AAUs or oz in recipes?

[mdzitter]

Hi all, apologies if this is a stupid question but I just want to get it straight as I get further into using recipes over kits.

Browsing through the recipes database, I noticed most recipes listing the oz and alpha value for the hops included in the recipe.

When using these recipes in my brew, I assume I should be calculating the AAUs based on the recipe, then using that value in my brew? Palmer's book makes it seem like this is the best way to ensure consistency across batches, but seeing all the oz listings over straight AAUs, I'm wondering if I'm misunderstanding something.

Thanks!

 

[kegtoe]

it all depends on the consistancy of hops. if you are looking at duplicationg a recipe if the alpha content is similar you can use the same ounces. If they are significantly different you can adjust to match the IBUs.

Personally i dont usually worry about it. i almost always use hops in 1 ounce incriments; sometimes ill go to 1/2.

unfortunately there are lots of things that affect how hops are percieved in a beer. - wort strength (maltiness), how long they are in the boil, Age of hops, how the hops were stored, what was the hop age when picked, etc.

So taking all that into account i dont match the alpha % so much as trying to match the type of hop to achieve similar taste profiles.

 

[ajf]

I'd use the AAU's for the early addition hops (boiled for 30 minutes or more), but use the weight for late addition hops (boiled for 15 minutes or less) where you get flavor and aroma rather than bitterness.
For hops added between 30 and 15 minutes, try a bit of both. Generally, there won't be much difference in the published AA for a given variety of hop, and the actual AA will vary depending on the age and how the hops have been stored as kegtoe said.

-a.

 

[bovineblitz]

^ I do what ajf said

 

[Rev2010]

^ I do what ajf said

Agreed. For bittering I always go by AA% listed or if that's not listed than the recipes listed IBU because hops can vary dramatically. Quick example - Cascade hops on Northernbrewer are listed as: Typical alpha: 4.5-7.0%. That's a relatively noticeable difference, and it becomes even more so if you're using more than 1oz.


Rev.

 

[mdzitter]

Wow, such a great response, thanks everyone for giving your feedback! I'll definitely keep this in mind as I brew some of the awesome recipes on these forums.

Thanks!

 

[unionrdr]

As I currently understand it,you take the total IBU's & split it between how many dif hops you're using,& their particular AAU% to get how much of each to use.