HerotBrewer

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Like the title says, I understand what IBUs stand for, but not exactly what the range is. Has anyone done a scale listing different commercial beers (mainstream and microbrews) that lists the approx IBUs?

My first batch should be around 26.7 IBUs according to Hopville's Calculus. Where does this compare? I tried searching on here and haven't found what I'm looking for, and most of the net research I've done just gives simple min/max ranges. I know a BMC is around 12 and an IPA is up around 60-120. What falls in between?

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jollytim

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Check out the beerstyles at http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php

They give commercial examples for many styles.

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l1ranger

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lots of the craft brewers also list IBUs, either on the bottle/box or their website

examples

http://www.stonebrew.com/porter/

http://www.flyingdogales.com/Beer-Old-Scratch.aspx

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Josh

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robbyg

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The IBUs (and the resulting bitterness on the tongue) tends to vary with the style of the beer (and their gravity). If you were to take a lite American lager and a heavy stout with the same IBUs (say, 20), the lager would probably taste very bitter and the stout would probably taste very malty-sweet.

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bh10

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The smae IBU quanity, could have two completely different taste depending on when the hops are added. Example I have 2 IPA's one were is was your standard 60-30-5 minute hop addition and one were I add very little at 60 minutes, and then added some at 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 and boil out. Now while they have the same amount of IBU's the 60-30-5minute additions is bitter and somewhat hoppy, were the late additions isnt bitter but extremely hoppy tasting.

mk78

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Here's a chart that might be a nice reference as far as styles go:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/01/24/beer-styles-ibu-chart-graph-bitterness-range/

soundsandsuds

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BJCP says an Imperial IPA is 60-120, an IPA is 40-60.

It's also my understanding that 100 IBUs is the maximum that will dissolve in the wort, so I'm not sure how 120 is possible.

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Bottled - Show Mead, Acai Apfelwein, Warm Winds Blond, Vertical Line Pale Ale.

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Yooper

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IBUs are just a small part of the balance of the beer. It really depends on the beer style, and the OG of the beer. For example, a 26 IBU barleywine would be unbearably sweet but a 26 IBU light American lager would be bitter.

The reason why is the IBU/OG ratio. That's a great way to check the balance of a beer. In a nutshell, the higher the OG, the more IBUs it can hold. The IBU/OG ratio is what determines how bitter a beer will be, not just IBUs alone.

For example, a nice light cream ale will have an OG of 1.044-1.055 and IBUs of 10-22. For my last cream ale, I had an OG of 1.054 and IBUs of 17 for an IBU/SG ratio of .322. My IPA had an OG of 1.054 and IBUs of 52! That's about .966! My amber ale has a ratio of .680- an OG of 1.054 and IBUs of 36.

Now, those beers were terrific, but with the same OGs.

There are other things besides the IBU/OG ratio, like recipe formulation, that make a big difference in the perception of bitterness. IBUs are an ok place to start, but it's not the whole story. Ingredients can make a big difference, too, in the perception of bitterness. Crystal malt leaves some residual sweetness, which can change the "feeling" in the IBUs. Using adjuncts like corn or rice create a thinner beer and the bitterness can come through easier.

You can taste 10 different beers with 50 IBUs and they will all be very different, from very bitter to not bitter enough, depending on the ingredients. The key is balancing the malt with the correct amount of hops to acheive the goal. It's not really hard, it just takes some practice. Oh, and plenty of "research"!

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thorongil

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+1 to Yoop's post . It's really all about the hops/gravity ratio, not just the IBU number alone.

soundsandsuds

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.....plus you need to factor in the percentage of unfermentable sugars.

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3 Gallon Carboy -
6 Gallon Carboy #1 -
6 Gallon Carboy #2 -
Bottled - Show Mead, Acai Apfelwein, Warm Winds Blond, Vertical Line Pale Ale.

Up next: 2 or 3 different Saisons