TripleC223
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- Joined
- Jan 11, 2017
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As I've gotten more and more into recipe crafting, I've started to question whether all beers require a bittering hop addition. I have some high-AA hop varieties on hand, but unless I use them in very small quantities (0.25 oz), I run out of IBUs to "spend" on my flavoring and aroma hop additions. This has become problematic, as I don't have a digital food scale.
I should note that I've been doing 3-gallon batches recently, which obviously affects IBUs. But even in the IPAs I've done, I find myself conducting 30-minute boils just to keep them between 40-60 IBUs with room for some heavy late-hopping.
All that said, am I doing my beers a disservice by getting my IBUs from late additions? Is there such thing as a 15-minute IPA where you just bomb the hell out of it with late hops?
If you can get bitterness AND flavor/aroma from late hops, then what is the need for a bittering hop addition?
I should note that I've been doing 3-gallon batches recently, which obviously affects IBUs. But even in the IPAs I've done, I find myself conducting 30-minute boils just to keep them between 40-60 IBUs with room for some heavy late-hopping.
All that said, am I doing my beers a disservice by getting my IBUs from late additions? Is there such thing as a 15-minute IPA where you just bomb the hell out of it with late hops?
If you can get bitterness AND flavor/aroma from late hops, then what is the need for a bittering hop addition?