Can you skip bittering Hops... In an IPA?

[Brinck17]

With a 5 gallon batch can I just add 6 oz. of hops over the last 30min and still have a decent IPA, or do I need to add something at the 60 min mark?

I'm thinking El Dorado, Citra, and Cascade. Brewers Friend says it will still hit 90ish IBU.

I have never used El Dorado before can anyone weigh in on it?

thoughts, comments, concerns?

also thinking a 2-row 75% / Maris Otter Pale 25%

Thanks

 

[Stillraining]

To your Thread title question...Short answer..No.


Now for your actual question ...Yes!

First off you would not be "skipping" bittering by starting at 30 min...any hops to any portion of the boil can be considered bittering hops...technically.


For a 5 gallon batch, I start 1 oz at 30. then ramp up from there...people tell me its great. But I dont like bitter beers much at all myself. so for my BIPA I might end up down to 20 or 15, time will tell as I play around with it.. I moved .75 oz of that to FWH for the first time this last batch to see what that does. But yes 30 min mark will give you a very balanced IPA ..IMHO and plenty of bitter..

FWIW dry hopping alone will bitter a beer to some degree. Rater its sufficient, efficient or effective for your purpose is the issue. There reaches a point of cost vs benefit. As an example would reducing to just 1/2 oz at 30 do the same thing as 1 oz at 15?...Only experimenting with your particular hop in your particular recipe will you know for sure. But if it will its more cost efective to do the former then the later un less you just like bragging on how much hop you can stuff in a beer..

 

[filthyastronaut]

Definitely. I only use bittering hops if I want to shovel in a huge hopstand and won't be getting IBUs from it, and always something like Magnum or Warrior. For anything with desirable flavor and aroma, it's always 15 or later for me. With the amount of high AA hops you'd be using for an IPA, getting it bitter enough will not be an issue. Just play around with your hop schedule until you find the right amount of IBUs for your purposes.

 

[jjeffers09]

I like el dorado. But I am not a hop head I like simple and clean hoppy aroma and bitterness. I have never been fond of American IPAs, English are just slightly tolerable for me. I enjoy the balance of bitterness and aroma from el dorado even as a FWH. It is interesting. I have not gotten the "cherry life saver" from it but I have never gone more than .12oz/gal. So take that into consideration.

 

[Aristotelian]

I have been playing around with all additions after 30 min on the theory that you can get the same IBUs but with more flavor. I just tried with with a 30 IBU Saison. That beer used about 2 oz of hops. I think it would be awesome to try with an IPA. You would need to use a ton of hops but I like the idea of more flavor and less bitterness. I will be curious to see what you come up with.

 

[jjeffers09]

you get bitterness at 1% of the AA% per min of boil at the right pH and so on... So it will just cost you more $$ in hops to achieve the same IBUs. I think you are better to boil .25oz then add a generous 30 min addition of hops. Rather than putting all of the bittering hops in at 30 mins. I mean unless you want to spend more money on hops, or want to do it in the name of science!?


either way let us know how it worked out

 

[schematix]

I recently made a beer that had hop extract for bittering and a lb of citra steeped at 180 for an hour.

The beer tastes like sweet tropical fruit juice. It doesn't even taste like an IPA because there is almost no bitterness (tastes like maybe 20 IBU).

I'd go with at least a small 60 minute addition as others have pointed out.