Hop additions

[Queequeg]

Something I can't ever seem to get to the bottom of with hop additions, is to adjust or not adjust IBU's for 30 min additions.

When a recipe calls for a mid boil addition say a 30min, in that boiling time you are as I understand getting both bittering AA and aroma (demished).

The same is obviously true for 10 and 15 min additions, but less AA and more aroma.

Now when you are adjusting someone elses recipe you need to account for differing AA levels and utilization rates. With bitter hops you can either do the math yourself or plug it into a program like beer smith that factors in SG of your boil and the AA of the hop.

So how does this work for Flavour additions. If you adjust to correct the IBU's of the 30 min additions you will in effect increase or decrease the amount of aroma you are getting for these hops.

I have a IPA that I am preparing for, and it has 30min additions. My boil SG and AA of the hops is both higher than the recipe. Beersmith, if following the IBU calculations, prompts a reduction of 7g's of one of the varities (because of it siginificantly higher AA content).

This will obviously result in comparable bitterness, but I will lose 7g of aroma.

Can someone please explain to me the best approach with flavouring and mid addition hops.

 

[curtw]

As you know, there are a lot of calculators for IBU given your hop schedule. It sounds like you're looking for a calculator for "non-bittering hoppiness." I've never seen anything like this.

Really, you need to balance the IBUs that *you* will get (given your actual brew session, not the static recipe) against the flavor/aroma that you want. Personally, I'd lean toward keeping the flavor/aroma what I want, and damn the IBU count.

 

[BlackGoat]

you can make your adjustments however you want to suit your taste, just realize that you will in fact get bittering from your 30 minute additions and if you aren't making the adjustments in your software to understand this you could end up with much more bitter beer than intended. One thing you can do is shift your flavor hops until a bit later in the boil - say 20 minutes, which will reduce the IBU extraction, allowing you to use more hops during this addition. You shouldn't be getting any (or at least nominal) bitterness from aroma hops, so you shouldn't have to make any adjustments based on AA.

 

[roastquake]

Just passing on some knowledge I recently acquired. According to Hops by Stan Heironymous(spelling?) there really is no way to measure hop aroma because it is so subjective. He even said there was once a campaign to introduce AU (aroma units) but after so much testing, it proved impossible to measure. Point being, aroma-hop your beers to your taste.

 

[unionrdr]

I find you don't really get "aroma" from hop additions till around 5 minutes on down or dry hopping. 30 minute additions are on the fence between bittering & flavor. i do all my flavor additions,even IPA's,between 20 & 10 minutes. Aroma additions usually at 3-5 minutes,but I think dry hopping is the best aroma addition time. So I leave out the late boil aroma additions in favor of dry hopping.

 

[Queequeg]

Thanks for the input folks, I'll play around in BS and try shifting the addition closer to the end of the boil and see what I get.

 

[roastquake]

Another thought to chew on: Some folks make "hop-bursted" ales by leaving out the 60 minute addition completely, and add a whole bunch of hops in the last 5 minutes and dry hop. I haven't done it but it's my understanding that you add enough to get bitterness but you also get an amazing aroma profile. Just search "hop burst"

 

[Queequeg]

The calculation is stepped in beersmith, so you see no change until you move past the step and then its a big(ish) one.

For this batch I think I will just add the full amount and take the hit on the bitterness. Its not overly bitter for an IPA anyway so it is well within style.

I do want to try hop bursting at somepoint, perhapes the next IPA batch.

 

[iowabrew]

it also depends on which calc you're going by. For instance i made a all columbus hopped beer recently with FWH as my only bittering addition with everything else after 10min and Tinseth counted 73 IBU's while Rager puts it somewhere around 53 IBU's.

 

[rklinck]

The calculation is stepped in beersmith, so you see no change until you move past the step and then its a big(ish) one.

For this batch I think I will just add the full amount and take the hit on the bitterness. Its not overly bitter for an IPA anyway so it is well within style.

I do want to try hop bursting at somepoint, perhapes the next IPA batch.

You should set your flavor and aroma hops first and then adjust your bittering hop additions to adjust IBUs. As a general matter, the AA% etc. does not affect the flavor/aroma contributions. One of the brewing books I read (I think Gordon Strong's) suggests that for flavor and aroma think of additions this was for a 5 gallon batch:

.25 oz. will be very low flavor/aroma
.5 oz will be medium flavor/aroma
1 oz will be strong flavor/aroma

So if you are using BS, set your flavor and aroma additions and asjust the AA% so that the IBUs are calculated correctly. Then add enough hops for a 60 minute addition to get you the bitterness you want.

 

[Queequeg]

Thanks, so obvious when you explain it.

 

[rklinck]

Thanks, so obvious when you explain it.

Happy to help. I strong recommend picking up a copy of Gordon Strong's, "Brewing Better Beer." It has lots of good advice and tips.

 

[Queequeg]

Defo, thats in the pipeline of things for me to read on homebrewing. Working through palmers 3rd edition at the mo.