All open source software is free as in speech, and some is free as in beer. And then there’s the open source software that’s all about beer.

For instance, there’s Brewsta, which lets you create and maintain beer recipes. It’s written in Python and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Its developer is also the brain behind Brewiki, an online resource for home brewers.

Brewtarget is similar to Brewsta. It’s cross-platform too, and under active development, with its most recent release just in time for the New Year’s Eve parties and code commits already this year.

And Brewthology makes three. This app is a web-based brewing recipe database that allows users to create or upload beer recipes. Visitors can view, rate, and download recipes as BeerXML files.

Part of the home brewing experience is keeping a log of your triumphs and disasters. BrewBlogger runs under Windows, Mac OS X, and BSD operating systems, and not only lets you record your brewing activities, but also provides a blog-like forum in which you can share your experiences.

If none of the above slake your thirst for the perfect beer application, you can check out a host of older, less popular offering, such as CyberBrau, The Brewery, BrewNIX, brewCalc, and MacBarley.

If you’re ready to take a break from all that hands-on with hops, check out the FH-Ingolstadt Beer Game, a Java implementation of the MIT Beer Game created by students of the Fachhochschule Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences. It’s not a drinking game (hi, Bob!) but rather a way to demonstrate principles of supply chain management. Lots of people speak highly of German beer; now you can try a German beer game.

If you’re still sore at Germany because of a couple of major wars in the last century, how about Belgian Brewer? This web-based multiplayer game is designed to let you buy a pub and buy beer for that pub.

Finally, all the cool breweries produce not only beer, but also beer mats or coasters. Some folks like to collect them – and for them, there’s phpBddb.

Both Belgian Brewer and phpBddb are inactive and never got very far, but they’re available for some enterprising developer to take over and give them new life. Prost!