Can someone help me guage bitterness?

I am doing a recipe that is estimated to have 6.8 BHI 24.7 IBU.

How bitter is that? Can someone help me guage the level of bitterness I am creating?

Here is the recipe.
5 gallon batch

9 lbs Light Malt Extract Syrup
1/2 lb American Crystal 120L

60 minute Boil
Willamette -
1 oz at boil
0.5 oz 15 minutes into boil
0.5 oz 30 minutes into boil

Fuggles
1 oz 45 minutes into boil
1 oz dry hop

You should get a program that will help you calculate this sort of thing. There are some calculators online, but you'd be better off having one place to store all your recipes.

I'd also reconsider a 45 and 30 minute hop addition. You're only adding bittering hops at that point and really, you're not gaining anything by adding them then.

All that said, 24 IBUs isn't a whole lot. Look up a style guide with IBUs listed per style and there will be examples in that range.

Not very. That's pretty much scraping the bottom in terms of bitterness. Most IPAs are at 40 minimum. ESB's are around 30-60, etc etc. Name one of your favorite beers and we can give you a rough estimate of how it compares.

If you love the hops, as your screen name indicates, you'll want to add at least one full ounce to the sixty minute mark to bring it up. If you're a hop guy, 30's minimum.

Pelikan said:

Not very. That's pretty much scraping the bottom in terms of bitterness. Most IPAs are at 40 minimum. ESB's are around 30-60, etc etc. Name one of your favorite beers and we can give you a rough estimate of how it compares.

If you love the hops, as your screen name indicates, you'll want to add at least one full ounce to the sixty minute mark to bring it up. If you're a hop guy, 30's minimum.

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There are plenty of beers that are in the 20s. think ESB and some ambers, extra pales, some porters... The list goes on and on.

carnevoodoo said:

There are plenty of beers that are in the 20s. think ESB and some ambers, extra pales, some porters... The list goes on and on.

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I'm not saying there aren't beers that are in the 20's. Young's Double Chocolate is one of my favorite, and it's in the low 20's. A few reds that I like are down in the teens. All I'm saying, is for a guy whose screen name suggests a love of hops, 20ish ibus are not going to cut it. With the dry hopping and everything, it seems to be he's going for an IPA, although I could be very wrong.

Pelikan said:

I'm not saying there aren't beers that are in the 20's. Young's Double Chocolate is one of my favorite, and it's in the low 20's. A few reds that I like are down in the teens. All I'm saying, is for a guy whose screen name suggests a love of hops, 20ish ibus are not going to cut it. With the dry hopping and everything, it seems to be he's going for an IPA, although I could be very wrong.

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Yeah, but he's using fuggles. Not an IPA.

In fact. I'd guess he's going for an English Pale.

It is supposed to be in the English pale genre.

So, assuming that for this batch I am stuck with 2 oz of willamette and 2 of of fuggles. How can I maximize bitterness? Pitch the 2 oz of willamete and 1 oz of fuggles at boil, and then dry hop with 1 oz fuggles?

yeah. You'll get more IBUs if you put them all in at 60.

I would personally go 2 ounces Willamette to boil at 60 minutes, 1 oz fuggles at 5 minutes before flame out, and then dry hop with the other ounce. I think it'll be just fine.

Thanks for you opinion.
I think I am going to go all 4 oz at boil, and then pick up some more aroma hops later for dry hopping.

Doing that will get me up to 43.6 IBU according to beercalculus.com.

Any potential pitfalls from that plan?

LovetheHops said:

Thanks for you opinion.
I think I am going to go all 4 oz at boil, and then pick up some more aroma hops later for dry hopping.

Doing that will get me up to 43.6 IBU according to beercalculus.com.

Any potential pitfalls from that plan?

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Kind of a waste of fuggles in my opinion. You're going to have a lot of bitterness and some aroma, without a flavor addition of any kind. IBUs are ok and all, but you want this beer to be balanced and I think you're trying to go overkill on it.

LovetheHops said:

Thanks for you opinion.
I think I am going to go all 4 oz at boil, and then pick up some more aroma hops later for dry hopping.

Doing that will get me up to 43.6 IBU according to beercalculus.com.

Any potential pitfalls from that plan?

Click to expand...

Sounds good to me. Although you might want to try and spread it out. Having some toward the end of the boil will impact your flavor a bit more, I believe.

I'd get a higher Alpha hop for the full boil then add fuggles at 30 min 15 min and 5 min save money and use less hops. Hops boiled for 60 min add very little to the flavor.

BOOORRRING!!

I thought this was a post where you compare and contrast the bitterness of your current or ex SWMBO.

the IBU/SG ratio is a better way to compare the bitterness of a beer. When brewing beers it is all about balance between the sweetness of malt and the bitterness of hops. Someone (I believe it's EdWort or BeirMuncher) uses a malty vs. bitter chart when they post their recipes.