True hoppiness (pushing the hops envelope)

[hemogoblin]

I just put my second all-grain batch (basically an IPA) into secondary, and from the tons of Chinook I boiled with it it should work out to 85 IBU! :D (actually 3 oz of 11.9 AAU at 70-45-5)

I tasted some when racking and ... whoaah! Yesssss! But I'm a Rogue Brutal Bitter fan (76 IBU?)

The dry hops went in yesterday.

Just a question for the good people here:

What has been your bitterest beer? How did you achieve it? Was it good?

[Fast_Eddy]

Hemo,

Promash puts

1 oz chinook @ 11.9 AAU for 70 minutes +
1 oz chinook @ 11.9 AAU for 45 minutes +
1 oz chinook @ 11.9 AAU for 5 minutes = 104.6 IBU's


The highest I've gone is about 90 IBU's but I loved it. I used Centennial. Hope you like bitter ;)

[YamahaXS]

I have a very hoppy beer on tap right now. I will try to work out the IBUs for you guys. All I remember is that it has 4 oz. of hops in it. Bittering hops were relatively high Alpha (14-15%) percent.

9 lbs extract.
4 oz hops. (2-1-1 @ 60-15-3)

Its quite good, BUT i have seen a few people recoil from it! :D

[Aleman]

I have an IPA that hit 80 IBUs. I got conservative....I was considering 100.
Centennial 1.5oz 10.5A 60 min
Columbus .50 15A 20min
Cascade .50 5.75A 2min

It took a second place in the Orange County Fair this year.

[chris1kanobi]

I made a holiday beer last year that had

1 oz. Pacific Gems (18.2%) for 60 min.
1 oz. Pacific Gems (18.2%) for 30 min.
1 oz. Pacific Gems (18.2%) dry hop

After about 4 months it was pretty tasty. At the GABF I tried 120 Minuite IPA from Dog Fish Head. It tasted like pure hop extract. I once concidered myself a hop head, but I have discovered that there is a limit that my palate can indure.

[brewmonkey]

I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called, but one of the German hops growers makes a hops liquer, you would swear you were drinking pure fire.

[hemogoblin]

Fast Eddy: I typed 70 min. when I shoulda put 60; my recipe said 70 but I chickened out. So if you get a chance, what does ProMash say about that schedule? I got the 85 figure from the Recipator at HBD.com.

But I do like hoppy. Although Old Crustacean Barleywine, at about 120, "tastes like BURNING!"

[hemogoblin]

Originally posted by brewmonkey
I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called, but one of the German hops growers makes a hops liquer, you would swear you were drinking pure fire.


MMMMMMMMM.

I might just package this beer with a few tablets of antacid.

A buddy of mine gave me some hops cologne which I really liked (from Hop Union) ... and my wife liked it too. But now it's gone and I can't find any more!

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by hemogoblin
Fast Eddy: I typed 70 min. when I shoulda put 60; my recipe said 70 but I chickened out. So if you get a chance, what does ProMash say about that schedule? I got the 85 figure from the Recipator at HBD.com.

But I do like hoppy. Although Old Crustacean Barleywine, at about 120, "tastes like BURNING!"

What was your hopping schedule - better yet what was the recipe? I'll run the whole thing through ProMash again(since boil volume, density, etc affect alpha utilization). There is more than one "accepted" equation for alpha acid utilization so the numbers could wind up being different.

[YamahaXS]

Originally posted by brewmonkey
I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called, but one of the German hops growers makes a hops liquer, you would swear you were drinking pure fire.

now that sounds just plain nasty.

[hemogoblin]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
What was your hopping schedule - better yet what was the recipe?


now what I should really do is buy ProMash, but I don't think it is made for Mac ... sigh. Tho I don't know that for a fact.

So thanks for your kind offer, and here's the recipe:

11 lb 2-row pale
.5 lb carapils
.5 lb crystal 60L

mash at 154 for 90 min
sparge for 6.5 gal yield into kettle (1.25 tsp of lactic acid in 6 gal sparge water)

Boil for 60 min

1.25 oz chinook (11.9 AAU) at 60
.75 oz chinook (11.9 AAU) at 45
1 oz chinook (11.9 AAU) at 5

1 tsp irish moss at 30

dry hop with 1 oz chinook (10.8 AAU)


Thanks again from a 2-all-grain-batch relative newbie ....

[BucksBrew]

Any of you guys know what Sierra Nevada Pale Ale works out to be? I like that and if I were to go hop crazy I wouldn't want to go much over that!

Thanks.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by hemogoblin
now what I should really do is buy ProMash, but I don't think it is made for Mac ... sigh. Tho I don't know that for a fact.

So thanks for your kind offer, and here's the recipe:

11 lb 2-row pale
.5 lb carapils
.5 lb crystal 60L

mash at 154 for 90 min
sparge for 6.5 gal yield into kettle (1.25 tsp of lactic acid in 6 gal sparge water)

Boil for 60 min

1.25 oz chinook (11.9 AAU) at 60
.75 oz chinook (11.9 AAU) at 45
1 oz chinook (11.9 AAU) at 5

1 tsp irish moss at 30

dry hop with 1 oz chinook (10.8 AAU)


Thanks again from a 2-all-grain-batch relative newbie ....

Depending on which equation I use I get a range of IBU's from 69-113. The hop utilitization formula marked "Generic" gives the above recipes IBU's as 103.

This brings up an interesting point - maybe Brewmonkey knows - but for the establishment of style guidelines which formula was used or were the guidelines established using laboratory analysis of the iso-alpha content of prototypical beers? Which equation is more commonly used in micro-breweries - Rager, Garetz or Tinseth?

[hemogoblin]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
Depending on which equation I use I get a range of IBU's from 69-113. The hop utilitization formula marked "Generic" gives the above recipes IBU's as 103.

Many thanks, F.E. -- I tasted a little more today (bottling maybe tomorrow) and it is REAL BITTER but not unpleasant at all. Lots of sweetness in there too. so maybe I'm right about the middle of that range. I won't win any awards for sticking to style, however ... :)

[brewmonkey]

There is not a set standard for the BJCP or within the industry itself, and each brewer(y) uses the one they are most comfortable with. For me, I use the Rager method, but that is probably due to the fact that as a young homebrewer I bought my supplies from Jackie.

As far as IBU's go there is some speculation out there as to exactly how many IBU's are possible in a beer. Someof the recent studies done by the labs of the larger regional breweries is coming back saying 60 is max and some others are saying that it is 100 IBU's. Whatever the case may be, we are still learning alot about hops.

Also the brewery setup will determine what utilization you will actually get. Not everyone figuring an addition for say 25 IBU's at start of boil will get 25, some more some less.

You (larger breweries can though) cannot figure out the IBU loss due to fermentation. Some of the iso-alpha acids will go bye-bye during fermentation.

Hops are subjective in my book. Each brewer needs to pick a formula and then tune it to their tastes and brewing needs as well as the equipment they are using.