IIPA Large Bittering Addition Question

[bigchristheman]

I have been putting together an IIPA recipe and I have a question about the bittering addition.

I know the palate threshold is around 100 IBU's, and I always see that the recipes for my two favorite's - Ruination and Pliny - have such massive bittering additions to jump them up to 100 IBU before the later additions.

Can you get away using just 1oz of something like Warrior or Columbus instead of the 2oz for Ruination or 3.5oz for Pliny and get the same sharp bite?

The recipe I put together is at 90 IBU according to Beer Smith and only has 1 oz as a bittering hop. I have the hops, I just want to make sure I'm putting them to good use.

Cheers

 

[Oldsock]

The issue is that even with those big additions Pliny only makes it to ~80 IBUs in lab tests. There are diminishing returns when you are pushing the saturation point of the alpha acids. I’ve had good luck with a couple ounces of Columbus, I don’t think a double IPA is a good place to get stingy with the hops.

 

[bigchristheman]

I have the hops, It's not an issue of getting stingy with them. I just want to make sure they are getting good usage and not just adding grassy flavor.

I understand there are diminishing returns in regards to IBU's per ounce of hop - as in Pliny coming in at 96 IBU with 3.5oz bittering. If I upped the 60 minute addition from 1 oz to 2 or 3 oz would it make a huge difference on the final beer?

As of now Beer Smith calculates my recipe at 90IBU.

Thanks!

 

[smagee]

Upping the bittering does make a difference, but as to whether it's the difference you want...

I like IIPAs more and more as I continue brewing, but one thing trying them out has taught me that wasn't evident when I started was that I like the *hop* flavor of those brews, not the bitterness aspect. Since coming to that realization (that probably should've been more obvious than it was), I tend to go forward with 1-2oz bittering maximum, preferring to use up the hops later at a stage where I'll get more of the flavors I want from them.

Long story short, going from 1-2oz probably won't make a *huge* difference, and all things being the same, I'd just go ahead with 1oz, myself.