What is an AAU?

[Geordiepete]

Hi guys,

So far i've been brewing from a few Malt Extract Kits just to get me started but have decided to get my ingredients together for my first recipe. No problems with 80% of the recipe but with the hops it's calling for 3.4 AAU's 0.66 oz of 5% Alpha acid. What is an AAU? Thanks in advance.

 

[david_42]

Alpha Acid Unit = 1 oz. at 1%

Hops vary from farm to farm and from year to year. If your hops were 6% instead of 5%, you would add 3.4AAU/6% = 0.57 oz. Which is a very minor adjustment, but if you were going from a 5% AA hop to a 14% hop you can see the need.

 

[sonvolt]

Or . . . you can multiply the alpha acid % to the # of ounces you are adding to get AAUs.

For instance:

1 oz. of 5% hops will equal 5 AAUs. 2 oz. of 5% hops will equal 10 AAUs.

 

[Geordiepete]

Thanks guys