For the 1st 60min or fwh addition in standard American ipas 5-6% range, how many ibu’s do you target in BeerSmith? I recently brewed a 10gal batch of ipa and used 1.5oz of warrior and boiled for 60min. Was good but thinking I could add more bitterness to go with the hop flavor/aroma. I was happy with that part. Just curious how much others were using. Also I did use ro water adjusted to 200ppm sulfate.
Here is the recipe for reference:
Recipe Specifications
Boil Size: 13.99 gal
Post Boil Volume: 12.24 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 11.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 11.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 5.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 82.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 74.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
21 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 91.0 %
1 lbs Carapils (Briess) (1.5 SRM) Grain 2 4.1 %
10.0 oz Caramel Malt - 40L (Briess) (40.0 SRM) Grain 3 2.7 %
8.0 oz Wheat - White Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) Grain 4 2.2 %
1.50 oz Warrior [15.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 38.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 6.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 20. Hop 7 9.4 IBUs
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 20.0 Hop 8 5.6 IBUs
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool Hop 9 10.2 IBUs
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 20.0 Hop 10 13.3 IBUs
2.0 pkg Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) [35 Yeast 11 -
3.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
3.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
3.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
3.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 3.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
I usually target at least 1:1 BU:OG. So 65 IBU for a 1.065 beer. For a 1.053 beer you are over that.
What is the FG on your beer? Residual sugars can balance out the bitterness. If you want more of a punch, replace th3 warrior with Columbus or Chinook.
I start by deciding how much FWH I want to use (OK, you guys, don’t start! 
) That usually is 1-2 oz. Then I figure out how much to use at 60 min. to get in the neighborhood of the 1:1 BU:GU ratio Jess talks about.
The fg was 1008
That should be dry enough, can’t recommend anything to take it down farther.
Is that ratio guideline for total ibus? Or just the bittering additions?
Not to speak for Denny but, usually when people reffer to GU/BU its total they are talking about. 1:1 would be like 1.060 to 60 IBU.
The trouble is when it comes to high dose whirlpool additions. The science might say that no isolmerization is happening below X temp, but our mouths still translate those additions as some level of bitterness, though zero IBUs. If anyone doubts that, do a batch with no boil hops, and about 3 ounces of Simcoe at 150F for 30 min. There will be some bitterness. So, like any other ingredient, sometimes we can totally reduce hops to a numerical matrix. But experience will tell you what you like, don’t like.
There are some good calcs out there that approximate the BU from whirlpool additions. We just incorporated some into our spreadsheet. Pretty simple actually, you just incorporate a modifier to the Tinseth utilization and viola.
I remember when I first started brewing, my early knowledge on hops was
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Bitterness comes from isolmerized alpha acids. So obviously, there’s no other way that hops could possibly make bitterness come into my beer. Check!
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High alpha acid hops are for bittering. So you only can add them at 60 min, and they don’t bring any flavor or aroma to my beer. Check!
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Low alpha acid hops are for flavor only and you add them at 10 min before turning off the stove, or right as you turn off the stove for an advanced method called “Flameout”. They don’t add any bitterness, only flavor. Check!
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Dry hops are the only way to get any aroma. Check!
Then I brewed a couple batches and start learning that there’s more to it.
I use Brewer’s Friend and it allows me to adjust utilization at whirlpool. For my tastes, experience, on my beers… I’ve gotten to where I glance at predicted IBU from my FWH/60 and then I ignore IBU from there on. It’s all by experience and preference. When someone asks how many IBUs I say I don’t know
“When someone asks how many IBUs I say I don’t know”
And when someone tells you how many IBUs, they don’t know!
True, the IBU isn’t as accurate as the IMF
Before I get in trouble… back to the original intent of the thread. 1:1 BU:GU is a good starting point for IPA
I was partly serious: IBU for us is WAG or at best SWAG. So in recipe development/dialing in your system use a calculated figure as a starting point. Like 1:1. Then don’t think in IBU, just start to learn “when I do X the beer tastes like Y.” Far more relevant than numbers.
The science from OSU says isomorization goes on below boiling. You get less as the temperature goes down.
IBUs are pretty accurate for th3 beers they were developed on. The clear lagers of the 60s.
IBUs are pretty accurate for th3 beers they were developed on. The clear lagers of the 60s, with one bettering addition.
Totally, its not an on/off switch at 212. Ive heard various %s at 190/180/170 but I’ve not been able to find how much at 150F or below.
Try and find Mark Molowicki’s master thesis from OSU.
Scott Janish got 2 IBU from a beer dry hopped at room temperature, HPLC measurements, it’s on his blog.
Found the paper. According to the summary, the lowest they tested was 90C/194F.
I’ve frequently seen 180°F cited as threshold for isomerization, but who knows where that comes from. My FWH is easily below that and I seem to get fullest possible bittering out of the addition even with short boils. Just testing by taste buds.