Balancing malt flavor

[croc4]

I was curious as to if there is a rule of thumb to figure out the amount of hops needed to balance out a given amount of Malt?

I know that there are several types of hops each having a different bettering % (Alpha acids).

for example if I had a recipe that I liked and I wanted only to boost the alcohol content without changing the overall taste what would be the best way to get my in the "ball park" (add more malt and ?? amount of hops to balance out extra malt), or if I'm only adding .5-1lbs of malt would that even make a difference in the taste?, I'm sure there would be some tuning/experimentation needed, but I was wondering if there was a general rule that you use.

Thanks

Croc4
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[sallad]

i've never been to fancy with any of that. i just use ratios..

for example, if you go from 5lbs of malt to 6lbs, then you've increased you malts by 20%. therefore, try increasing your hops by 20%. i don't always use more hops; sometimes i use the same amount of a similar variety that has about 20% higher AA.

[paul84043]

Well...for one, you are never going to change your recipe and keep the flavor the same....
If you add more malt, which I have been known to do on occasion, I will use the same hops that you use in your recipe, either the bittering or finishing, it all depends on your preference.
I have even dry hopped with a completely different type of hops, but then you change the flavor/aroma completely.

If you just add more malt and no hops, you will simply end up with a slightly maltier beer...there's really no set way to do it. That's the beauty of brewing, a whole world of variations to play with. And they're all good....

[Fast_Eddy]

I started to post a similar reply to Paul's this morning.

More malt changes the taste, more hops changes the taste, more alcohol changes the taste.

It's fun to experiment but don't expect a bigger version of a recipe to taste the same.

[croc4]

Thanks, guys.

I guess that makes sense, I was hoping that if one were to stumble on a good recipe that needed a boost in the alcohol dept, that it could be done without changing the "base" flavor "too" much.

I guess I'll just have to practice with some more batches ;-)

Croc4
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[paul84043]

It doesn't change the base flavor that much, an ale will still taste like an ale, it will just be "different"...

[b3s]

first off, i have to agree...higher gravity with proportionate amount of hops added is not going to taste the same. so many factors impact taste. IBU's, specific types of malt, OG, yeast strain, attenuation of the yeast, blah, blah, blah.

i took one of my first recipes and made it "bigger" (like 7% abv wasn't big enough) and increased the hops accordingly. still good beer, but it did not taste the same.

as long as we are discussing this...i'm curious how a beer with no hops tastes....been considering making one like that. no hops, just a dark, deep malt ale.

well, OK, i'll probably dry hop to give it a nose, i'm not insane ;)

[croc4]

I would think (drawing from my extensive beer knowledge ;-/ )
that it would tend toward a newcastle type taste.
Newcastle tends to be on the sweeter side with a hint of a "wine" type taste and very little hoppiness. I have no idea what the hop load is for this beer, but that would be my best guess.

That is an interesting idea, I tend to not like the Hoppy beers and prefer more maltly brews personally, so if you try this let me know
At some point in the future I would like to try something similar
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[YamahaXS]

You might consider adding some speciality grain that does not impart fermentable sugars to your wort. Should boost the sweetness and maltiness of your beer.