Over 100 IBU's?

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patsoxbru6

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I am still pretty new to homebrewing and have decided to develop my own recipe. I went to beerformulator.com and plugged in my recipe and it showed that the beer would end up with about 130 IBU's. Has anyone ever brewed a beer with such a high amount of IBU's? Is this going to kill my tastebuds? Should I give it a shot anyway? :mug:
 
I think there is a limit to the amount of IBU's our tastebuds can register. Not sure what it is but I think it's around where your number sits. I hope a good helping of those IBU's are for aroma! Bittering hops that high will make your teeth feel like you just drank battery acid.
 
I've read that the human taste threshold is about 100 IBUs, and I've also read somewhere that the limit of hops oils that can isomerize in wort is limited to 100 IBUs or so.

The Pliney clone (posted on this site) calculates out to over 200, I believe. But it's not any more bitter than some of the 90 IBUs beers I've had. There is plenty of hops flavor and aroma, though!
 
I'll try to let you all know in about a month. I just brewed a recipe close to 300 IBUs yesterday. I based my recipe on a PTE clone, been looking at various PTE clones and they seem to range from 200-350 IBUs. I find this surprising compared to Nugget Nectar coming in around 93IBUs. I find both PTE and Nugget to be quite enjoyable beers.

This was my schedule.

US Chinook 11.4 % 2.00 oz 52.4 Loose Pellet Hops First Wort Hopped
US Magnum 13.0 % 2.00 oz 59.7 Loose Pellet Hops 90 Min From End
US Chinook 11.4 % 2.00 oz 52.4 Loose Pellet Hops 90 Min From End
US Simcoe 12.2 % 2.00 oz 48.1 Loose Pellet Hops 45 Min From End
US Magnum 13.0 % 2.00 oz 42.9 Loose Pellet Hops 30 Min From End
US Amarillo 8.6 % 2.00 oz 28.4 Loose Pellet Hops 30 Min From End
US Amarillo 8.6 % 2.00 oz 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops At turn off
US Simcoe 12.2 % 2.00 oz 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops At turn off
 
I had one of the IPAs at Magnolia in San Francisco (I think it was the Proving Ground IPA) that they list at 100 IBUs. It was good, but didn't seem THAT much more bitter.
 
There are only two ways to break 100 IBUs: start with much larger boil volume and boil down or use a concentrate. But you won't taste it. I made a hop wine that calculated out to 260. In a word, no.
 
There are only two ways to break 100 IBUs: start with much larger boil volume and boil down or use a concentrate. But you won't taste it. I made a hop wine that calculated out to 260. In a word, no.

David is correct here, but I would just add that adding additional hops beyond what achieves 100 IBU's can surely...and wildly change the taste and character of a beer.

I think I said add too many times, but you get the picture.
 
yeah i kind of foolishly made a beer way over 100IBUs and not quite malt balanced a while ago, and while i can only take one at a time, i actually find it quite drinkable and do get in the mood for it every now and then
 
I am still pretty new to homebrewing and have decided to develop my own recipe. I went to beerformulator.com and plugged in my recipe and it showed that the beer would end up with about 130 IBU's.

Bear in mind that IBU estimation formulas vary wildly. Even within normal ranges, they're often off by 30% or more. Brad Sturgeon and Paul Charlesworth measured a number of recipes by various common estimation formulas (Tinseth, Garetz, Rager, Daniels, Mosher) and actually measured the IBUs; there were some beers where the same hop schedule varied from 10 to 64 IBUs depending on the formula you used.

Especially at higher hopping levels or with unusual hop schedules you have to view the estimates as fairly suspect.
 
not at all good either :)

Really? To each their own.

That is one of my favorite IIPA's.

0721092023.jpg
 
supposedly, Sweetwater Dank Tank quadruple brings in 167 IBU. and it really doesn't taste overly hoppy...I have no idea how that works...could anyone who has also tried this attest?
 
I think a lot of on the web beer calculators dont take into consideration the lower utilization rates for a higher boil gravity. I dont think Beerrecipator does at least
 
I am still pretty new to homebrewing and have decided to develop my own recipe. I went to beerformulator.com and plugged in my recipe and it showed that the beer would end up with about 130 IBU's. Has anyone ever brewed a beer with such a high amount of IBU's? Is this going to kill my tastebuds? Should I give it a shot anyway? :mug:

Personally, if I drink a beer with IBUs over 80 before it has conditioned for a few weeks after primary fermentation, the bitterness makes me feel like my tongue is dissolving (in a good way). However, after conditioning any beer above 80-100 IBU, for me, is heaven. Just make sure you have enough malt character to match the bitterness, and your beer drinking experience will be holy. As in religious. :rockin:
 
IBU's are also dependent on the hops used. Give me a 100 IBU beer made with all Chinook, and it'd be a bit over the top. Blend with other hops and it's a totally different experience.
 
not at all good either :)

I have to agree with santacruzbob. It is just not to my tastes. I was actualy at their pub recently and enjoyed their other beers. I did not try the hop stoopid there. I've only had it from a bottle.

I've been mulling IPA's and DIIPA's over in my head trying to decipher what it is I like about some, but not others. I had a spark of insight the other day while brewing a Belgian ale that had some aromatic malt in it. I tasted the raw malt and thought that is it! That is the flavor that I didn't care for in the IPAs. I'm suspicious they use too much aromatic malt (or something similar) for my taste buds. I'd love to confirm this is the case. Other IPA's I've noticed this in is Founders Centennial and Dundee's IPA. It's not the hops I have a problem with, it is the grain bill!
 
I've tried it twice.. maybe I got old bottles but all I could taste was a mess of hop extracts dumped into some beer.. none of the layering or complexity that a good bottle of pliny or ruination (to a lesser extent) have.
 
I've tried it twice.. maybe I got old bottles but all I could taste was a mess of hop extracts dumped into some beer.. none of the layering or complexity that a good bottle of pliny or ruination (to a lesser extent) have.

Pliny The Elder uses the same hop extract that Hop Stoopid does.

The more you know.
 
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