Bitterness

[badgerdan]

I'm looking at an IPA for my first Extract brew and it says it's 54 EBU. Well I've now realised that I have no idea how bitter that is.

Is there a table anywhere with the EBU of famous beers? I can then adjust it to the same bitterness of the beers I love

[OldSpeckledBadger]

Most bitters seem to be in the low 30s EBU. But perception of bitterness isn't totally down to EBU as there'll probably be residual sugars which tend to counteract it. You also need to take into account the maturing process which tends remove the harshness leaving a more rounded bitterness.

[badgerdan]

So this could be quite bitter then? I've no idea how bitter i like my beers. I love Newky brown, Marstons S.P.A, Bombardier, Spitfire, Hobgoblin etc

Not sure whether to reduce the EBU of the IPA or just go with it, i love IPA's soif they all tend to be this high then I'll just go for it

[mysterio]

The only effective way is to practice brewing, make sure you use the same formula each time and you'll learn what different IBUs taste like.

It's not the absolute number you're interested in, more the 'BU/GU' ratio, that is ratio of bittering units to gravity units. As a rule of thumb, 50 IBUs in a 1.050 beer (ratio of 1) will taste quite bitter, 37.5 IBUs (ratio of 0.75) in the same beer will taste balanced, 25 IBUs (ratio of 0.5) will be on the lower side.

So a ratio of 0.75 is a good place to start, then you can make changes next time according to your taste.

Judging by the beers you posted, IBUs should be quite low, a BU/GU ratio of 0.5 - 0.6 would be suitable. 20 - 25 IBUs in a 1.040 beer for example.

[badgerdan]

Ah thanks for that. Ok so I'll reduce the hops to reach 37.5 then see how that turns out. Really don't want a really bitter drink for my first extract brew, could put me off making more if my first extract tasted horrible

Actually, I've just seen the OG is 1.060 I'm guessing this will still be quite a bitter drink?

[WishboneBrewery]

I make a 3.6-4% stout with a bitterness of 38EBU-ish, this is far from too bitter for me, I could easily increase or decrease it and still be happy with the results.
I suppose this may have to do with the amounts of non-fermentable sugars from the Crystal Malt and Wheat/Rye Crystal malt I used.
Maybe a stout isn't the best example for sampling bitterness????

[mysterio]

I make a 3.6-4% stout with a bitterness of 38EBU-ish, this is far from too bitter for me, I could easily increase or decrease it and still be happy with the results.
I suppose this may have to do with the amounts of non-fermentable sugars from the Crystal Malt and Wheat/Rye Crystal malt I used.
Maybe a stout isn't the best example for sampling bitterness????

Crystal malt definately influences it, so does FG. Also none of the IBU formulas are truly correct, they are all guesses.

[badgerdan]

Ooh I'm getting confused now. A few recipes I've seen are all between 4% - 5.5% and in brew engine say that they will be about 45 - 55 ebu

Would I be looking at the right number or are all these beers very bitter?

Oh and if a recipe was originaly 6% and an ebu of 54 what would the target ebu be when I reduce the alcohol to 4.5%?

[mysterio]

I don't know what formula that calculator uses so I can't say. But if it was truly 55 IBU, measured by a lab, then yes it would be noticeably bitter when fresh. I know that's not a terribly helpful answer but it's not an exact science, what you're getting is a ballpark figure. You just have to suck it and see. If it's on the bitter side, leave it for a few weeks and the bitterness will reduce naturally. Then you know for next time. If it's a published recipe by Wheeler or something then odds are it will be fine. Stick to recipes and you cant go far wrong.

if a recipe was originaly 6% and an ebu of 54 what would the target ebu be when I reduce the alcohol to 4.5%?

Reduce it proportionately

[badgerdan]

Ok, thanks for your help

I'm just waiting for my extract to turn up then I can get brewing