1. Informational Tool, Not a Safety Guarantee
Brewstead provides brewing and fermentation information, calculations, estimates, and decision-support tools. It does not replace the brewer's judgment, direct observation, proper measurement practices, manufacturer instructions, or qualified professional advice where appropriate.
2. Calculations and Research-Based Guidance
Brewstead may use manufacturer-published specifications, technical references, ingredient data, and other research to inform its calculations and recommendations. Those sources can change, may contain uncertainty, and may not reflect the exact condition of your ingredients, equipment, yeast, environment, or batch. Brewstead calculations and predictions are estimates, not guarantees.
3. Measurements Are Only as Reliable as Their Inputs
You are responsible for the accuracy of gravity, Brix, direct ABV, pH, temperature, weight, volume, timing, and other measurements you enter. Instruments can be uncalibrated, samples can be contaminated or misread, and unit or transcription mistakes can occur. A Brewstead warning may help identify an unusual value but cannot verify the physical reading for you.
4. Fermentation Completion and Packaging Pressure
Never treat a Brewstead stage recommendation, timer, forecast, stable-reading indication, or estimated fermentation window as a guarantee that fermentation has stopped. Residual fermentable sugar, fruit additions, backsweetening, temperature changes, yeast reactivation, incomplete stabilization, or other factors can restart or continue fermentation.
Packaging an actively fermenting or refermenting beverage can create dangerous pressure. Bottles, jars, kegs, or other containers can leak, vent, rupture, or explode. Periodic bubbles, renewed activity, new sediment, unexpected pressure, or other signs of continued fermentation should be treated cautiously. Independently confirm safe packaging conditions using appropriate brewing practices and equipment.
5. Ingredients, Additives, and Chemicals
Follow the current manufacturer label and instructions for nutrients, acids, sulfites, sorbate, finings, enzymes, sanitizers, cleaning chemicals, stabilizers, and other products. Do not rely on Brewstead as a substitute for current product labeling. Wear appropriate protective equipment and use proper ventilation or handling procedures when a product requires them.
6. Food Safety and Sanitation
Use appropriate sanitation, food-handling, storage, and contamination-control practices. Brewstead cannot inspect your equipment, ingredients, microbial condition, storage history, or finished beverage and therefore cannot certify that a batch is safe to consume.
7. Allergens and Sensitivities
Brewstead does not determine whether a recipe is allergen-free. Ingredients such as fruit, honey, grains, sulfites, finings, processing aids, and other additions may create allergies, sensitivities, or labeling obligations. Brewers are responsible for ingredient selection, cross-contamination controls, and appropriate disclosure to people who may consume the product.
8. Equipment and Physical Hazards
Brewing and fermentation can involve hot liquids, glass, pressurized containers, carbon dioxide, sharp or heavy equipment, electricity, cleaning chemicals, lifting, and other physical hazards. Use equipment appropriate for the task, inspect it for damage, follow manufacturer instructions, and use normal safety precautions.
9. Alcohol Consumption and Health
Brewstead does not provide medical advice and does not determine whether alcohol consumption is safe for a particular person. An estimated or measured ABV is not a recommendation to consume any amount of alcohol. Follow applicable laws and appropriate health guidance.
10. Legal and Commercial Responsibility
You are responsible for complying with federal, state, and local laws that apply to producing, possessing, transporting, serving, selling, or otherwise handling alcoholic beverages. Commercial users are responsible for licensing, tax, recordkeeping, labeling, inspections, approvals, and other regulatory obligations. Brewstead is not a substitute for a commercial compliance system or legal advice.
11. Safety Warnings and Overrides
Brewstead may present safety or caution messages when inputs or known conditions suggest a risk. A warning cannot identify every possible hazard. If you intentionally ignore or override a Brewstead warning, you remain responsible for the decision and its consequences.
12. Relationship to the Terms of Service
This Safety Disclaimer supplements and is incorporated into the Brewstead Terms of Service. If you have questions about a specific brewing hazard, use appropriate professional, manufacturer, regulatory, or emergency resources rather than relying only on the app.