I have brewed the recipe below a number of times, but when I checked the bitterness calculation it didn’t seem high enough, so I added that ounce of Nugget. Now I’m concerned that it might be too bitter. BeerAlchemy lists “Actual IBU” as 116.6 (Rager), which seems over the top. Should I include the Nugget or now? What say you wise ones?
Three Governors Russian Imperial Stout
Original Gravity: 1.096 SG (23.7 Brix)
Final Gravity: 1.021 SG (13.0 Brix)
Volume At Pitching: 11.00 US gals
Fermentables
25lb 0oz of US Pale Ale Malt
2lb 4oz of UK Carastan Malt
2lb 4oz of US Caramel 120L Malt
1lb 2oz of UK Brown Malt
1lb 2oz of US Chocolate Malt
9.09 oz of US Black Barley
8lb 0oz of Extract - Light Liquid Malt Extract (in the boil, because otherwise my mash tun will overflow!)
Mash at 152 ˚F for 60 minutes.
Hops:
6.00 oz of US Cluster (60 Min From End)
1.00 oz of US Nugget (60 Min From End)
At ‘turn off’
2.06 oz of US Centennial
2.06 oz of German Northern Brewer
Ferment at 64 ˚F with White Labs WLP001-California Ale
I’ve heard that, but I don’t think I’ve ever brewed anything with a calculated value this high. So the question (partly unanswerable) is whether it will be too bitter. And I realize that is different for everyone. Maybe a context would help. Among my favorite commercial beers: Old Rasputin RIS, DFH 90 minute, Avery IPA, etc. I’m thinking that this is a big enough beer to offset a good deal of bitterness, but I just don’t want it to be like chewing hops. I love hops, but not instead of Grape Nuts!
ibu scale is a joke…its just a very faint guidline
narrowing down your process will give you better results.
It also depends on the type of hops… bitterness is different between each hop
I didn’t say that, did I? I guess I’ve brewed it a half dozen times, and most of the time it seemed a bit too sweet. I thought it was a fermentation problem, but looking back at my records, I have usually had good attenuation. It’s a good idea to add half the Nugget. Or add it at 30 instead of 60. Does it matter?
I didn’t say that, did I? I guess I’ve brewed it a half dozen times, and most of the time it seemed a bit too sweet. I thought it was a fermentation problem, but looking back at my records, I have usually had good attenuation. It’s a good idea to add half the Nugget. Or add it at 30 instead of 60. Does it matter?[/quote]
Is more bitterness going to help? Maybe you need to dial back on mash temp or a certain grain? Maybe add a little sugar to dry out. Hard to say as sweetenss is very subjective
I would add at 60, I am not a fan of hopping under 60 and above 30, you boil off any aroma and not boiling long enough to maximize IBU YMMV. I keep most of my hopping at 90 or 60 and then under 15
Good point about the hops, and about the sweetness, too. This helps. I think I’ll substitute some sugar for some or all the LME to dry it out, and add a half oz of Nugget at 60. I hate to make two adjustments at once, but thinking about the results I’ve gotten in the past, both of these would be worth trying if I keep the changes fairly small.
Thanks for the suggestions. Now I just have to make a small beer to grow enough yeast.
1.021 is not a very high FG for a RIS. Have all your FG’s been around that range? If so, i would agree, and say it’s not fermentation issue. You could add 1oz at 30, although i would add half at 60 and save the other half for a future batch - you might like the results better. it’s up to you
what was your IBU’s before the nugget addition? like i mentioned before, the hop IBUs will be masked by the dark malts and ABV, so you will have some more wiggle-room than you think. If i remember correctly my 1.100 RIS has around 90 IBUs (and it’s not too bitter)
If your gravity is 1.021 thats a good attenuation, IMO I like beers on the dryer end. Hate those big popular stouts that are at like 1.045-1.050 FG to cloying for me (darklord, Darkness etc) I think you need to look at cutting some specialty malts and not worry about the bitterness
Rager is wrong. Try Tinseth, as his method for calculating IBUs is most accurate.
Most human beings can only taste a maximum of about 90-100 IBUs. Beyond that, it doesn’t matter anymore as the taste is just “very very bitter”.
In a RIS, you can max out your IBUs and it doesn’t matter. This is a style meant to go over the top and to age for years. If the resulting beer tastes too bitter while young, not to worry, as the bitterness will mellow with age. And if you like it bitter, then drink it younger.
Actually, I have usually gotten FG of 1.014, and never as high as 1.021. That was just what the software calculated. And I, too, tend to like dryer beers over sweeter. I may like an occasional North Coast Old Stock Ale, but generally I prefer dry.
The software is telling me (switching back to Tinseth) that it is 46 IBU without the Nugget. And 137 with.
This is what I always thought. I was just sort of stunned by the IBU projection, and worried it would be like chewing hops.
That is another possibility. Cutting the Carastan might reduce the sweetness I like to be lower. It’s a balancing act, though, and I like the recipe enough that I want to improve it, not make something totally different. I think I’ll add the nugget, half at 60, and leave the rest alone this time. Then next time, assuming that hit the bitterness spot, tinker with the Carastan. So many choices, …
After all this, I discovered that I was misunderstanding what the software was telling me. I’m still going to add the Nugget at 60, but I sent a post to Kent Place Software and they told me that the reason my IBUs were off was that I was reading from the column that bases the calculation on the FG reading entered, which is zero since I haven’t brewed it yet. So the super high values were just my misunderstanding. I’m constantly impressed by the support for Beer Alchemy.
All that aside, the whole discussion convinced me to change the recipe to suit my taste, which is what this is all about. More IBUs this brew, and if I still find it too sweet, next time I’ll cut the Carastan.
