Hello All,
I am going to be brewing an all-grain recipe for an IPA. I am thinking about altering the hop schedule. I wanted to try reducing early additions and adding to later additions to increase hop flavor and aroma; all the while, maintaining the recipe’s original IBU level. Can anyone give me some input as to whether this is a good idea or not? Am I just going to screw up an already good recipe? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
According to the calculator in ProMash, the IBUs go from 80 (original recipe) to 70 (modified recipe). But that is just an approximation if you don’t type in the actual AA ratings for the hops you are using. AA ratings vary from year to year even for a specific hop plant, so the values pre-loaded into the calculators are just typical ones for the varieties. But a change of 10 IBUs in an IPA is not going to make or break the recipe.
This will be different though. In addition to getting a stronger hop aroma and flavor from the changes you are thinking about, you will also get a different impression of bitterness, because the Chinook has a way of slamming you with harsh bitterness, and the reduction of that will certainly be noticeable. If that is a good or bad thing depends on personal preference.
