Specialty grain and hop balance question

[griffin1]

Hi group. I am new to brewing. I was going to start an English pale ale kit that at baseline is 14EBC in color and has 20 IBU. I wanted to darken a little bit and add flavor with crystal 40. About 1lb worth.

The question is how many IBUs would I have to add to counteract the sweetness of the crystal I added? I may also want to add more bitterness as well. How many more IBUs would I need to add a moderate bitterness to the brew?

I appreciate any feedback provided!

 

[GrogNerd]

you would go by the Bitterness Ratio, or IBU / OG

so, if your OG was 1.040, then your ratio would be 20/40 or .500

adding 1 lb C40 would add .004 to your OG , so increasing IBUs to 22 would keep your ratio

which I don't think most people would notice. I know I wouldn't

 

[griffin1]

Thanks for the info! So basically adding that little c40 wouldn't really throw off the taste too much?

 

[brew_ny]

you would go by the Bitterness Ratio, or IBU / OG

so, if your OG was 1.040, then your ratio would be 20/40 or .500

adding 1 lb C40 would add .004 to your OG , so increasing IBUs to 22 would keep your ratio

it would change it a little you need to add a little hops or move when you put then in the boil to get you IBU to 22

to keep your ratio of .50, increasing your gravity will lower IBUs

will the little change matter maybe, maybe not

all the best with your brew

S_M

 

[GrogNerd]

true, adding gravity will decrease your IBUs (some would argue with this, but you can't find an IBU calculator that doesn't use gravity in the equation)

in the example I gave, adding 1 lb C40 decreased IBUs from 20 to 19.3 and the ratio dropped to .437

to get back to the .500 ratio, you would have to add 2.7 IBU; about 1/12 oz or 2.25g (Centennial @ 10% AA)

16¢ worth at my LHBS

 

[DrWill]

true, adding gravity will decrease your IBUs (some would argue with this, but you can't find an IBU calculator that doesn't use gravity in the equation)

in the example I gave, adding 1 lb C40 decreased IBUs from 20 to 19.3 and the ratio dropped to .437

to get back to the .500 ratio, you would have to add 2.7 IBU; about 1/12 oz or 2.25g (Centennial @ 10% AA)

16¢ worth at my LHBS

This sounds just about right. Remember that any IBU estimate, no matter the formula, is an estimate. What we get from the lab is never what any formula predicts. As another poster already said, I don't think I'd notice a 2-3 IBU difference. If you're really trying to maintain the balance, a good brewing calculator (BeerSmith, ProMash, Brew Toad) will all help.

 

[griffin1]

true, adding gravity will decrease your IBUs (some would argue with this, but you can't find an IBU calculator that doesn't use gravity in the equation) in the example I gave, adding 1 lb C40 decreased IBUs from 20 to 19.3 and the ratio dropped to .437 to get back to the .500 ratio, you would have to add 2.7 IBU; about 1/12 oz or 2.25g (Centennial @ 10% AA) 16¢ worth at my LHBS

Thanks again for the feedback. I went through the numbers you mentioned and I wanted to see if I am on track with my calculations.

Original recipe is 1040 with 20 IBUs. With ratio of .50

If I added 1lb of DME it would bring IBU down to 18.63 and increase OG to1048. The ratio is now .41. I calculated I would need 24 total IBUs to get back to .50 ratio. This means I would have to add 5.37 IBUs back to get this ratio correct.

Does that sound about right? (Adding IBUs to new lower ibu of 18.63)

Thanks again!

 

[GrogNerd]

Thanks again for the feedback. I went through the numbers you mentioned and I wanted to see if I am on track with my calculations.

Original recipe is 1040 with 20 IBUs. With ratio of .50

If I added 1lb of DME it would bring IBU down to 18.63 and increase OG to1048. The ratio is now .41. I calculated I would need 24 total IBUs to get back to .50 ratio. This means I would have to add 5.37 IBUs back to get this ratio correct.

Does that sound about right? (Adding IBUs to new lower ibu of 18.63)

Thanks again!

exactly right

someone paid attention in algebra class

 

[griffin1]

exactly right someone paid attention in algebra class

Thank you again for your insights. I am really excited to get all my equipment in and start brewing!!

 

[GrogNerd]

Thank you again for your insights. I am really excited to get all my equipment in and start brewing!!

you're quite welcome

good luck with this and all future brews and welcome to the obsession