Sierra Nevada Pale recipe vs stats

[Joshua Hughes]

Sierra Nevada has the recipe for their Pale Ale on their website. When I plug in those numbers the IBUs are over 80 but the stats on the beer per their website has IBUs around 38.

any ideas?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

When I plug in those numbers the IBUs are over 80 but the stats on the beer per their website has IBUs around 38.

any ideas?

What estimating formula/software did you use? what formula/software did they use?

Are they listing estimated IBUs? Or reporting measured IBUs? (see Tracking IBU Through the Brewing Process: The Quest for Consistency)

 

[michaeltrego]

Not sure how you ended up at 80 IBU, but a quick recipe for a 5 gallon batch at 1.053 OG with 5%AA hops gets me to ~53 IBU.

 

[Joshua Hughes]

Brewers friend

 

[Joshua Hughes]

Not sure what they used. I didn’t see that info in there, just their numbers.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Brewers friend

Are you using the default model or one of the other models? Tinseth and Rager will produce different estimates for the same inputs.

It looks like the recipe you mentioned is incomplete, as it doesn't show AA values for the Cascade whole hops.

What values did you use for AA when using Brewers Friend?

 

[Joshua Hughes]

7AA

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

7AA

You will may need to adjust the amount of hops needed so that you end up with 38 IBUs.

 

[Joshua Hughes]

Ok will do. I had a recipe I worked up that was close to this but had not brewed it yet. It was closers to the specs. thanks!

 

[Qhrumphf]

It probably lab measures at 38 IBUs. The calculated could likely be far far higher.

 

[Joshua Hughes]

I adjusted the amount to get 38 IBU. Thanks a bunch.

 

[bwible]

I remember seeing this before. Though it doesn’t actually say, we assume this is a 5 gallon batch? They give no batch size on the recipe page. They give the grain bill in percentages, as most large breweries are apt to do - but they give specific measurements in ounces for hops. This is inconsistent. And although they give grain percentages, they give no gravity target. 1.056?

5 1/2 oz of hops does seem like alot for a 5 gallon batch. Though I note the majority of the hops are added for 30 min or less.

I remember homebrew versions of this recipe given in prior years by the brewers also used Perle hops for bittering. Just saying.

 

[Willglenn]

Note that the recipe calls for Whole Hops, this accounts for some of the difference but not all.

 

[bwible]

This is a recipe from BYO Sept 1997 from an interview with Steve Dresler. I disagree with 1.035 to 1.040 gravity in this recipe. My bottle says 5.6%, so 1.056 to 1.058 seems more accurate. This recipe also has over 5 oz of hops for 5 gallons. Not all Cascade, this recipe includes Perle and Nugget. 3.5 oz of the 5 are for the last 5 min! So their recipe may not be too far off. (I’m just skeptical because I know if I owned a big brewery producing a very successful beer I would not be handing out the recipe.)

But pale ale is one of the easier styles to brew and this is a well known, tried and true recipe that many homebrewers have developed a version of over the years. After all, it’s the beer that started it all!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I remember seeing this before.

Yup. A recipe has been at their web site for a number of years. Currently here: - https://sierranevada.com/blog/pale-ale-homebrew-recipe/ -

 

[bwible]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/beerandbrewing.com/amp/an-ode-to-sierra-nevada-pale-ale/

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

... and for those who prefer google "amp" free links:
https://beerandbrewing.com/an-ode-to-sierra-nevada-pale-ale/
... and for those who would like to post URLs directly: https://beerandbrewing.com/an-ode-to-sierra-nevada-pale-ale/

 

[brew703]

SNPA is far more than 38 IBU's IMO. At least it seems that way.
The recipe listed isn't close, taste wise.
I have brewed several versions and never could get close to the commercial version.
If you are going with 38 IBU's I would go high on your gypsum additions.

 

[Joshua Hughes]

So if I go higher than 38 IBUs what should I shoot for?

 

[brew703]

I usually aim for 50. I also never boil for 90 min.
I say go with what the recipe calls for first time. You may find 38 is good for you but when I drink the commercial version my taste buds tell me its closer to 50. Thats the bottle version. The draft version may be 38.
I would adjust my hops and boil for 60 min. I see no benefit to boiling 90 min.
FWIW I've brewed about 5 SNPA versions and none were close. I gave up trying.
The Bells Two Hearted is closer and better from a home brew standpoint.

 

[Joshua Hughes]

I usually aim for 50. I also never boil for 90 min.
I say go with what the recipe calls for first time. You may find 38 is good for you but when I drink the commercial version my taste buds tell me its closer to 50. Thats the bottle version. The draft version may be 38.
I would adjust my hops and boil for 60 min. I see no benefit to boiling 90 min.
FWIW I've brewed about 5 SNPA versions and none were close. I gave up trying.
The Bells Two Hearted is closer and better from a home brew standpoint.

Bells is my favorite IPA but I’ve never dry hopped and just getting started I’ve got tons of cascade left, enough to justify not getting anything else right now. I have Goldings for my Bitters I’m making. I’m brewing a lot since I’ve got time sitting here...

 

[Qhrumphf]

Once again, I assume the 38 IBUs listed by SN is probably lab measured real IBUs (I know it can be done via spectrophotometer but not sure what other methods there are). In almost any hoppy beer if you measure the actual IBUs you'll find em far lower (with some IPAs with very high hopping rates even 50% lower) than the calculated figure. I'll agree with the above that perception wise SNPA strikes me as a 50ish IBU beer (Tinseth is my formula of choice). It's quite bitter, with quite a bit of body and residual sweetness as well.

 

[bwible]

BU:GU for APA is usually .75 to .8. So 56 times .8 is 44.8. You’re on target shooting for 50. The question to me is where do we cross over from APA to IPA? Is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bitterness in IPA territory? There is some overlap in these styles. IPA is usually 1:1 so 56 IBU at 1.056. Not a whole lot of difference between 50 and 56 IBU. Maybe tone down to 45 IBU for APA and go for 60 for IPA?