High Gravity Beer IBU Ratio Question

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DrKeiser

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I have a quick question about high gravity brewing. I recently brewed a beer with an OG of 1.087. If the beer ferments out to 1.015 then the beer should have a ABV around 9.45%. Is 110 IBUs enough for a beer of that gravity?

Thanks,
DrKeiser
 
Sounds good for something like an American Barleywine. For someone who's not a hop-head, you could make the IBU's much lower and still have a very nice beer. Like Cluck said, the style will dictate what the IBU's "should" be...but I say that if you like the taste of it, you're answer doesn't really matter.

I would try to find a high gravity/high IBU beer, buy/drink it, and see what you think. I'm sure there are many better informed individuals here that could recommend such a beer. Happy Brewing!
 
My mistake, the OG of the beer was 1.087 so I named it 187 IPA and included it in my beers. I will remember to be more specific next post. I am trying to make a double IPA or imperial IPA, whatever you would like to call it. The IBU to OG ratio is around 1.33. I use beersmith for all of my recipes and according to that program, IPAs are supposed to contain 40-70 IBUs. I know that as gravity increases, the number of IBUs should as well. I am just worried that at the gravity that I am making the beer (8.5% to 9.5%), 110 IBUs will not give it a hop bite at all. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
DrKeiser
 
The ratio for an IIPA should be around 1.13 according to Designing Great Beers--though you are over this, it is still your beer so do it, but you can be sure you will get plenty of hop bite. It is not so much simply raising IBU's as the gravity goes up. You settle on a certain IBU:gravity ratio for the style and as the gravity goes up it takes more hops for the ratio. It takes more IBU's to maintain that ratio, but it's the balance that matters. Very strong Belgian and Scotch Ales have very high gravities and very low IBU's. For example Belgian Dark Strong has 1.075 to 1.110 OG and only up to 35 IBU. Wee Heavies go up to 1.130 and also top out at 35 IBU's.
 
cluckk said:
The ratio for an IIPA should be around 1.13 according to Designing Great Beers--though you are over this, it is still your beer so do it, but you can be sure you will get plenty of hop bite. It is not so much simply raising IBU's as the gravity goes up. You settle on a certain IBU:gravity ratio for the style and as the gravity goes up it takes more hops for the ratio. It takes more IBU's to maintain that ratio, but it's the balance that matters. Very strong Belgian and Scotch Ales have very high gravities and very low IBU's. For example Belgian Dark Strong has 1.075 to 1.110 OG and only up to 35 IBU. Wee Heavies go up to 1.130 and also top out at 35 IBU's.
Click to expand...

Thanks Cluckk, your response makes a lot of sense and puts my mind at ease. I just did an IPA similar to Founders Centennial and while it was a great beer, I felt that it needed more hop bite. I have never brewed a beer with this high of a gravity and am getting anxious.
 
You have far more daring tastes than I do. I find most hop monsters to be painful and not my mug of beer.
 
If it comes out on the SUUUUUUUUUUUUPER hoppy side, sit a bunch away in a closet for a year and see how it mellows. I give this advice having NEVER had the patients to do it myself, so take it with a grain of salt.

To save on cost and depression, maybe make a smaller batch on the first brew. If it's good, make more. If not, drink some...and hide the rest.
 
DrKeiser said:
Pics and tasting notes to come!

Thanks again,
DrKeiser
Click to expand...

Is this one ready yet? I am wondering if it was super hoppy or what, because I am currently putting together an imperial IPA and trying to decide how much to hop it.

Thank you buddy
 
I'm currently creating a recipe for a Double/Imperial IPA with an OG of 1.085, ABV of ~8.5%, and IBU of ~115. I'm worried that it will be too bitter. But I am more worried that not adding enough hops on this large malt bill will result in a beer that isn't hoppy enough . Thoughts? Results on the OP?
 
Your ratio sounds just right so long as you had a bittering addition. I once brewed a DIPA just like that with only a hop burst in the last ten minutes. The ibus and ratio were the same, and thus by the numbers should have tasted great, but in a beer with this much malt you need a 60 minute addition to give plenty of bittering. No amount of hop bursting or dry hopping will cover up the cloying sweetness without a bittering addition. Advice for a fellow high gravity brewer: dry it out. I suggest mashing at 148-150F to get a super fermentable wort. If you can get it to attenuate to 1.010 or below it will really bring out the hops and be a delicious, dry beer.
 

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