I appreciate that. One thing to remember though, is that this isn't my recipe. It is the Pliny the elder clone from Morebeer. I haven't started trying to make my own recipe's yet(but plan to soon once I figure out how). The thing I don't understand is how the real Pliny has a ton of IBU's as well but no noticeable bitterness. How are they able to do that when they have almost 200 IBU's?
Maybe after this one, I'll order another Pliny kit from Morebeer, and using all the same ingredients, I will try adjusting nothing but the hop schedule (and cutting the magnum down to 1oz) like many have suggested and see what kind of difference it makes.
You probably need to go into the Brew Science area with a question like that!!!!! The reason is very complex, but the gist of it is that alpha acids are only soluble until the wort is saturated with the hops oils. Then they can't isomerize any longer. That amount is +/- 100 IBUs, according to the brewing science folks. So the IBUs we calculate via software are "theoretical", using formulas developed that aren't perfect all but they are the best we have.
The real Pliny the Elder, when tested by a lab, actually clocks in at something like 85 IBUs.
There is also agreement among brewing scientists that about 100 IBUs is the maximum that the human tongue can perceive and also agreement that people can't tell a difference of +/- 5 IBUs in beer.
Other things that go into the perception of bitterness include the make up of the hops, like the cohumulone content, or the myrcene content, plus lots more of the qualities of the hops themselves, and then we can get into the other ingredients also!
For example, a 100 IBU beer in a wort of 1.100 OG with lots of crystal malt won't be very bitter. But a 100 IBU beer that started with wort of 1.040 OGmight feel bitter enough to take off your tooth enamel! That's because of the SG/IBU ratio. In addition, malts with more residual sugar will balance the bitterness so it will seem less bitter, even if the OG and the IBUs are the same.
Add into that the last thing- water. Water with extremely high bicarbonate causing a high mash pH will cause a "harsher" bitterness than using water with less bicarbonate and less mineral content.
Some hops do better with higher sulfate than others- some of our favorite west coast IPAs' hops go great with a higher sulfate, while noble hops from Germany do not. That's another thing to look at- many of the brewers I know adjust the mash pH down and the sulfate level up for pale ales and IPAs.
To have a very high mash pH can mean not just bitterness from the hops, but a much harsher bitterness as well, and excess sulfate increases the perception of dryness- which also can come across as very firm and even harsh.
So one more question on the pH then. What should I be shooting for at both room temp and mash temp?
Also, in BruNwater when it says what my pH will be(say 5.2-5.3), are they referring to the room temp pH?
Yes, always room temperature when anyone talks about "mash pH'.
) that is pretty basic. The grain bill consists of 14lbs of 2row and 4oz of C60.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
