IPA tasting

[icebob]

Long wait at Denver international airport so, time to find a place with craft brew... Rock Bottom brewery look interesting... Began with the kolsch, very clean, crisp and refreshing, next online, that IPA tap handle is looking at me! (usually, i call IPA panties twister, cause that'svwhat they usually do to my underwear) so took a sip on this one and...to. My disbeleive, my undies stayed right where they were, went to their website and they say it's at 60 IBU,(it also have someking of a malty background) so my question is, what is the max IBU your able to deal with and still enjoy the pint...

 

[paperairplane]

100

 

[undyingpirate]

I had a beer called Simtra ipa, I believe it was by Knee Deep Brewing Company. It is labelled and a triple ipa. It was ~125 ibu's at 11.25% abv. It was absolutely amazing, but the high abv certainly helped balance the high ibu's.

 

[icebob]

100

You drinking those butt naked!

 

[icebob]

To be honest, this is the first craft brew IPA that I enjoyed, most of the other I try got my jaw locked, my eyes tearing and my undies really hard to pull down....

 

[b-radbrew]

Alpha Dog IIPA from Laughing Dog Brewing is my favorite. I believe it's around 120-124 or so if I can remember right

 

[Yooper]

I wouldn't say that there is a set IBU that I find over the edge. Pliny the Elder, which calculates out to something like 250+ IBUs, is quaffable to me. I've had other beers that were 50 IBUs and over the top bitter. It really depends on the entire recipe, and the balance of the beer.

I like some beers that may calculate out to "bitter" (FatHead's Headhunter IPA) but don't find overbittered at all as a result.

Other IPAs, without great hop aroma and flavor, I find too bitter- but that varies a lot.

 

[icebob]

Should rephrase, what is the best IBU level to be enjoyable and not just say you like a quadruple IPA because it's en vogue...

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Three Floyds Apocalyspe Cow..100 IBU's.
Amazing beer, the first IPA I have had or heard of that put candy sugar in the brew. Freaking awesome...and at 11% ABV..it kept getting better

 

[icebob]

You post while i was typing Yooper... My thinking is, I'm an old fart and most of the acclaimed IPA I tried didn' cut it for me but this Rock Bottom one at a said 60 IBU, was really enjoyable...

 

[Yooper]

You post while i was typing Yooper... My thinking is, I'm an old fart and most of the acclaimed IPA I tried didn' cut it for me but this Rock Bottom one at a said 60 IBU, was really enjoyable...

But the next 60 IBU beer may not be, depending on the balance of the rest of the beer.

It's a good tool to get an idea of possible perceptible bitterness- but it's not the be all and end all of the actual taste of "bitter".

A light beer with 25 IBUs may taste fairly bitter, due to the lower amount of malt in it, while a barleywine with an OG of 1.100 that has 80 IBUs may be quite sweet in the finish. But taken as a whole, it's a good way to see how bitter the beer might be

 

[rodwha]

I usually design my standard IPA's with 70-80 IBU's, and I keep wanting to push it to 100 despite how most feel it would be way out of balance.

I typically use about 1/2 of much hops for the bittering as I do the rest. Ie I'll use .75 oz @ 60 mins and 1.5 oz @ 20/5 mins plus a dry hop.

And mine are typically 5.9-6.5% ABV.

 

[NateLTB]

Like Yooper said it really depends on the hopping schedule and how much of a malt backbone the beer has. I've had some 60 IBU IPA's that I thought were terribly bitter and I've had some 80-100 IBU IPA's that are loaded up with late addition hops that taste fantastic.

 

[icebob]

Ok, i guess i need to refine my hops palate! I have BM outer limit ipa in the primary now, so will see how this one go, so far i think i like the one that have a "tastable" malt background i guess...

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I love that airport.