better bitter beer recipe

So I went to my LHBS today without an actual recipe in mind. I started talking with Chris 'cause he's the cool one there and we decided I should brew up something on the bitter/floral end of the spectrum. I told him I like the asthetics of lighter colored beers but wanted to achieve some full flavor and end up with a beer that bites back!

Here's what I ended up with....

5lbs light DME
1lb Crystal 10L
1lb Crystal 20L
2oz Columbia hops 15.1% AA (1oz/60min...1oz/30min)
3oz Cascade hops 6.0% AA (1oz/15min...1oz/5min...1oz/secondary dryhop)
WhiteLabs California Ale Yeast

It seemed reasonable at the time right??

I just plugged this recipe into a calculator program and it came back as:

14 SRM
151 IBU's
4.7% ABV

Now I just gotta decide if I should really brew this sucker of if it would just be undrinkable. Things that make ya go HMMM??

How about some feedback on your experiences with OFF THE CHARTS bitter beers.

my calculations get you 72 ibu's and an og of 1.054 (20percent aa utilization for 60 min, 10percent for 30, 5 for 15) either way thats pretty damn bitter. thats alot of crystal too..all around id say thats a weird recipe (imho) i guess all that crystal will mellow some of the bitterness...

1 ounce columbia for 60
1 ounce cascade for 30
1 ounce cascade for 10
1 ounce columbia for 0
1 ounce cascade dry hop

try that instead...53 ibu

I'm not a hop head here but if you are go for it! I've read and heard it said that once you get to 100IBUs perceived hop bitterness maxes out. To go above that is a waste of hops. Man! I think this one would make my skull collapse!

Thanks cgravier,

What calculator program do you use? I just plugged it into the one on tastybrew.com

I can't even imagine how bitter my calculation would taste. On a positive note though I could probably use the finished product for hop extract (or weed killer )

Your suggested use of the hops seems more reasonable. I may go that way with it.

i use dave millers:

ounces X a.a.u. X percent utilization divided by 6.7

percent utilization=20 for 3 g. 60 min. boil
10 for 3 g. 30 min. boil
5 for 3 g. 15 min.

or 25 for 5 g. 60 min boil
etc.
etc.

example: 1 ounce 15.1 a.a. X 20 divided by 6.7 =45 etc...(add up your totals)

your doing extract so im assuming a 3 gallon boil which gives you less percent utilization than all grain...way less...some people give as high as 30 percent for all grain.

i have a cali common im drinking now that is about 50 ibus, with an og of 1.050, and thats about as bitter as id want it to be. and i am a hop head!

it depends on the type of hops too,ive never used columbus (i dont think) plus all that crystal will probably lower the percieved bitterness...15.1 is a pretty high aa, im guessing its similar to chinnook which can easily be overpowering...

Dave-M read this "recipe" to me over the phone an hour ago - I tried to explain the laws of Universal Physics and the overwhelmingly probability that his head would most likely collapse inward "Black Hole Style", sucking everything down within a 15-mile radius.

There are strict laws against this type of behavior where we live.

You guys are lucky. I'm going to end up having to drink this abomination and telling him how good it is!!!

Just giving him hell - I'm a hophead at heart!


Hopsnort

i dont know maybe its not that off the charts...im torn now, maybe you do want 70+ ibus with all that crystal...:rockin: im pretty liberal with the use of hops, but i dont remember brewing a beer i thought was too bitter...hmmm

Ahhh,

You guy's are just messin' with me now. Go ahead, pick on the new guy!

Hopsnort, If I make it you WILL drink it and you best say you LOVE it. BTW we need to go flyfishing. It's supposed to be in the 50's this weekend.

I always thought real hoppy brews need a higher abv to balance out?

In any case, what would be wrong with another pound or so of DME?

Boost the abv, baby!