IBU Fix for a Big Beer

[manwithatail]

So the short and sweet of my problem is that I calculated a recipe with 65% efficiency and got 79%. This is an excellent problem to have except for the fact that the beer was a malt bomb to start and I fear that my increased gravity will make it downright cloying unless I add more hops. The beer is a 1.074 OG smoked German style ale. I have reserved 2 quarts for bottle conditioning and have been thinking that I may boil an ounce of hops in the reserved wort. If anybody has any input on this I would be very grateful.

 

[Yooper]

What's the whole recipe? You may have enough IBUs (or you may not!).

 

[manwithatail]

lb oz
28% 4 0 Munich Malt
21% 3 0 Pilsner Malt
21% 3 0 Vienna Malt
21% 3 0 Briess Cherrywood Smoke Malt
7% 1 0 Dextrin (CaraPils) Malt
3% 0 8 Crystal 40L
0% 0 ¼ Chocolate Malt

hops
oz
boil 60 mins 1.0 Hallertau pellet 3.0
boil 60 mins 0.5 Tettnanger pellet 3.5
boil 15 mins 0.5 Tettnanger pellet 3.5

White Labs German Ale/Kolsch Yeast

Did a double decoction mash starting at a 130 protein rest. Decoctioned up to 154, then again to mash out at 170. As I said, I have two quarts of wort in the fridge to work with. Hopville says the IBUs are 16.5 and the BU/GU ratio is .22. Ideally I'd like to put the IBUs into the mid 20s and the BU/GU somewhere around .34 as one might expect from a malty beer like a bock.

 

[Yooper]

What's the AAU of the hops?

 

[manwithatail]

What's the AAU of the hops?

The Hals are 3 and the Tets are 3.5. My post looks a little funny because I copied my recipe to the forum from hopville.

 

[Yooper]

Well, it doesn't really look that bad. Yes, it'll be malty, but maybe not too sweet. But I calculate 1.074 as 70% efficiency, not 79%. I would expect about 1.074 with that recipe, at least on my system.

Anyway, I think what I'd do is let it finish fermenting and see if it needs more bittering. If it does, I think I'd boil some of the saved wort with hops for an hour, as you suggested, and gently cool and add it. You may find that with the smoked flavor that you may not mind it a bit underhopped.