Large (Commercial) Hop Utilization rate - Equipment Profile

[joeinma]

I have a question about the Large (Commercial) Hop Utilization rate that is found under equipment profile. It states that the rate should be 100% for batches under 20 gallons. However I brew on a 120V Anvil Foundry, and with it's low boil (only 1/2 gallon boiled off per hour), it seems the finished product always has less IBUs than what the BS recipe predicts. For example, I recently brewed an Amber Ale, BS has IBUs at 38, which is almost to the top of the style. To counter this perceived bitterness shortfall, I have started adding 20% more hops (by ounces needed) to the brew...so really the beer should have been 45-50 IBUs. I brew with distilled and adjust my water per style, so this brew had a sulfate forward profile to accent the hops. However, the finished product turned out more malt forward instead...it tastes and smells more like a 24-25 IBU beer, than one close to 50. I am not a noob as I am a competitive brewer and this recipe was an award winning beer for a big name in the brewing world...so long story short, my question is, should the hop utilization rate be lowered for those who brew on low boil 120v systems like the Foundry?

 

[BOB357]

There are several factors that can affect utilization. Not only characteristics of a brewing setup, process, altitude and utilization model used, but hop age and how they were stored. Different systems and processes will produce different results. There can be fairly significant differences between utilization models, even the most popular ones (Garetz, Tinseth and Rager). Hop age and storage can also have a big impact on their AA%. There's also the possibility that there was an error in the recipe as written. I've seen what you describe several times.
Beyond these things, each of us perceive bitterness differently so UBUs should be used as a baseline and adjusted to reflect your perception. Put a combination of these factors together and you'll see that your results can realistically be that far off from what the recipe states.

 

[Oginme]

I have a question about the Large (Commercial) Hop Utilization rate that is found under equipment profile. It states that the rate should be 100% for batches under 20 gallons. However I brew on a 120V Anvil Foundry, and with it's low boil (only 1/2 gallon boiled off per hour), it seems the finished product always has less IBUs than what the BS recipe predicts. For example, I recently brewed an Amber Ale, BS has IBUs at 38, which is almost to the top of the style. To counter this perceived bitterness shortfall, I have started adding 20% more hops (by ounces needed) to the brew...so really the beer should have been 45-50 IBUs. I brew with distilled and adjust my water per style, so this brew had a sulfate forward profile to accent the hops. However, the finished product turned out more malt forward instead...it tastes and smells more like a 24-25 IBU beer, than one close to 50. I am not a noob as I am a competitive brewer and this recipe was an award winning beer for a big name in the brewing world...so long story short, my question is, should the hop utilization rate be lowered for those who brew on low boil 120v systems like the Foundry?

If you are comfortable with making the adjustment to the utilization based upon your sensory perception of the bitterness, then that is up to you. I have elevation in addition to a Foundry and bump up my IBU target by about 12% on hoppy styles to get what I sense is close to matching a commercial beer from a brewer who measures IBU in bitterness.

Also note that this is not linear. I will bump it up less with a pale ale vs an IPA. Much depends upon your own sensory preference. Less hoppy beers such as Scottish ales, English browns, and malt forward German lagers I don't change anything and the bitterness seems to match just fine with comparable styles of commercial beers.

 

[joeinma]

Thanks for the responses...my hops are fairly fresh, mostly 2022 crop year from Yakima Valley, stored in freezer and resealed with vacuum sealer in mylar bags. So I don't believe hop age or storage is the issue. Just brewed a Czech Dark this weekend and I have it a shot by lowering the hop utilization rate to 80%, which in turn reduced the recipes IBUs from 26 downward, then used the IBU scale in recipe to increase it back to 26, which in turn increased the amount of hops needed from 2.06 ounces at 100% utilization to 2.60 ounces at 80%. And of course I will not know the results until it's done and carbonated, but the gravity sample was point with the Saaz spicy aroma. Now just to get this beer fermented then kegged, carbed and lagered for 2 weeks as it's in a time crunch as it's heading to NHC final round next month.