Hmmm Interesting!

Get advice on making beer from raw ingredients (malt, hops, water and yeast)
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crookedeyeboy

Hmmm Interesting!

Post by crookedeyeboy » Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:02 pm

Just tested my ridiculously (or one would think) bittered pale ale. It was calculated to be 101 EBU and came out at 48 EBU, just goes to show how off the utilisation of alpha acids can be...


Pale Malt Low Colour 3 EBC 9 4400 grams 100%

Pacific Gem Whole 17 % 90 mins 25 grams 25%
Simcoe Whole 12.2 % 90 mins 25 grams 25%
Pacific Gem Whole 17 % 15 mins 15 grams 15%
Simcoe Whole 12.2 % 15 mins 15 grams 15%
Pacific Gem Whole 17 % 0 mins 10 grams 10%
Simcoe Whole 12.2 % 0 mins 10 grams 10%

Final Volume: 25 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.040
Final Gravity: 1.009
Alcohol Content: 4% ABV
Total Liquor: 34.9 Litres
Mash Liquor: 11 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 101.218789990309 EBU
Colour: 4 EBC

dave-o

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by dave-o » Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:23 pm

How did you find out its actual EBU?

boingy

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by boingy » Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:49 pm

dave-o wrote:How did you find out its actual EBU?
He works here:

http://www.murphyandson.co.uk/Laborator ... ratory.htm

dave-o

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by dave-o » Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:20 pm

handy!

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Befuddler
Even further under the Table
Posts: 2472
Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2009 2:06 pm
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by Befuddler » Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:53 pm

I read somewhere that the mighty Pliny The Elder actually tests at under 60 ibu.

The numbers might be way off, but they're still useful for comparison as long as we're all calculating them the same way.
"There are no strong beers, only weak men"

Rowang

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by Rowang » Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:02 pm

Isnt the theoretical maximum of percievable IBUs 100 anyway? Im sure there will be plenty of hop flavour regardless!

...although I know Mikeller made a 1000 IBU IPA...

dave-o

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by dave-o » Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:05 am

Rowang wrote:Isnt the theoretical maximum of percievable IBUs 100 anyway? Im sure there will be plenty of hop flavour regardless!

...although I know Mikeller made a 1000 IBU IPA...
I suppose that using hop extract this barrier could be breached. So what IBU would pure hop extract be??

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flytact
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 759
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:31 pm
Location: Annapolis, MD - USA

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by flytact » Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:30 pm

Very interesting indeed. Perhaps the hops were a bit old and lost some kick?
Do you know the dates that the hops were bagged or bought?
Johnny Clueless was there
With his simulated wood grain

smdjoachim

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by smdjoachim » Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:47 pm

Hop acid levels deteriorate with age.Water profile also effects hop utilization.The vigorousness of the boil will also effect utilization.
Also when the hops are originally tested it is only a small sample from a big batch so inconsistencies can occur.
All brewing software will have some differences in how they calculate utilization.
Apparently when calculating bitterness you should use the Tinseth scale as it has been tested to be more accurate in estimating actual IBU's then any other common method.
The last sentence comes from Gordon Strong's "Brewing better beer"
Also how do you know if your scales are correct.
Last edited by smdjoachim on Fri Jul 29, 2011 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

mysterio

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by mysterio » Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:41 pm

I've had beers where the bitterness has halved after using finings. Even the type of yeast has an enormous effect. The formulae are total crap, only use them as a rough guide.

Rowang

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by Rowang » Sat Jul 30, 2011 9:43 am

I think we are all learning a lesson here. We ALL need to add LOTS more hops.

mysterio

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by mysterio » Sat Jul 30, 2011 4:46 pm

We ALL need to add LOTS more hops.
This is my guiding principle in life

yogester

Re: Hmmm Interesting!

Post by yogester » Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:56 pm

Rowang wrote:I think we are all learning a lesson here. We ALL need to add LOTS more hops.
Here endeth the lesson! =D>

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