Commercial Beer Reference For IBUs ?

Is there a reference for IBUs of common commercial beers ? If not I think that there should be.

I mean, there should be a list of IBUs from say 10 to 60, and there should be listed a commonly available commercial beer as an example of how bitter that particular number tastes.

Because to someone who is new to brewing beer, xx IBUs is not at all helpful, however if there is a chart to consult so someone can look and quickly see "25 IBUs - hmmm -- Oh I see that WonderBrew Craptastic Ale is 25 IBUs, I know what that tastes like" it would make reading the recipes make a lot more sense.

And I know for sure it would have saved me a lot of trouble over the last couple years. I know brewing beer to a certain IBUs and tasting it yourself is part of paying your dues and all, but I think we should make an IBU reference chart and relate the IBUs to a beer that a new brewer can easily relate to. Make any easy frame of reference for otherwise confusing and seemingly meaningless numbers.

Agree ?

I like the concept - where do we find said info?

Budweiser is what, 12 IBUs? Heineken is ~20, Sierra Nevada Pale is 35 or something. Jever Pilsner is 40-45 (highest IBU German Pilsner?), Stone Ruination is 100+.

But you want a master list. I don't have one, but the problem is IBUs are relative to malt levels, so you can never say 25 IBUs is too low or anything like that.

Exactly. I have some beers that are 20 IBUs and some that are 60. But, one is not necessarily more bitter or hoppy. It's all about the malt balance. I think we need to consider the IBU/SG ratio more than the number of IBUs. I mean, in an IPA, 57 IBUs is nothing. But in a cream ale, 30 IBUs may be too much.

I can tell you Harpoon IPA is around 42 IBU's and Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA is 122 IBUs

Those are two good commercial examples for IIPAs and APA's

YooperBrew said:

Exactly. I have some beers that are 20 IBUs and some that are 60. But, one is not necessarily more bitter or hoppy. It's all about the malt balance. I think we need to consider the IBU/SG ratio more than the number of IBUs. I mean, in an IPA, 57 IBUs is nothing. But in a cream ale, 30 IBUs may be too much.

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I'm sure you've seen the chart/graph that gets posted from time to time that shows comparatively how malty/hoppy a beer may taste according to the SG. I think maybe they're making it with some brew software or something, people commonly post it along with their recipe or brew reports ?? You must know what I mean.

Anyway, I was thinking somehting like that would be a good place to start, just plot some reference beers out on that chart.

That way, it could account for the bitterness/hoppiness relative to the gravity and still do it in terms that someone could easily understand with no more initial study than to go taste a few beers.

Good idea ?

I just had a conversation with a friend about IBUs last weekend. We were discussing Fat Squirrel and were surprised at the amount of IBUs in it (between 30-40) in this wonderful smooth brown ale.

I think what you have to do is look for clones and use THEIR IBU. Then use a BU:GU type number where you devide OG by IBU to come up with a number. Still - nothing is perfect.

No non-home brew person will ever "easily understand". LOL

Flying Dog publishes the IBUs (and I think OG?) on the label for all their beers, it's usually on the bottom of the label somewhere.

But like others have said, perception of bitterness is dependent on malts.

perception of bitterness is dependent on malts.

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Well put. Like my Fat Squirrel. I never ever considered that to be a Hoppy beer - it's almost to IPA level.

But for Home Brewers knowing IBU and other numbers you can get an idea. I've gone to a number of Micro breweries that will post their numbers and it's always a help.

BJCP style guide will list the ibus range for a particular style, and will list commercial examples of that style....For Micro brews, the brewery website will often list ingredients, OG, srm's and Ibu's for their beers...the one thing to realize is that they don't usually tell you what IBU formula they use, whether it is tinseth or the others...

And as to the ibu/gu chart...I don't know how some people are able to dot their beer on the chart, but I have a blank one in my gallery.

For argument's sake, "listed" IBUs is worlds different than actual IBUs. Pliny the Elder through GC/MS (Gas chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) had a whopping (and unexpected) 68 IBUs.

I think this would be a very worthy project if someone wants to keep track of it.

A lot of this info can be gleaned from brewery websites. So for instance, from the Redhook website:

Redhook ESB 1.054 OG 28 IBU
Longhammer IPA 1.058 OG 39 IBU
Winterhook 1.057 OG 29 IBU
Blonde 1.050 OG 18 IBU
Blackhook 1.050 OG 40 IBU

These represent points on the colored chart with OG and IBUs that lots of us use.
Also, because a lot of brewery websites list their % alcohol, with the OG & % ABV you could work backwards & figure out FG if you thought FG & IBU ought to be more interrelated.

I think it would be worthwhile too.

This evening I will try and put together some kind of a jpg image or pdf chart to get started, and I will link it in my first post. And then from time to time I will review this topic and make sure we're basically in agreement about what SG and IBU level a certain beer is.

I'll host the graph on one of my sites where I can work on it and update it with everyone's contributions and then maybe if it works out and it does turn out to be useful as a reference someone can put it on the Brew Wiki.

Revvy said:

BJCP style guide will list the ibus range for a particular style, and will list commercial examples of that style....For Micro brews, the brewery website will often list ingredients, OG, srm's and Ibu's for their beers...the one thing to realize is that they don't usually tell you what IBU formula they use, whether it is tinseth or the others...

And as to the ibu/gu chart...I don't know how some people are able to dot their beer on the chart, but I have a blank one in my gallery.

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Yes, that was exactly what I was talking about.

If we had that picture but larger and we could go ahead and graph a pretty good selection of commercial beers for a common frame of reference that would be terrific.

Now that I think about it, I'm sure there is probably no need for us to make it on our own - I can't believe that someone hasn't already done the same thing somewhere.

Is the project still active (and maybe posted elsewhere). I would love this resource!

jrfuda said:

Is the project still active (and maybe posted elsewhere). I would love this resource!

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well I had forgotten about it actually

but I will take that sample image and try and graph some of the more common beers onto it if anyone would be interested

I should have some time to drink beer and **** around on the computer this evening - I will try and do it then

Here's a possibly helpful link: On Beer Balance

The author is trying to build on the BU / GU ratio by correcting for actual attenuation. I used his formula to ease my mind about putting 150 (calculated) IBU's into a stout.

Since this is already in the works I will just throw all the brands of beers im curious about the IBU on

Natty Light
Bud Light
Coors Light
Amstel Light
Miller Light
Heineken Premium Light
Old Milwaukee Light
Mich Ultra
Landshark
Sam Adams Light
Peroni
Keystone Light

Shamrock28 said:

Since this is already in the works I will just throw all the brands of beers im curious about the IBU on

Natty Light
Bud Light
Coors Light
Amstel Light
Miller Light
Heineken Premium Light
Old Milwaukee Light
Mich Ultra
Landshark
Sam Adams Light
Peroni
Keystone Light

Click to expand...

You don't have to lok too far beyon the BJCP Syle guides for those...IBUs: 8 – 12 for the light american lager

Any one thing a great tasking light american lager would have possibly say over 20IBUs or is that not tasty

I've been working my way through the 3rd edition of "How to Brew" and finally got to the page that had a chart similair to what we're discussing here. It has the common stules plotted with OG on the X and IBU on the Y, just like the chart here.

Now, what would be neat is to place those plots on the color chart with the malty/hoppy color key.

It could be taken even further by adding a Z axis (would need 3D charting) and putting SRM in... I bet this would make it really easy to visualize the "taste" of a style, especially as it compares to others. This would not account for adjuncts, specific flavors from sepcialty malts, spices, etc, but'd be ballparkish...