What is BeerXML?
BeerXML is the file format that lets a recipe move between brewing programs. It is the reason you are never really locked into one piece of software — and it is worth understanding before you commit ten years of recipes to anything.
What is in the file
A BeerXML file is plain text. Inside it, a recipe is described as a set of nested records:
- Recipe — name, style, type (all grain, partial mash, extract), batch size, boil size, boil time, efficiency
- Fermentables — each malt or sugar with its weight, type, yield and color
- Hops — each addition with weight, alpha acid, form, use and time
- Yeasts — strain, laboratory, product ID, type, form and attenuation
- Miscs — salts, finings, spices and anything else, with use and timing
- Mash — the mash profile and each step’s temperature and duration
- Style — the target style and its ranges
Because the units are part of the record, a recipe written in kilograms and liters imports correctly into software that displays pounds and gallons.
Exporting from other software
| Software | How to export BeerXML |
|---|---|
| BeerSmith | File → Export → BeerXML. A whole folder can be exported at once. |
| Brewer's Friend | Open the recipe and use the BeerXML export option; bulk export is available on paid plans. |
| Brewfather | Open the recipe, then the export menu, and choose BeerXML. |
| Brewtarget | File → Export to XML. |
| ProMash | Later versions have a BeerXML export in the file menu. |
| Brewgravity | Every recipe exports as BeerXML or BeerJSON on the free plan. |
Importing into Brewgravity
- Create a free account.
- Open Import from the sidebar.
- Drop the
.xmlfile in. Multiple recipes in one file are handled together. - Check the calculated OG, IBU and SRM, and set your brewhouse efficiency in settings if the gravity looks off.
What does not always travel
The standard covers recipes well and everything else patchily. Equipment profiles, water chemistry adjustments, fermentation schedules and brew day notes are implemented differently by different programs, and some are not in the standard at all. Recipes come across cleanly; the surrounding paperwork sometimes needs a look.
BeerJSON
BeerJSON is the modern replacement — the same information in JSON, with a stricter schema and explicit units. It fixes real problems with BeerXML, particularly around unit ambiguity, but adoption is still uneven. Brewgravity reads and writes both; when you are moving a recipe to software you do not control, BeerXML is still the safer bet.
Why this matters
Any brewing software you choose should be able to hand your recipes back in a format something else can read. It is worth checking before you start: a program that will not export is a program you cannot leave.
What is BeerXML? — questions
What is a BeerXML file?
A plain-text XML file describing a beer recipe: the fermentables, hops, yeast, misc additions, mash profile, batch size, boil time and efficiency. It is the interchange format almost every brewing program reads and writes, which is what makes recipes portable between them.
How do I open a BeerXML file?
Import it into brewing software rather than opening it directly. Brewgravity imports BeerXML on the free plan — create an account, open Import, and drop the file in. A text editor will show you the contents, but it is not designed to be read that way.
What is the difference between BeerXML and BeerJSON?
BeerJSON is the modern successor: same idea, JSON instead of XML, with stricter units and a cleaner schema. Support is still patchier than BeerXML, so BeerXML remains the safest format for moving a recipe between two programs. Brewgravity reads and writes both.
Will my recipe survive the round trip?
The recipe itself will. The grain bill, hop schedule, yeast, mash steps and batch parameters are all part of the standard. What does not always travel is program-specific extras — custom equipment profiles, water adjustments and brew day notes vary by implementation, so check those after an import.
Why do the calculated numbers change after import?
Because gravity depends on your brewhouse efficiency and bitterness depends on which utilisation model the software uses. The ingredients are identical; the predictions are made differently. Set your efficiency to match what you were using before and the two line up.
Import your back catalog
Export BeerXML from whatever you are using now and drop it into Brewgravity. Free plan, no recipe limit, and export back out whenever you want.
There will always be a free plan · no credit card · drag in BeerXML or BeerJSON