IBU

[DrJez]

Hey all, quick back story. I've been bottling for years now and have a couple of favourite recipes I'm used to making often so am very familiar with them. Since getting my first keg setup I'm really noticing a very different and pronounced change in IBU.

Without changing the recipes just yet, I'd dare to say they seem about 5, to even 10 IBU more bitter than I'm used to, on the verge of really over the top. Anyone have an answer as to exactly why this is? I can only think it has something to do with oxidation when bottle conditioning. In any case I'll be lowering by 5ibu to begin with and gauge from there

Thanks

 

[DrJez]

Possibly carbonic acid, even?

 

[labels]

Nothing to do with oxidation but hops do fade after time and of course when you're bottle conditioning it takes time. To give you an example, I went to wedding reception at a posh pub and they had little creatures in bottles. It's a well known fact that hop flavour and aroma fade pretty quickly but this beer was so old it also had no bitterness - none at all, zero. You are probably drinking your keg beer a lot fresher

 

[DrJez]

Thanks man. Yes, I definitely am doing that. My bottles used to sit out in ambient tropical temperature for at least a week and up to about 3 months. They would change dramatically in even days sometimes.

Interesting to know

I do know that the new lager cool temperature is playing a big role in freshness too. I think yeast work alot quicker overall when hot

 

[trb990]

The yeast will definitely work quicker at higher temperatures, but under a lot more stress producing off flavours.

Shouldn’t produce a huge impact in terms of variation between bottle conditioning and kegging though if you temp control the main fermentation, more likely the lower temps once kegging are as you mentioned retaining “freshness” in the beer, leading to much stronger hop flavour coming through.

 

[Substance]

Could it be the extra carbonation sugars in bottles compared to the CO2 gassed kegs
or are the bottles gassed also?

 

[RobinW]

Did your brew volume change when you moved to kegs? Less volume with same weights would equal more bitter.

 

[Fro-Daddy]

Could it be the secondary fermentation in the bottle upped the ABV changing the balance?

 

[DrJez]

Did your brew volume change when you moved to kegs? Less volume with same weights would equal more bitter.

Not at all, I throw probably 4 or 5l away at the moment before adjusting recipes

 

[DrJez]

Could it be the secondary fermentation in the bottle upped the ABV changing the balance?

No, it's only around 0.2% increase and sucrose which is 100% fermentable but good thought