IPA too Bitter

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m_kc

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I made an IPA which after a week conditioning in the keg is really bitter. IBUs were coming out at 56, OG 1.058, FG 1.011. In Brewfather. Basically had a CTZ/Chinook mix of .5oz at 60m, 2oz at 15m and 2oz at flameout.

Whats a good option based on experience?
- condition for X months
- get used to bitter beer (I've been drinking mainly lagers, so maybe just my perception).
- brew a similar low IBU beer and blend
 
Conditioning will definitely help mellow the bitterness. Patience is of course the key here.
 
If that's a 23 litre batch, I get the IBUs to about 70-75 using the Brewer's Friend calculator and assuming an average alpha acid content of 14%.
Those flameout hops are going to make it even more bitter.
That’s a good point An. @m_kc for your next batch you need less hopage if you’re aiming for 56IBUs. Assuming your alpha acids are 14% as worked through by @An Ankoù (the actual AA may be higher?)…

Your 60 min addition is 25IBUs
Your 15 min addition is 20IBUs
Your flameout addition is about 15IBUs

If you didn’t quickly chill down your wort these figures will be even higher and it’s unlikely this will mellow out enough for you.
 
A month it is. I'll get the misses to hide all the taps so I won't be tempted!
If you can leave it longer it'll mellow out. Chinook has a very noticeable bitterness that some describe as 'harsh' but it does fade to the background if left alone (difficult, I know).
 
2oz at flameout.

That could be giving you quite a bittering contribution from compounds other than alpha acids, and a lot of software doesn't cope very well with that kind of thing so underestimates the final bittneress. And any alpha acids in that 2oz will be isomerising ("making bitterness") all the time that the wort is above 80°C, so you'll get more iso-alpha bitterness if you are...leisurely... about chilling after the boil.

Whats a good option based on experience?
- condition for X months
- get used to bitter beer (I've been drinking mainly lagers, so maybe just my perception).
- brew a similar low IBU beer and blend

A 25% drop in bitterness after 12 months is a good rule of thumb, so it depends how bad you're finding it....

Dilution can work - you could knock something up just with malt extract and maybe 10IBU of bittering just to keep the nasties away whilst you fermented it.

You could get an idea of how blending would work by diluting a pint with a really bland commercial beer like Coors Light. Or even start getting creative and blend with Strongbow or white wine!!!!
 
If that's a 23 litre batch, I get the IBUs to about 70-75 using the Brewer's Friend calculator and assuming an average alpha acid content of 14%.
Those flameout hops are going to make it even more bitter.
I scaled it to a 10L batch so started with 12g at 60, 24g at 15 etc.. Its likely that my scaling was off + also my chilling isn't that quick. I just dump the pan in the sink filled with cold water.

Lessons learned. Need to think about knocking back on bitterness from the flameout hops (or earlier in the boil).
 
That could be giving you quite a bittering contribution from compounds other than alpha acids, and a lot of software doesn't cope very well with that kind of thing so underestimates the final bittneress. And any alpha acids in that 2oz will be isomerising ("making bitterness") all the time that the wort is above 80°C, so you'll get more iso-alpha bitterness if you are...leisurely... about chilling after the boil.



A 25% drop in bitterness after 12 months is a good rule of thumb, so it depends how bad you're finding it....

Dilution can work - you could knock something up just with malt extract and maybe 10IBU of bittering just to keep the nasties away whilst you fermented it.

You could get an idea of how blending would work by diluting a pint with a really bland commercial beer like Coors Light. Or even start getting creative and blend with Strongbow or white wine!!!!
Good idea on using an extract beer! I actually don't know how to extract brew, just went straight into AG. I'll need about 3L. I have some DME so will it just be a case of dissolving that in and doing a short boil to get some IBUs?
 
If you're going to use high alpha hops towards the end of the boil, cut them right down to less than half an ounce at 10 minutes and flameout, or even less, and then cool the beer to <80C and stick in a 2 oz charge or more. You'll get a better hop aroma that way and less bitterness.
 
That s what I do nowadays, hardly any boil hops and whirlpool with a larger amount of hops. The temperature I do it at depends on the IBU's I require so flameout(100c) gives the most IBU's and down to 80c when the utilisation generally is very low for ibu's.
You then add even more below 80c if you want more depth of flavour all I can say it is hard to calculate the IBU's with this method so it is a bit of trial and gain knowledge from there. I do use the Brewers Friend whirlpool calculations as a starting point and then use my nouse
 
That s what I do nowadays, hardly any boil hops and whirlpool with a larger amount of hops. The temperature I do it at depends on the IBU's I require so flameout(100c) gives the most IBU's and down to 80c when the utilisation generally is very low for ibu's.
You then add even more below 80c if you want more depth of flavour all I can say it is hard to calculate the IBU's with this method so it is a bit of trial and gain knowledge from there. I do use the Brewers Friend whirlpool calculations as a starting point and then use my nouse
The utilisation drops at lower temperatures so to work out your IBUs work out what they would have been for an equivalent boil time and then adjust down depending on your whirlpool temperature:
90C is 50%
80C is 25%
70C is 10%
60C is 5%
<60C is 2%

So in a 23 litre batch, 100g of 12%AA in a 20min hopstand at 80C will give you…

First the IBUs at 100C for 20mins
100g x 0.12 x 0.1 x 1000 / 23 = 52 IBUs

Adjust for 80C
52 x 25% = 13 IBUs
 
The utilisation drops at lower temperatures so to work out your IBUs work out what they would have been for an equivalent boil time and then adjust down depending on your whirlpool temperature:
90C is 50%
80C is 25%
70C is 10%
60C is 5%
<60C is 2%

So in a 23 litre batch, 100g of 12%AA in a 20min hopstand at 80C will give you…

First the IBUs at 100C for 20mins
100g x 0.12 x 0.1 x 1000 / 23 = 52 IBUs

Adjust for 80C
52 x 25% = 13 IBUs
Going to give this a go next time around! Never really been happy with my APA and IPAs. Thanks all.
 
I normally use the Brewers Friend Calculator for whirlpooling but will use this as a comparison too athumb..
 

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