Did I Blow It With Summit Hops? Or, How Many IBUs Are Too Many IBUs?

[hardrain]

I've brewed mostly wheat beers and the occasional fruit ale but this was my first attempt at an IPA, sparked primarily by an ale I had at a beer festival that featured Summit hops.

So the alpha acid is just over 18%, and frankly I never paid enough attention to hops to realize how high that is.

And it wasn't until I starting playing around with my droid app that I even thought about IBUs.

It turns out my additions went something like this (estimating from memory):

1.5 oz @ 60 = 80 IBU
1.5 oz @ 20 = 20 IBU
2.o oz @ 5 = 15 IBU

So I looked up a couple of IPAs and noticed that they generally run in the 50-75 range. How drinkable is a beer that's over 100?

 

[CPooley4]

That's a lot. Your drinkability is going to depend upon your gravity and palate. If your gravity isn't near 1.1 it's going to be ultra bitter IMO.

 

[Righlander]

what was the OG?

 

[RchanceN]

There are several commercial IPAs and many people home brew IPAs at or over the 100 IBU mark. Outcome depends on OG, grain bill, and subjective nature of taste. I really like summit and plan on experimenting soon, but a lot of people mention an onion taste when they are used as bittering hops. Most seem to think they're better used for flavor and aroma only. Taste onion in yours?

 

[hardrain]

OG was 1.07, probably too light for this kind of bitterness I'm discovering.

I didn't get any onion in the sample I took out for gravity, but I guess we'll see.

Any cheap tricks for easing the impact of the bitterness? Does conditioning help at all?

 

[Righlander]

Any cheap tricks for easing the impact of the bitterness? Does conditioning help at all?

hops mellow in time, so yes. try one every couple weeks or so

 

[hardrain]

And really it's too bad because Summit really smells outstanding during the boil. I liked the idea of keeping the flavor "pure" but there's no way I'm messing with such a high alpha hop for bittering in the future.

Live and learn, I guess. This also might be a decent excuse to finally suck it up and start using Beer Smith.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Well next time you might want to do the math on your IBUs! I suspect this might be way over the top but it will mellow over time for sure so try it, you might be on to something, but if not just let it sit for a few months and taste it again... or that's what I would do at any rate!!

 

[Righlander]

Live and learn, I guess. This also might be a decent excuse to finally suck it up and start using Beer Smith.

Yeah beersmith is great. I wouldn't stray away from using high alpha hops, just use less. its more bang for the buck. If you like the flavor or aroma of a particular hop, then go for it

 

[bovineblitz]

That could turn out just fine, I like super bitter IPAs... if you don't like the bitterness, just give it a month or two.

 

[GuldTuborg]

If you have any hopheads in your life, you've got a marvelous Christmas present on your hands. If you don't, well, you could always donate the bottles to the Guld Tuborg charity. Hint, hint.

 

[Randar]

1.070 can handle a significant amount of bitterness, especially if you have enough malt flavors in there to help balance things out.

Also, what was you FG?

Summit is a great hop for hopbursting or flavor/aroma only additions. If you had added the initial 1.5 oz somewhere around 30 min left, you would have finished in the ~60I BU range which might have been on the low end of the scale for your tastes, (it is for mine)...

 

[Eddiebosox]

maybe its me but my IPA's always are in the 80 IBU range I love a really bitter IPA. I just love it.

 

[Randar]

not just you... I love me some 80-100 IBU ales.