First Partial Bitterness Off

[t-bag]

On my first partial batch i made an IPA using 2 oz of chinook hops for the bittering. When it came time to try the beer i found it to be lacking in bitterness. I put my recipe in my brewing software and it said it shouldve had like 108 ibu's but it was more like 55 ibu's. Why could this have happened. ill give you the recipe and the specs.

4lbs ultralight lme
5lbs pale malt
1.5lbs crystal15L
8oz melanoidin malt
8oz carapils

2oz chinook 60min
1oz cascade 5min
1oz cascade 1min
1-2oz cascade(dryhop in secondary)

white labs american ale yeast

mashed at 170F 45mins. proceeded to boil added extract and chinook hops. pitched at 80F. og was 1.067 ferm temp was 68F-72F. fg is 1.012 with abv of 7.2%.

im thinking the temp for mashing is wrong and im getting more sugars then im supposed to and thats why its not too bitter. idk plz help

 

[ArcaneXor]

Wow, what's with everyone mashing at 170 today? I just commented on that same thing in a different thread.

Yeah, you probably didn't get complete conversion at that temperature, and the starches can complex with the hop acids to drop out some of the bitterness.

Edit: Nevermind, that was you in the other thread.

 

[Yooper]

What was the size of the boil? A full boil (6.25 gallons or so) would extract far more bitterness than a 2.5 gallon boil, for example.

 

[nallanrex]

You mashed really high. I would suspect that is the reason for the lack of perceived bitterness.

Where did you get the recipe? Usually its in between 150-160f for a mash.



-Nick

 

[t-bag]

What was the size of the boil? A full boil (6.25 gallons or so) would extract far more bitterness than a 2.5 gallon boil, for example.

well that explains some of it. i did use a 22qt kettle so about a 3 gallon boil

 

[Yooper]

well that explains some of it. i did use a 22qt kettle so about a 3 gallon boil

I would say that explains all of it! Two pounds of crystal, even in a 1.068 beer would be SWEET as it is, and it's underhopped with only 45 IBUs (that's what a 3 gallon boil shows). Boil size is very important in hops utilization. If you would have added the LME at the end of the boil (but still with a 3 gallon boil), you'd have IBUs of 72.

 

[t-bag]

You mashed really high. I would suspect that is the reason for the lack of perceived bitterness.

Where did you get the recipe? Usually its in between 150-160f for a mash.



-Nick

yeah the place i get my stuff from beer beer and more beer said to mash at 170 i geuss because the temp will drop since im not using insulated coolers to hold the mash just a regular plastic bucket. but every where else i look it all says to mash between 150 and 160

 

[t-bag]

I would say that explains all of it! Two pounds of crystal, even in a 1.068 beer would be SWEET as it is, and it's underhopped with only 45 IBUs (that's what a 3 gallon boil shows). Boil size is very important in hops utilization. If you would have added the LME at the end of the boil (but still with a 3 gallon boil), you'd have IBUs of 72.

so if i do full boils, which i can do now with a new 8 gallon kettle, the bitterness levels will be higher than in a partial boil? so when im using my software it will ask me the boil size i should say 6.5 gallons to get the right amount of ibu's?
im such a noob. and ive heard of late addidtions of the extract but never knew what its for.

 

[Yooper]

yeah the place i get my stuff from beer beer and more beer said to mash at 170 i geuss because the temp will drop since im not using insulated coolers to hold the mash just a regular plastic bucket. but every where else i look it all says to mash between 150 and 160

Well, the strike water can be 170. But you want to hold the mash at a set temperature for the entire time. So, I strike with 168 degree water for a 154 degree mash, after preheating my mashtun. You also need a VERY accurate thermometer, because the difference in the results between a 150 degree mash and a 158 degree mash (I'd never go higher) is HUGE.

 

[t-bag]

ok so i should have said my strike water is 170F

 

[Yooper]

ok so i should have said my strike water is 170F

That sounds about right! After you stirred it well, what temperature did it fall to? It should stay at that lower temperature for 45 minutes to an hour. That would be your actual mash temperature.