The myth of the IBU scale and what some Colorado breweries are doing about it

IPA is the most popular craft beer style — and most of what we know about it is wrong.

The debunked origin story — the one about the beer being created to survive the voyage by sea to India — is just the start.

Here’s another myth: The number of IBUs in an IPA indicates how bitter it will taste.

The newest research — including a recent experiment conducted by Colorado breweries — reveals that International Bittering Units (known more commonly as IBUs) are not a good measure of bitterness in IPAs.

“The traditional way of measuring bitterness is not relevant, or accurate, or even useful,” said Neil Fisher, the head brewer and owner at WeldWerks Brewing in Greeley.

It may not sound like much, but the statement is equivalent to blasphemy in the craft beer world, where many brewers and consumers have used IBUs as a shorthand for bitterness for decades.

The IBU measurement is so ubiquitous in craft beer that it defines different IPA style categories and many breweries and bars publish it on their menus as a way to help consumers make decisions. Not so long ago, amid the arms race to make the most bitter beer possible, craft breweries even used the once-obscure chemistry term to market their IPAs.

The IPA evolution

But then IPAs began to evolve. The advent of new hops and brewing techniques changed how brewers presented the style.

In a traditional IPA, hops are added earlier in the brewing process to impart a bite of bitterness when alpha acids in the plant are isomerized. But now brewers are adding hops at the end of the boil — or even afterward as dry-hopping — to extract more hop flavor and aroma and less bitterness.

The trend most evident in hazy IPAs, a variation known for their turbid appearance and roots in New England, that showcases fruit flavors from hops, ranging from mango to pineapple.

One sip of the softer style dismisses the idea that all IPAs are bitter bombs — and reaffirms that bitter and hoppy are not synonymous. The IBU number, however, didn’t reflect the difference, often describing the beer as far more bitter than it tasted.

The disparity inspired WeldWerks and New Belgium to conduct an experiment — presented at the findings in January at the Breckenridge Big Beer Festival — that showed that IBUs is a flawed measurement.

The new science being presented here @BigBeersFest about hops and bitterness will change what we know about IPAs, says @WeldWerksBrewCo Neil Fisher #cobeer #craftbeer #bigbeers2018 pic.twitter.com/zf6agfEuvJ

— First Drafts (@First_Drafts) January 6, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Ross Koenigs, the director for research and design at New Belgium, said current IBU tests only measure one way of using hops — the early boil addition to get bitterness from isomerized alpha acids.

The chemistry doesn’t accurately take into account bitterness derived from late hop additions or dry-hopping.

As an example, he pointed to heavily dry-hopped hazy IPAs that technically measure at more than 100 IBUs, but taste much different. “That beer should be tongue bruisingly bitter, but they weren’t — they were really nice and balanced,” he said.

Koenigs said more research is needed to determine exactly what is happening in the beer, but early indications suggest two phenomenon at work: The late hop additions can add bitterness. But huge amounts can hit a saturation point and reduce bitterness by knocking the alpha acids out of suspension.

A new experience for consumers

The new research is leading more brewers are abandoning the term IBU when interacting with consumers.

Sean Buchan at Cerebral Brewing in Denver took IBU numbers off his menu about a year ago after realizing it biased customers to expect a certain taste.

“People would be negatively psychologically impacted by the lower IBU they see on our IPAs, compared to other (breweries),” he said. “It didn’t give a good description.”

Right now IBUs mean essentially nothing, brewers @BigBeersFest say #CObeer #craftbeers #bigbeers2018 https://t.co/4GkgNBzQb3

— First Drafts (@First_Drafts) January 6, 2018

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Instead, Buchan asked his bartenders to spend more time describing the flavor profile to help consumers find a beer they will enjoy.

Lee Cleghorn at Outer Range Brewing in Breckenridge did the same thing and received “a lot of push back from customers because people are used to IBUs.”

But, he said, “we approach it from a flavor perspective knowing that IBUs don’t really mean anything.”

[Read More …]