# Strongest Beer You Have Made?



## Mercs Own (31/3/07)

Just interested to hear what the strongest beer alc % you have ever made, what style, what yeast and what strength?


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## NRB (31/3/07)

Sounds like you might be planning a party starter Paul!


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## Duff (31/3/07)

Mercs Own said:


> Just interested to hear what the strongest beer alc % you have ever made, what style, what yeast and what strength?



This one. Started out as a Duvel clone, but after a rouse of the yeast it took off again and finished at 1.006 at almost 9.5%. I bottled it into all available champagne bottles I had at the time (17) and kegged the remainder. Very smooth, been in bottles now close to 5 months. Might try one tonight actually.

Cheers - (and boo to the viewers who voted off Tatiana. Man those legs.... :huh: )

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06-47 Duvel

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 40.00 Wort Size (L): 40.00
Total Grain (kg): 12.70
Anticipated OG: 1.078 Plato: 18.99
Anticipated SRM: 3.7
Anticipated IBU: 30.9
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
86.6 11.00 kg. JWM Export Pilsner Australia 1.037 2
3.1 0.40 kg. Weyermann Carapils (Carafoam) Germany 1.037 2
10.2 1.30 kg. Cane Sugar Generic 1.046 0

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
70.00 g. Styrian Goldings Pellet 5.40 27.2 60 min.
64.00 g. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.00 3.7 15 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale


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## goatherder (31/3/07)

My strongest effort is very similar to Duff's. It was an attempt at a tripel - 1.080 down to 1.009 using Wyeast 1388. That's around 9.3% plus some from the bottling sugar.


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## Adamt (31/3/07)

1.085 down to 1.015: 9.2% Belgian Dark Strong.


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## Stuster (31/3/07)

Not quite to that level, but made an American IIPA with a US56 yeast cake came down from 1080 to 1012 giving 8.8% with the priming sugar.


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## Doc (31/3/07)

My Infinity + 1 is 11.3% with a calculated bitterness of just over 400IBU's.
It was all grain too, no sugar. 
Also was a mix of WLP001 and WLP051 yeasts.

Beers,
Doc


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## GMK (31/3/07)

11+%

Lees Harvest Barley Wine OG 1125.
Bottled at 1032....

Still in bottles.


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## Weizguy (31/3/07)

How about 13.7% (calculated by Beersmith) for my Old Ale
OG 1.094
FG 1.001 (with the help of 5 months in primary, daily rousing and dry enzyme)

Bottled 29/12/02 and scored me the prize for Best Strong Ale at the 2006 NSW Homebrew comp (went close to Best of Show too, I hear), and also 3rd at the Nationals.
It may have a few years left in it too, at that strength. Was undrinkable or at least nasty for the first few years.
Lucky that I bottled in stubbies, too much alc and flavour to finish a longy.

Seth


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## browndog (31/3/07)

9%, a Duvel cone from the BYO mag, it went from 1.073 to 1.004.

cheers

Browndog


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## Mercs Own (31/3/07)

My strongest was back in my malt extract mini mash days - a 10% stout. I remember the first long neck I had was absolutely delicious strangely I cant remember much after that!

edit: Duff let us know how it tastes!


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## browndog (31/3/07)

I'm hoping the Boys staying the night at my brew day will polish off the 1/2 keg of Duvel I have left here  

cheers

Browndog


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## KoNG (31/3/07)

a few months ago (3-4) i brewed an AIIPA, which i thought would be around 8% ended up being a little over 9% as it attenuated much better than expected with US56. was drinkable after 2-3 weeks, but is getting better with age.

Whats your plans Merc...?


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## Ross (31/3/07)

My house IPA (200 to 400ibu) Is generally aroung the 9.5% mark. Using US-56 & mashing cool at 63/64c, it drops to approx 1012 from 1087.

Cheers Ross


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## sluggerdog (31/3/07)

Ha Ha, Just checked though beer smith and I think my biggest was 5.9%. Not quite upto others standards but I like my brews (90% Pilsners) around the 4.5 % Mark.

My Big one was an American IPA


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## Tony (31/3/07)

Im brewing a 1.090 120 IBU english IIPA tomorrow

going to chuck it strait onto a yeast cake of US-56 that finnished firmenting on friday.

Cant wait to smell it boiling.

540g of hops in a 30 liter batch.

Will be brewing it at 64 deg

Fron the reports of the US-56 attenuation im hoping on a 10% beer.

cant wait to crack one already 

cheers


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## Trent (31/3/07)

My biggest was a russian imperial stout, that went from 1.104 to 1.024 with Wyeast 1084, so about 10.6%. Actually done 3 of them, but that is my strongest, done a IIPA that is 9.2% and my saison that I just bottled last week went from 1070 to 1004, so about 8.7%. Love my big beers, ya just cant drink too much in one sitting.
So, when can we expect the Merc's Own Barleywine?
All the best
Trent


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## Mercs Own (31/3/07)

I was reading the article in BYO regarding brewing the 20% beer and just wondered what the strongest beers you guys have made. I am planning to do a Saison (when I can get the b3 out of the shed) and am contemplating where I will place it in regards to the Alc content. Trent what yeast did you use for the Saison and what ferment temp?


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## Jazman (31/3/07)

Belgian golden ale 9 %


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## bconnery (31/3/07)

Belgian strongish dark ale @7% and IPA of similar size. 

Actually I'm not sure the calculator may have been out on the IPA because it kept knocking people on their backside quite a bit...

Mine tend to hover more in the 4-5 range mostly. I'm no Bindi


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (1/4/07)

My Golden Carolus clone attempt went from 1.082 to 1.008 using Wyeast 1388, that works out at 9.7% ABV.

C&B
TDA


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## PostModern (1/4/07)

Mercs Own said:


> I am planning to do a Saison (when I can get the b3 out of the shed)



Merc, from this and other posts it sounds like you haven't been brewing much lately. Good to see you back into the swing. How are things with Mercs Own?

For the record, my strongest beer was a 1.100 tripel which fell apart due to chlorophenols from bleach sanitising and poor rinsing of my secondary vessel. It tasted promising out of primary then like band-aids out of secondary.


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## Cortez The Killer (3/4/07)

Foreign Extra Stout @ 7.1%

I'm finding that I can only have a couple of these - shouldn't have put the cane sugar in it - finished at 1.011

My next few batches I think I'll try and stick to the 4.5-5% mark

Cheers


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## 3GumsBrewing (3/4/07)

Did a Elephant clone a while ago, OG: 1.076 FG:1.004 Approx 9.5%. 
It tasted bloody awful. Had to add a dash of lemonade to get it drinkable. Yeeetcchh...
DK


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## DJR (3/4/07)

Mercs Own said:


> I was reading the article in BYO regarding brewing the 20% beer and just wondered what the strongest beers you guys have made. I am planning to do a Saison (when I can get the b3 out of the shed) and am contemplating where I will place it in regards to the Alc content. Trent what yeast did you use for the Saison and what ferment temp?



There's heaps and heaps about Saison on the site - try this thread for starters http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=12252 . WLP565/WY3724 although there is a Wyeast VSS 3726 out at the moment which is the other Dupont strain (there is supposedly 3). Pitch at 20-25C and raise to as much as 30C. I'm doing one with WLP565 recultured from Stuster's beer and it's sitting on 23C since it started, it's been 1 and a half or 2 weeks to get from 1060 to 1020, the yeast is slow, but worth it.

Anyway, back OT, the strongest one i've done was a Tripel that started about 1075 and ended up being about 9%.


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## sinkas (3/4/07)

10.6% Belgian strong "Les Chant des Maldoror", extract, recultured yeast from Unibrou Frigiante, over a year old now, recently had a bottle in Mt Gambier, I had gifted 2 Xmas's ago, amazing.


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## DarkFaerytale (3/4/07)

Doger Dan's Barley wine, over sparged and i'm pretty sure some kind of infection (altho i can't taste anything wrong just a low final gravity of 1.013)

13.1%


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## Goat (3/4/07)

I think I might still have abottle of "Les Chants" somewhere at the back of the fridge from the Chrissy Case 2005 (?). 

I'll save it for an appropriate occasion and bring it along !


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## Kai (3/4/07)

Mercs Own said:


> I was reading the article in BYO regarding brewing the 20% beer and just wondered what the strongest beers you guys have made. I am planning to do a Saison (when I can get the b3 out of the shed) and am contemplating where I will place it in regards to the Alc content. Trent what yeast did you use for the Saison and what ferment temp?



I brewed one last summer, but went more to the lighter end of the scale (around 5.5-6% iirc). The BJCP guidelines suggest that 8.5% is the higher end of the style, if you use wyeast 3724 then it would eat that sized grist (or higher) for breakfast. Just don't be afraid to raise the temperature when the ferment slows.

In general big beer terms the biggest I have brewed was a barleywine sometime last year. OG 1.100, FG 1.020, 100% trad ale. I used the coopers pale ale bottle yeast and it stomped the ferment home in two weeks. The beer itself is still maturing. General advice I'd offer for a big beer includes mash low (say 63-64C), don't use too much crystal and to make sure you aerate well and use a big healthy starter. Don't let the ferment temperature run away during the initial stages of fermentation, but you may need to raise it as the ferment finishes. Advice for normal yeasts is a little different than for specific saison strains, they tend to perform a little differently in most people's experience.


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## The King of Spain (3/4/07)

Got a low OG using Galaxy, added LME and ended up with 6%, It just would not stop fermenting!


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## Trent (3/4/07)

Paul
I used white labs 565 pinched out of Doc's xmas case Saison. I pitched it at 30C odd (chilling mishap) and it fermented at 26C for four weeks. Very slow yeast, but the character it adds is amazing. Very much worth the wait.
All the best
Trent


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## Tony (4/4/07)

I pitched my IIPA at 1.090 onto a fresh US-56 yeast cake on sunday night and in under 48 hours at 19 deg it has dropped to 1.016.

bloody amazing.

I mashed it at 64 deg which would have helped i guess.

looks like i will get 10 to 11% out of it.

Will rack it over easter and see what it gets down to in secondary.

cheers


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## Chris (4/4/07)

My Strongest is my Drunk Monk Belgian Strong.
Og 1.084 to 1.012, so 10% with priming sugar.
1214 yeast and 20% CSR brown sugar.
I took it into work with a selection of other beers and got half the bridge design section wobbly during lunch, suprisingly everyone finnished their half glass and a few went back for seconds :chug: 
Typical damn engineers  

Cheers

Edit: dodgy spelling


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## haro (4/4/07)

Tony said:


> I pitched my IIPA at 1.090 onto a fresh US-56 yeast cake on sunday night and in under 48 hours at 19 deg it has dropped to 1.016.
> 
> bloody amazing.
> 
> ...



That yeast is crazy i recently put down an Indian Pale Ale with U-56 and within 24 hours it was down to 1.012. Pitched at 26 with heaps of aeration. I didn't even get a chance to get its temperature down significantly


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## brendanos (6/4/07)

RIS (all grain) bottled 12-13% (1.108-1.016). Prominant acetaldehyde and sweet finish, only bottled it in February this year. Nice as a dessert beer atm, though I'm looking forward to aging it for a few years. Brewed it on Christmas Eve, so Christmas this year should be a good trial date.


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## Tony (6/4/07)

JUst racked my IIPA and its gone from 1.090 to 1.010 in 5 days.

2 weeks in sedondary and in the bottles she goes.

If i can get a couple more points in secondary it will be 11%.

Its a bit harsh ATM but thats to be expected.

Cant wait to try it in 6 months.

cheers


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## neonmeate (6/4/07)

these days my average beers are about 8-9%... since i took my belgian vows especially... although just bottled my record at the other end of the scale, a 2.5% brett-only berliner.

i think i've made a few over 11% - three barleywines, maybe four or five belgians, (including a saison!), an imperial stout. not very hard to do.

strongest beer i've tried is DFH raison d'extra which was 20% or something stupid - tasted like port. i hate port.


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## Kingy (6/4/07)

Ag is looking better every day i been trying to do some bigger beers with kits and specialty grains but the higher the sg the higher the fg and all it does is taste a a bit sweeter.

tried rehydrating and all that biz. personally i dont think its worth the effort to rehydrate.

bits and pieces are slowly accumilating in my shed for AG without the missus catching on so hopefully i can get a beer up around these % ages that others are doing.


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## Adamt (6/4/07)

One thing you can do to lower the FG of big extract beers is use sugars. Sugars will ferment out completely (with a high attenuating yeast) compared to malt extract which contains some hard-to-ferment compounds. Most if not all specialty grains will not ferment very much at all, yielding a higher FG.


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## crakaz (14/5/07)

Adamt said:


> 1.085 down to 1.015: 9.2% Belgian Dark Strong.



Hi, just a quick question. Have just put down a similar beer with an OG of 1.072. After 5 days @ 21deg. in a temperature controlled environment the SG is only down to 1.054. I have used White Labs liquid Belgian Abbey IV yeast and made a starter. Question is "how long did it take your beer to get to the FG?" The yeast efficiency is 72-84% or so the information says, so it still has quite some way to go.


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## Jazman (14/5/07)

u need more yeast than a normal ale for big beer also make sure that it is well airated


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## DJR (14/5/07)

Just dumped a Wee Heavy at 1074 OG onto a 1728 Scottish Ale yeast cake from a 1064 OG Belgian Strong. The Belgian Strong finished at 1008, or about 7.5% after priming, the Wee Heavy is already down at 1030 after about 30 hours of fermentation - if i get to 1014 then that will be 8% alcohol or so.

That's not the biggest though, that was a 9% Belgian Tripel with WLP530. One day i will go to about 11% with a Tripel and WLP530, or the ultimate, a huge RIS with 1728 at about 12% :beerbang: .

15-16L batches help with big beers, no need to make 23L of the stuff. 

Not my normal thing to make such big beers though, i guess it's just the impending winter


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## barfridge (14/5/07)

Rochefort 10 clone (Trappist Quadrupel style), went from 1.094 to 1.014, so 10.66% ABV. It's on tap at the moment, perfect for a chilly evening.


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## SJW (13/8/07)

Doc's Abbeys Dubbel went from 1.087 to 1.015 and is still going slow. So that should put it up near 9.5%

Steve


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## devo (13/8/07)

I've done an APA at 7.5% which was pretty nice drop but knocked you around a little to much for my liking.


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## Doc (13/8/07)

My Infinity + 1 (Triple IPA) was 400+ IBU's and 11.3%
Keg ran dry a few weeks back, but another hop monster is in the planning.

Most of my Belgians are in the 6-9% range.

Doc


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## petesbrew (13/8/07)

Doc, Was that the one you used 1kg of hops in a few months back?
Someone asked, "why would you wanna make THAT"
"Because I can" was the perfect reply.


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## Doc (13/8/07)

petesbrew said:


> Doc, Was that the one you used 1kg of hops in a few months back?
> Someone asked, "why would you wanna make THAT"
> "Because I can" was the perfect reply.



Yep, that is the one :beerbang: 

Doc


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## bugwan (13/8/07)

My biggest beer pales into insignificance really!

A 9.3% ABV Imperial Pale Ale, about 93IBU... One 330mL bottle is all that's required for a solid buzz behind the eyes. Great stuff! I have 14 bottles left and they're for special occasions...like Tuesday mornings.

Cheers


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## tangent (13/8/07)

> they're for special occasions...like Tuesday mornings.


 :beerbang: 
I like your style 

I did a robust porter that's verging on 11% and quite dry and sneaky.
The old Belgians in the shed would range from 6.5%- ~12%.

I tried one of DrGonzo's Eisenbocks that was especially deceptive. Especially good if you don't want to drive or talk


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## Steve (13/8/07)

Not really into strong beers. I guess its an acquired taste. Even when I was young, drinking cans of Special Brew in England I wasnt too keen. Im more of a quaffer so I get the rosey cheek syndrome after a few pints rather than a couple of mouthfulls. Me mate Col from the LHBS brought round a Bock last year. I had one mouthfull and thought...oooo thats dangerous, beautiful taste but dangerous....I got all flushed :blink: 
Cheers
Steve


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## tangent (13/8/07)

There's whisky and beer. The less blurred line between the two the better. I like both but not into barleywine at all.


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## Muggus (13/8/07)

I have my Half Century Barley Wine sitting at 12%+. OG 1110 to 1020. Got a fair bit of brown sugar to help the wine yeast along though, not sure how it'll turn out in the end.


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## Darren (13/8/07)

Muggas,

You will know in 6-12 months if it is good.

cheers

Darren


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## Muggus (13/8/07)

Darren said:


> Muggas,
> 
> You will know in 6-12 months if it is good.
> 
> ...


I hope so eh. 
I'm not expecting wonders straight off, so i'm definately going to leave the vast majority of them aside for several years of aging, if I can hold on that long!


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## mfdes (15/8/07)

Doc said:


> My Infinity + 1 (Triple IPA) was 400+ IBU's and 11.3%
> Keg ran dry a few weeks back, but another hop monster is in the planning.
> 
> Most of my Belgians are in the 6-9% range.
> ...



When you say 400 IBUs (I've seen this said of a couple of brews), what exactly do you mean???
IBU is a measure of dissolved isohumulone in the finished beer. 400 IBU would be many times above the limit of what a person would be able to swallow with a smile on their lips, wouldn't it? I can imagine it being akin to swallowing pure caffeine powder... Way too bitter to notice such trivialities as flavour...

Since I've seen this said only of super-high gravity beers, I am assuming you're talking alpha-acid added to the kettle? Being a high gravity wort the alpha acid ---> iso alpha acid conversion is very inefficient and the finished bitterness would be much less than in a normal gravity wort. 

Or are you really talking 400 IBU in the finished product? ... wow.

My experience with high gravity is limited as I don't bottle and can't justify tying up one of my 5 kegs for that long. My only experiments were not that drinkable even 12 months on. 
I see there is a lot of high gravity being brewed around the place... How long a maturation time till the beer is enjoyable? (Not drinkable but ENJOYABLE)???

MFS.

MFS


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## Adamt (15/8/07)

Depends what type of beer it is mfdes.

A large hoppy American IIPA or IAPA or similar could "peak" at a different time to a malt-driven english barleywine, or a eisbock; hop flavour and aroma is there from the start and can fade, however the malt backbone may develop over time.

Bit of a discussion here about hop acid solubility and the like.


EDIT: Oh yeah, on topic, strongest beer I've made is a ~9% Belgian Dark, also have a doppelbock in the fermenter going to end up around 8.5%, lurrrrrvely


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## Doc (15/8/07)

mfdes said:


> When you say 400 IBUs (I've seen this said of a couple of brews), what exactly do you mean???
> IBU is a measure of dissolved isohumulone in the finished beer. 400 IBU would be many times above the limit of what a person would be able to swallow with a smile on their lips, wouldn't it? I can imagine it being akin to swallowing pure caffeine powder... Way too bitter to notice such trivialities as flavour...
> 
> Since I've seen this said only of super-high gravity beers, I am assuming you're talking alpha-acid added to the kettle? Being a high gravity wort the alpha acid ---> iso alpha acid conversion is very inefficient and the finished bitterness would be much less than in a normal gravity wort.
> ...



400 is a calculated value (using recipe tools). There are a number of brewers on the board that have done 400+ brews. 80 or so IBU's is about the threshold of the human pallette.
It would be very difficult if not impossible to actually get 400mg/litre of hop oils into solution.
It also helps to have a higher gravity beer to aid in the takeup of hop oils into the beer (during the boil).

Was it bitter, yes. Could normal beer drinkers drink it, no. Did I enjoy it, hell yeah, but then I've been through the Lupulin Threshold Shift.







Beers,
Doc


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## mobrien (15/8/07)

I hear you Doc! Before I went to the states, I had what I thought was a "hoppy" beer - now its just.... well....

I'm designing a massive double IPA at the moment.... Need to get some hops on tap!

M


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## revdrjbob (15/8/07)

I know where you're coming from. I've got a Randall set up in my keg fridge that hasn't been run in a while, but I've just finished my birthday DIPA from November OG: 1.100, 394IBUs, also have a number of Barleywines in the bottle running from 1.105 to last years 1.130 - 14.7%. All malt, no sugar. 

Bring on the big alcohol and the big hops I say!
TIM



Doc said:


> Lupulin Threshold Shift.


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## brendanos (15/8/07)

revdrjbob said:


> 1.130 - 14.7%. All malt, no sugar.



Now we're talking!


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## Jye (15/8/07)

Doc said:


>



This has been my desktop for ages :super:


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## Tony (15/8/07)

mfdes said:


> When you say 400 IBUs (I've seen this said of a couple of brews), what exactly do you mean???
> IBU is a measure of dissolved isohumulone in the finished beer. 400 IBU would be many times above the limit of what a person would be able to swallow with a smile on their lips, wouldn't it? I can imagine it being akin to swallowing pure caffeine powder... Way too bitter to notice such trivialities as flavour...
> 
> Since I've seen this said only of super-high gravity beers, I am assuming you're talking alpha-acid added to the kettle? Being a high gravity wort the alpha acid ---> iso alpha acid conversion is very inefficient and the finished bitterness would be much less than in a normal gravity wort.
> ...



are you related to Darren?  

sorry back on subject...... IBU's. I made my IIPA, 1.090 down to 1.007..... 11%

I used just over 600g of english hops in 30 liters for a calculated 120 IBU.

I never expected to get 120 IBU as was said, there is a threshold.

I have kind of come to the conclusion that there is a flavour and aroma threshold as well. as said, there is only so much hop oil and other compounds that can be left in solution. 

THe beer was dry hopped with a technicly weighed "handfull" of EKG for a month in secondary and has been in the bottle for 3.5 months now.

It was rough as hell for the first month but its now very smooth and drinkable. too enjoyable actually.

I can easilly sit down to 2 schooners of it, and its got some hop character.... big aroma, flavour and a malt sweetness to ballance. alcahol warmth is smooth and enjoyable.

down a bottle in an hour and you have trouble walking properly.

Its a nice beer for ..... tuesday mornings. B) 

cheers


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## Doc (15/8/07)

Jye said:


> This has been my desktop for ages :super:



It is on my corkboard above my desk at work right next to this one.

Doc


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