Unsure on IBU level on a Brown Ale

thehaze · Jan 9, 2018

Hello there,

Hope the new year has treated you a proper welcome.

I am about to brew this recipe, which I am pretty stoked about: https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/561179/04-imperial-brown

The IBUs are at a comfortable 36 at the moment, seeing this has the potential to be an almost 8% beer. But even if the beer turns out to be 8%, would 36 IBUs be too much? The water profile will be low-ish on mineral, with a Cl:SO4 / 60:70 which should be balanced, but with ferm bitterness.

What do you think?

okoncentrerad · Jan 9, 2018

From a beginners point of view, with hardly any experience.....going strictly by the numbers, the BU/GU ratio is 0.45, which in the "recommended" interval for this kind of beer (0.44 to 0.67).

J A · Jan 9, 2018

Personally, I'd boost it a little. You'll get a lot of malty sweetness and alcohol and some extra hop character and bitterness might be a good balance. And EKG is a pretty smooth bittering hop so you won't have any harshness. Wouldn't go over 45 or so.

Ozarks Mountain Brewery · Jan 9, 2018

you might want a different yeast, that yeast has problems finishing some times and leaves the beer too sweet, and if your low in hardness "Alkalinity" the 40 range of bitterness is not bitter at all but Alkalinity is the key to bitterness more than minerals