home | What’s happening now (a brew day in progress, beers fermenting), what needs you (stock running low), quick actions, and your recent brews |
| My Recipes | Your recipes: build, edit, import, and see each one’s brew history |
| Brew Day | Brew a recipe now, with timers and alerts for every step |
| Stock | What you have on hand, and your shopping list |
| Club Brews | The club’s published recipes: read them, copy them to your phone, or make a variation. Share sends a brew’s link, and Print opens its brew-day sheet, as on valleybrewer.nz |
Quick actions on Home
Home has buttons for the things you do most: New recipe, Start brew day, Record a brew, Add stock, Tools and Guides.
Where else to look
The profile icon on every tab opens your account page, which also has:
- Guides: these guides and the club’s brewing guides, readable offline.
- How the app works: the welcome tour again.
- Settings: your equipment, brewing defaults and brewer profile, RAPT Pill, stock and shopping list, theme and notifications, and backup and export.
- Learn: the club’s BJCP study site, learn.valleybrewer.nz, for styles and judging.
Small ⓘ buttons next to things that need explaining open a short note, often with a link to the matching guide.
New versions
When a new version of the app is out, a card at the top of Home says so: Get it opens the members page to download it, and Not now hides the card until the next one. To check yourself, go to Settings → Help → Check for updates, which also lists what’s new.