Help me understand the range of IBUs.

[HerotBrewer]

Like the title says, I understand what IBUs stand for, but not exactly what the range is. Has anyone done a scale listing different commercial beers (mainstream and microbrews) that lists the approx IBUs?

My first batch should be around 26.7 IBUs according to Hopville's Calculus. Where does this compare? I tried searching on here and haven't found what I'm looking for, and most of the net research I've done just gives simple min/max ranges. I know a BMC is around 12 and an IPA is up around 60-120. What falls in between?

 

[jollytim]

Check out the beerstyles at http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php

They give commercial examples for many styles.

 

[l1ranger]

lots of the craft brewers also list IBUs, either on the bottle/box or their website

examples

http://www.stonebrew.com/porter/

http://www.flyingdogales.com/Beer-Old-Scratch.aspx

 

[robbyg]

The IBUs (and the resulting bitterness on the tongue) tends to vary with the style of the beer (and their gravity). If you were to take a lite American lager and a heavy stout with the same IBUs (say, 20), the lager would probably taste very bitter and the stout would probably taste very malty-sweet.

 

[bh10]

The smae IBU quanity, could have two completely different taste depending on when the hops are added. Example I have 2 IPA's one were is was your standard 60-30-5 minute hop addition and one were I add very little at 60 minutes, and then added some at 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 and boil out. Now while they have the same amount of IBU's the 60-30-5minute additions is bitter and somewhat hoppy, were the late additions isnt bitter but extremely hoppy tasting.

 

[mk78]

Here's a chart that might be a nice reference as far as styles go:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/01/24/beer-styles-ibu-chart-graph-bitterness-range/

 

[soundsandsuds]

I know a BMC is around 12 and an IPA is up around 60-120. What falls in between?

BJCP says an Imperial IPA is 60-120, an IPA is 40-60.

It's also my understanding that 100 IBUs is the maximum that will dissolve in the wort, so I'm not sure how 120 is possible.

 

[Yooper]

IBUs are just a small part of the balance of the beer. It really depends on the beer style, and the OG of the beer. For example, a 26 IBU barleywine would be unbearably sweet but a 26 IBU light American lager would be bitter.

The reason why is the IBU/OG ratio. That's a great way to check the balance of a beer. In a nutshell, the higher the OG, the more IBUs it can hold. The IBU/OG ratio is what determines how bitter a beer will be, not just IBUs alone.

For example, a nice light cream ale will have an OG of 1.044-1.055 and IBUs of 10-22. For my last cream ale, I had an OG of 1.054 and IBUs of 17 for an IBU/SG ratio of .322. My IPA had an OG of 1.054 and IBUs of 52! That's about .966! My amber ale has a ratio of .680- an OG of 1.054 and IBUs of 36.

Now, those beers were terrific, but with the same OGs.

There are other things besides the IBU/OG ratio, like recipe formulation, that make a big difference in the perception of bitterness. IBUs are an ok place to start, but it's not the whole story. Ingredients can make a big difference, too, in the perception of bitterness. Crystal malt leaves some residual sweetness, which can change the "feeling" in the IBUs. Using adjuncts like corn or rice create a thinner beer and the bitterness can come through easier.

You can taste 10 different beers with 50 IBUs and they will all be very different, from very bitter to not bitter enough, depending on the ingredients. The key is balancing the malt with the correct amount of hops to acheive the goal. It's not really hard, it just takes some practice. Oh, and plenty of "research"!

 

[thorongil]

+1 to Yoop's post . It's really all about the hops/gravity ratio, not just the IBU number alone.

 

[soundsandsuds]

.....plus you need to factor in the percentage of unfermentable sugars.

 

[Pappers_]

Here's a quick and easy graph that I find helpful. I think I stole it from Orfy who stole it from Biermuncher, but I've seen lots of folks here post it.

 

[Tripod]

+1 to Yoop's post . It's really all about the hops/gravity ratio, not just the IBU number alone.

+1 more to Yooper's post. The balance of the ratio is a better story to tell. I found this graph on HBT a while back and it may be helpful. It compares OG against IBUs and shows how balance can be achieved for any level of both.



You can see how 40 IBUs will be "extra hoppy" in a beer with OG=1.055 but the same 40 IBUs will be "slightly malty" in a OG=1.095 beer.

-Tripod

 

[Tripod]

Here's a quick and easy graph that I find helpful. I think I stole it from Orfy who stole it from Biermuncher, but I've seen lots of folks here post it.

ooooo you just beat me to it!

 

[HerotBrewer]

Thanks to all who posted. SWMBO isn't particularly fond of hoppy beers, I had her taste a bottle of Dogfish Head today, and though she thought it smelled great, she said it tasted "foul."

Planning on brewing beers that she will like along with the darker and hoppier beers I like as well.

 

[Bob]

It's also my understanding that 100 IBUs is the maximum that will dissolve in the wort, so I'm not sure how 120 is possible.

Theoretically you can dissolve an almost infinite amount of alpha-acids in wort, dependent on certain factors.

100 IBU is about the limit a normal human can detect as bitterness. Exceed 100 IBU and the beer is just too bitter for us to detect any difference above that number.

Think about standing next to an aircraft carrier: All you can see is grey.

You can detect the difference between 20 and 40 IBU in a reference sample. You can't detect the difference between 100 and 120, or 140, or even 200. All you see is grey.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Revvy]

This will either help you or get your head totally screwed up, but John Palmer changed his definition and understanding of IBU's after attending a conference in '08 and talked about it on basic brewing.

03-20-08 Basic Brewing Radio - What Is an IBU . . . Really?
Thursday, March 20, 2008 4:30 PM
John Palmer, author of How to Brew, shares information from a conference that challenged his concept of what defines an International Bitterness Unit (IBU).
Click to listen.

Fascinating.

I really like the IBU/BG chart that folks shared above, I use it to "hop on the fly" a lot, when I'm doing experiments or brewing partyguiles and trying to hop based on the OG of my preboil wort. I play around with that and some other calcualtors in beersmith, and wing it.

I also consult it when I am creating my own recipes, it's helpful to see where on the "hoppiness continuum" I want a particular beer to fall.

One thing to remember as well, bitterness, aroma and flavor will decrease over time. That insanely hoppy IPA you may have made, in a year will be a decent pale ale.

I am counting on that fact for my Barleywine that I brewed a couple weeks ago that I am aging for 5 years until my 50th birthday. It had an anticipated og of 1.150 and 150 IBUs. I hopped that high with the hopes that there still will be a certain level of hoppiness still remaining in 2015 when we crack that puppy.

 

[Bob]

Revvy - it's gyle, not guile. The former is a given volume of wort, the latter is subterfuge.

Just sayin'.

Bob

 

[Revvy]

I knew something didn't seem right.

 

[Tripod]

I am counting on that fact for my Barleywine that I brewed a couple weeks ago that I am aging for 5 years until my 50th birthday. It had an anticipated og of 1.150 and 150 IBUs. I hopped that high with the hopes that there still will be a certain level of hoppiness still remaining in 2015 when we crack that puppy.

Oh man. If only I could hop forward (pun intended) on a time machine and taste that 5-year barleywine!

I'm planning something for my 40th next August as well. No comparison to the big 5-0 but certainly a milestone worth brewing for...as if I need an excuse.