Bittering higher than anticipated

[estrnc]

Hi guys,

wondering if you can help me track down why my latest batch came out so bitter. This was meant to be an IPA with an IBU in the range of 35, however upon tasting it, it is so bitter it's unpalatable. Definitely tastes like twice that if not more. I used Magnum for bittering (see recipe below) this is a high AA hop however the quantities were adjusted to compensate.

It's not a clean bitter either, very much a draw your cheeks together bitterness.

Really disappointed in this one! The only thing I am unsure of is whether or not late addition hops contribute siginificantly to the IBUs during the chilling process, as it can take me 30 mins or so to get the wort down to pitching temperatures (depending on the ground water temperature). Given I am using 18% AA vic secret hops I'm just thinking that they may have pushed the IBUs far higher than anticpated. I've used similar quantities of Magnum before and never had this problem.

Any ideas would be gratefully received!

Cheers guys

Chris

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/582661/antipodean-ipa-clone

 

[Sandimas]

Did you check the AA on the packet of bittering hops you used, rather than using the default value in Brewers Freind? They can vary quite a bit from batch to batch depending on the crop, year etc.

 

[MickDundee]

93% efficiency looks very high - is that right? SG as expected?

 

[estrnc]

Yep all as expected. I also doubted the efficiency level, but for the amount of grain I put in I hit my target numbers

Cheers

 

[strange-steve]

I've found that large amounts of late-hops add considerably more bitterness than calculators will tell you, though I don't know if that alone would account for the face-sucking bitterness you describe.
I did a NEIPA recently with no bittering additions at all, the calculated IBUs was 10, but it tasted a lot more than that.

 

[estrnc]

I did indeed modify the default values, as you say they can vary a fair bit. What I think may have happened is that I've just used too much high AA hops late in the boil (vic secret and galaxy, pretty much 100g in the last few mins) and not considered that this may happen. I'm probably overstating the bitterness, but it is harsh and overwhelms the beer making it pretty undrinkable. Shame really, I've used tons of Citra before and never had this issue.

I may try adding them once the wort has dropped below 79 degrees, which I think is the value that hops stop producing bitterness and only provide hop aroma. Or I may drop the first addition altogether. I do first wort hopping for what it's worth.

Thanks for your responses guys!

Chris

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I ran your hop figures through Brewer's Friend IBU calculator and it came out at 46.94.
The Magnum alone from a 60 minute boil gives IBU 29.22.

 

[estrnc]

Hi Bigcol,

You're right. Their recipe builder states 17.85 for the Magnum, seems like an error there. It definitely feels higher than 46.94.

Thanks for your help

Chris

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I haven't accounted for the large late hop addition - recipe builders don't seem to include them. I'm sure they're bound to have an effect on the total bitterness of the beer.

 

[MrRook]

Give it time and the bitterness will mellow.

 

[estrnc]

Thanks all, will most likely bottle this and leave it for a while!

Cheers

Chris

 

[Duxuk]

I haven't read the replies so someone may have said this already, however.................................I had exactly the same issue when I tried pellet hops as late hops a couple of years ago. I'm starting toreally like pellets now and have no problem with that mouth puckering bitterness now.
Here's what I do. I don't any late hops, just bittering hops. I then get to the end of the boil and cool the wort very quickly (keep an eye on it!). At 80C I stop the chilling and add loads of hops. If they are leaf I leave to steep for 30 minutes but if they are pellets I just stir in and continue to chill. I filter into the FV when I get it down to 20C (ish).
With a good dry hop I can get a massive hoppiness with little effect on the bittering.
I think if you did your brew by this method you should message me for my address and send me a bottle:thumb1:

 

[Wouter]

Just my two cents. Lets assume the anticipated IBU's are correct, its impossible else to compare recipes.

Probably the IBU's of the two beers are the same, but the harshness of the bittering is different.
Basically the exact amount of isomerised alpha-acids is probably the same, but how you perceive this bitterness is different.
This is because the amount of co-humulone in Vic Secret is about twice that of Magnum! In addition, the beta-acids are also more abundant in Vic Secret then in Magnum.

This is my guess as to why the two beers appear so different in bitterness. I don't think there are many other bittering hops which give such a mild bitterness type as Magnum. In recent years this difference between the bittering hops on the harshness of the bitterness (while the experimentally determined IBU is the same) has been researched.