Hop utilization

[Josh Hughes]

As one who tops off most batches I’m curious how to adjust hop utilization and how much in my recipes. I was reading in BYO it is 10-15% less. Usually in a 1.5 gallon batch I am topping off with a quart or two. My 1.3 I have boil off dialed in.
Thanks

 

[Nosybear]

If you are recording your boil size correctly, the calculator should take the utilization into account.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

By adding water you would be diluting the AA, but not by much. Bittering calculators are educated guesses. The big test is the palate. So many things are happening in the beer that will enhance or lower bittering. Hard water will make it more pronounced, soft water will soften it. pH has an effect and correlates to hardness/softness of the water. Certain yeasts will also effect bitterness, attenuation can play a role. The list goes on.

The bottom line is that the calculator gets you close, you dial it in with your palate.

Edit: I forgot about sulfate to chloride ratios, they change the perception of the bitterness.

 

[Josh Hughes]

I feel like it’s close, nothing is perfect. I’m topping off with less since I started using my gigawort since it hold more water. I usually go a few ibu higher than a recipe calls for but not sure if I need to. My water is hard but last few months I’ve bought jugs from Kroger and it’s softer.

 

[Nosybear]

I'm brewing at 6,000' elevation. Wort boils here at 201.7 degrees F (ask me how I know with that precision...). So for every brew I lose utilization to the temperature. The software now makes an attempt to compensate (screwed up a few brews before I realized that) so prior to the change, I'd brewed everything at the high end of the IBU range. Now I need to shoot more for the middle.... Lots of things affect brewing, hop utilization in particular. Good software gets you close, your palate dials it in.

 

[Josh Hughes]

I just need to brew and drink more beer to work on that challenge accepted!

 

[BOB357]

I feel like it’s close, nothing is perfect. I’m topping off with less since I started using my gigawort since it hold more water. I usually go a few ibu higher than a recipe calls for but not sure if I need to. My water is hard but last few months I’ve bought jugs from Kroger and it’s softer.

I compensate for altitude and then for perception. For perception, I compare to commercial beers of the same style with a known bitterness level and adjust according to my perception. None of the hop utilization models are accurate, but will give you a good baseline to work from. Select one, (I use Tinseth),and use it exclusively.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I'm brewing at 6,000' elevation. Wort boils here at 201.7 degrees F (ask me how I know with that precision...).

Ok. How do you know with that precision?

 

[Nosybear]

Ok. How do you know with that precision?

Thermometer stuck in the wort during the boil. My "onboard" thermometer is too high in the side of the kettle to pick up a three gallon boil so I used my probe thermometer the entire boil. Read 201.7 the entire time.

 

[Daniel Parshley]

[QUOTE="HighVoltageMan!, Bittering calculators are educated guesses. The big test is the palate. So many things are happening in the beer that will enhance or lower bittering. Hard water will make it more pronounced, soft water will soften it. .[/QUOTE]
Very helpful information. With my hard water and some natural sulfur compounds, I noticed a lower IBU target works better when using the calculator, or add the hops a bit later in the boil, change to whirlpool, dry hop... . When much more bitter than expected, time works wonders and the brew seems to improve with age.