Your Preferred Bu:gu

[NickB]

Hi all,

after making a couple of beers lately, I have decided that I'm just not getting them balanced enough for me. Obviously if the style calls for an abundance of bitterness, or malt, then that's OK, but it's been mainly with my APAs that I'm just not getting them the way I like them. Either they're too malty, or overly bitter.

The Amarillo Ale I brewed recently seems to have a BU:GU of 0.56, and to my pallate, overly malty. The next try was another APA, and this time a BU:GU of closer to 1 (about 0.94 I think). This was overly bitter to me. (and of course, I could try a ratio between the aforementioned ones, but I'd like opinions!)

To my mind, a ratio of 1 should give a perfectly balanced beer, but as is always the case, the nuances of brewing beer have thrown this theory out the window (in my case anyway).

Basically, what I'm asking is this: if it is a consideration in your recipe making, what BU:GU do you prefer for certain styles? (and especially APAs!)

I know I can follow the BJCP guidelines etc to find the range of ratios acceptable to make a beer to style, but would like to find out if what I've encountered regarding the BU:GU of my beers holds true for others?

Cheers

Nick


(Wow, there must be something wrong with me to be thinking technically on Monday morning!)

 

[Stuster]

BU:GU is useful, but it's not the only consideration. Some hops are smoother than others, with lower co-humulone ones being the smoother ones. You might go for a higher BU:GU ratio on a smooth hop like Glacier than you would on something rougher like Columbus. Also, you might not need/want to have such a high IBU level if you are hopbursting most of the hops. The right bitterness level may also change with the malt bill. So if you use a high percentage of crystal for example, you might use more hops than if it's a base malt only beer. And a lower attenuating yeast will leave more fermentables behind, so you can use more hops. A different yeast like US05 might accentuate the hops so you might want to use less (or you might not. ) It's also a personal taste thing as well of course.

So, did you change anything between those beers. Different malt bill, different timing of the hop additions (was the second APA also Amarillo?), different yeast?

I just had a look at my notes (and I make APAs fairly regularly) and the last few have varied between 0.85 and 0.5. :lol:

(Nothing wrong with thinking technical on Monday morning. It's just a hobby obsession.)

 

[NickB]

Hey,

I don't remember off the top of my head, but I think the malt bills were different, as were the hops. Mainly Cascade in the second APA I made. US-56/05 as always for my APAs.

Guess I'll have to bite the bullet, and when the malt Bulk Buy comes through, do a side-by-side with the only variable being the amount of hops used...

Cheers

Nick

PS: What's a "hobby"?

 

[bonj]

I have found that the BU:GU ratio doesn't seem to correlate to my perceived balance when comparing different styles. I've found that a similar ratio of around 0.6 is perceived completely differently in a pilsner to a pale ale. The pilsner seemed less bitter than the pale ale, which seems completely counter-intuitive to me, since drier beer supposedly accentuates/amplifies the hop bitterness.

Probably no help, but my current Bright Ale is 0.604 (mash temp 65deg). I like the bitterness, but my father in law thinks it is a little too bitter.

 

[NickB]

I'm sensing that I've opened a Pandora's Box here.

Bit of the old "ask 10 Homebrewers a question, and get 12 different answers..."

 

[Stuster]

To keep it simple , for an Amarillo APA, I'd try something round the 0.8 mark, assuming you have a little crystal in there. Worked for me before. Also, try hopbursting (all hops added every few minutes from 30/20 minutes from the end of boil). Gives lots of hop flavour/aroma without so much bitterness. Very tasty IMO. :chug:

 

[NickB]

I'm sensing that I've opened a Pandora's Box here.

Bit of the old "ask 10 Homebrewers a question, and get 12 different answers..."

Cheers

 

[NickB]

Also, try hopbursting (all hops added every few minutes from 30/20 minutes from the end of boil). Gives lots of hop flavour/aroma without so much bitterness. Very tasty IMO. :chug:

I usually try to Hopburst, but I've always found that I undershoot on the bitterness. That's why I probably went back to a small 60min addition, and then the rest from 25mins onwards. Oh well, at leat it's an excuse to do more "experimental" brews :super:

Cheers

 

[therook]

To keep it simple , for an Amarillo APA, I'd try something round the 0.8 mark, assuming you have a little crystal in there. Worked for me before. Also, try hopbursting (all hops added every few minutes from 30/20 minutes from the end of boil). Gives lots of hop flavour/aroma without so much bitterness. Very tasty IMO. :chug:

T.D was kind enough to send me one of his Cascade/Simcoe Hop burst APA at around 36 IBU's. To me it was the best APA i have ever tried..

Rook