Your Optimal IBU

I'm curious to know your favorite IBU range. This is a poll, so please vote.

The 30-40ibu range is my favorite. Almost bitter or slightly bitter with a short sustain and a flavorful malt profile. I can't seem to brew a bad beer with these characteristics.

It depends on the beer style.

For light American lager, I like 10-12 IBUs. Premium American lager, 20ish. Pilsner, a bit higher. In fact, most lagers I do I like under 30 IBUs. But for IPAs, I often do 60-70 IBUs. I like my APAs in the 40-50 range.

Yooper said:

It depends on the beer style.

For light American lager, I like 10-12 IBUs. Premium American lager, 20ish. Pilsner, a bit higher. In fact, most lagers I do I like under 30 IBUs. But for IPAs, I often do 60-70 IBUs. I like my APAs in the 40-50 range.

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I regret to inform you your answer can not be "it depends on the style".

You have a favorite style and that style most likely has an IBU range associated with it. That's the answer I seek.

MisterTipsy said:

I regret to inform you your answer can not be "it depends on the style".

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Then it's a ridiculous question. I have several favorite styles, and they couldn't be further apart when it comes to IBUs.

BTW, I'm pretty sure Yooper's an IPA gal.

emjay said:

Then it's a ridiculous question. I have several favorite styles, and they couldn't be further apart when it comes to IBUs.

BTW, I'm pretty sure Yooper's an IPA gal.

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There can only be one favorite!

MisterTipsy said:

You have a favorite style and that style most likely has an IBU range associated with it. That's the answer I seek.

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Unfortunately, that is not the question you asked.

Answer to your poll: depends on the style
Answer to your follow up question: APAs between 40 and 50 IBUs

I'm glad we got that cleared up.

MisterTipsy said:

There can only be one favorite!

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Ah, if only one favorite I can't answer. Because I couldn't drink a cream ale with 70 IBUs, nor could I drink an IPA with 15 IBUs. It's all about the style.

If you're asking about my favorite style, it is indeed IPA, with American pale ale a second.

MisterTipsy said:

There can only be one favorite!

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It's called a tie

Or at the very least, too close for me to really know if I slightly prefer one or the other.

Yooper said:

Ah, if only one favorite I can't answer. Because I couldn't drink a cream ale with 70 IBUs, nor could I drink an IPA with 15 IBUs. It's all about the style.

If you're asking about my favorite style, it is indeed IPA, with American pale ale a second.

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Ok then.

I'll rephrase the question as, "you have a favorite beer, if you have more than one favorite beer, then what is the IBU range of your ultimate favorite beer"?

emjay said:

It's called a tie

Or at the very least, too close for me to really know if I slightly prefer one or the other.

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Then you lose your right to vote!

MisterTipsy said:

Then you lose your right to vote!

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Too bad, I voted anyways. One of the styles is Flanders Red, and that 11-20% looked awfully lonely

Most styles have IBU ranges beyond 10. A fruit beer can be 10-70ibu, for example. It's not really about the style. Forget about style.

You have a favorite beer and the IBU of your favorite beer is what? That's the poll.

I've found lately that my palate has been suffering from post traumatic stress, and I'm not as into 80+ IBU beer. I made an IPA and kept the IBU at around 45, hopbursted, then did around 6 ounces of dry hops. It kept taking pulls of flat beer off the bottling bucket yesterday, it was that good. It is my new favorite bitterness on my favorite style.

30-50 getting half the votes so far.

60-70ibu

Bitter beer face at 22ibu and malty.

Well, if I'm going to pick a beer with knowing nothing other than the IBUs, I'm going for something in the 30s.

my favorite is an apa with 42 ibu

I voted low because I like a beer that holds my interest without relying on massive hopping. However, some of my recent favorites (with an s!) are serious hop bombs. Poorly phrased question, for sure.

For those of you keeping score at home, we have 3 poll nitpickers and 10x as many people who understood the concept of the poll and voted without questioning the validity of the poll.

Tipsy,

are you trying to draw any conclusions from this poll, or is this for "entertainment only"? Just curious.

To satisfy curiosity.

For a pale, hoppy, bitter American ale (as long as it's well made), I've experienced bliss anywhere from 35 to 100 actual IBUs. It really depends on the brewer processes, the gravity, and the recipe as a whole. IBUs should not be used as an indicator for how smoothly bittered a beer will taste. IBUs are really a rough guideline anyway. They should not be taken too seriously. I've had very bitter beers with 70 IBUs and very smooth beers with 100 IBUs. I answered more than 90 because it doesn't really matter as much as you think if you are a good brewer.

Oh yes it matters, bobbrews!

I think you voted correctly. You like really hoppy brews and you commonly drink and make 90+ibu beers.

I've had 70ibu stouts that tasted like 40ibu in terms of bitterness. I liked them better because they are in my optimal 30-40IBU range relatively speaking.

Follow-up question, if I may:

Are we talking Rager, Tinseth, Garetz, or measured IBUs? As we know, the difference between these is huge and can, in extreme cases, approach infinity (IPAs without boil additions).

MisterTipsy said:

Oh yes it matters, bobbrews!

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No, it really doesn't... not as much as you think. What matters is the recipe and the processes as a whole. Cherry-picking one figure in a recipe is not going to tell you much since recipes can vary greatly overall and this can affect the balance/unbalance of the final beer.

I commonly drink beers of varying IBUs so I have a good grasp on what it offers a beer. Try Blue Point Pale Ale or Carton Boat. Their both pale ales that taste like West Coast IPAs despite having <40 IBUs. In the same manner, there are plenty of maltier examples with 60-70 IBUs that taste more like 40. And Imperials with 100+ that taste more like 60.

Why do people have to take the fun out of a poll like this? Just answer the question and don't be all uptight about it. We all know that actual perceived bitterness depends on many other factors besides an estimated IBU figure. That wasn't the question. Move along now.

ArcaneXor said:

Follow-up question, if I may:

Are we talking Rager, Tinseth, Garetz, or measured IBUs? As we know, the difference between these is huge and can, in extreme cases, approach infinity (IPAs without boil additions).

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I use Tinseth, but I'm willing to accept the statistical deviation associated with using non standardized values.

HawksBrewer said:

Why do people have to take the fun out of a poll like this? Just answer the question and don't be all uptight about it. We all know that actual perceived bitterness depends on many other factors besides an estimated IBU figure. That wasn't the question. Move along now.

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Because it's a moot point, and can confuse new brewers into thinking more black and white vs. grayscale.

It's like asking how many carbohydrates do you like in your apple pie?

Stop asking stupid questions and then logical people won't feel the need to point out the illogical nature of the question. Were you really having that much fun answering this poll?

If a beer doesn't have an IBU of 44, I don't drink it.

It really depends on the OG and the FG as well as the ingredients used. Because there is no "magic number" for me I went ahead and picked 0-10 just to skew the results of the poll because I'm an ass.

You only get a half star then :hs:

Hey, that's half a star more than I had 6 minutes ago.

Now you get a like and a FULL star!

nestar:

50-65. But as many said before it depends on many things.

Sorry, put me in the "nitpick" camp. I prefer a well-balanced beer over a hoppy or malty beer. The numbers may all vary, but if it has a nice balance to it, the numbers don't really matter.


Didn't vote.

MisterTipsy said:

I've had 70ibu stouts that tasted like 40ibu in terms of bitterness. I liked them better because they are in my optimal 30-40IBU range relatively speaking.

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A 70 IBU beer is a 70 IBU beer, even if it tastes like a 40 IBU beer to you. Certainly sounds like your answer is the ever popular "it depends on the style". Therefore, I believe you are invalidating your own poll if you are going to say a 70 IBU beer fits into your ideal 30-40 IBU range.

bobbrews said:

Because it's a moot point, and can confuse new brewers into thinking more black and white vs. grayscale.

It's like asking how many carbohydrates do you like in your apple pie?

Stop asking stupid questions and then logical people won't feel the need to point out the illogical nature of the question. Were you really having that much fun answering this poll?

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I agree with everything bobbrews has to say. Nothing is worse than a poorly formulated question that doesn't lead to any useful answers.

IffyG said:

Nothing is worse than a poorly formulated question that doesn't lead to any useful answers.

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I already have all the useful answers I need. You not finding any meaning in the poll is your problem. Not mine.