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Author Topic: Increasing IBU in kegged beer  (Read 427 times)

Offline spurviance

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Increasing IBU in kegged beer
« on: December 20, 2023, 10:57:19 am »
On a whim last month I brewed a SMaSH pale lager with ingredients on hand.  I intentionally kept the IBU's low (around 17) but now after kegging and tasting I feel it is too sweet and needs some bittering to be enjoyable.  A quick google search yielded hop teas and iso-alpha extract as means to increase bitterness.  Anyone with experience with either and suggestions.
Thanks
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Offline denny

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Re: Increasing IBU in kegged beer
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2023, 11:06:44 am »
I find hop tea disgusting and ineffective. Iso alpha extract works great.  Or you can brew an more bitter batch and blend them.
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Offline spurviance

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Re: Increasing IBU in kegged beer
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2023, 04:53:40 pm »
I find hop tea disgusting and ineffective. Iso alpha extract works great.  Or you can brew an more bitter batch and blend them.

Thanks.  This is meant to be on tap New Year's Eve, as an easy drinking 5% pale lager.  Going to try out the extract. 
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Offline BrewBama

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Increasing IBU in kegged beer
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2023, 07:26:06 pm »
Where do y’all get iso alpha extract that can add bitterness to finished beer?  I can’t seem to ever find it.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2023, 07:27:40 pm by BrewBama »

Offline erockrph

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Re: Increasing IBU in kegged beer
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2023, 03:41:32 pm »
Where do y’all get iso alpha extract that can add bitterness to finished beer?  I can’t seem to ever find it.
Ditto. I've used many hop extracts and advanced hop products, but I've never seen Iso-AA extract in homebrewer sized quantities at any of the online shops I frequent.
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Offline Village Taphouse

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Re: Increasing IBU in kegged beer
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2023, 09:05:14 am »
I used to be able to find the extract but I haven't needed it in a long time.  Here's another thing you can try if you're not twitchy about it .. get a small amount of water to a boil or close to a boil, add a small amount (half a gram?) of calcium sulfate (gypsum) and swirl/stir that and add it to the keg.  As long as the beer is just slightly underhopped, the CaSO4 will bring some crispness to the beer and take that sweet edge off.  It should help make the beer slightly drier than it is.   I really hate mucking around with a beer like this post-brewday but sometimes it's necessary.  I have back-sulfated a beer, back-chlorided a beer, added hops to the keg and also added extract to the keg and all of these will move the beer in the direction you want.  If the half-gram doesn't seem to do it .. you could always do it again with another half gram. 
« Last Edit: December 27, 2023, 09:07:02 am by Village Taphouse »
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Offline spurviance

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Re: Increasing IBU in kegged beer
« Reply #6 on: December 27, 2023, 09:41:10 am »
Where do y’all get iso alpha extract that can add bitterness to finished beer?  I can’t seem to ever find it.
Yeah, I couldn't source any either.
On tap,  Vienna Lager, Doppelbock, Dortmunder Export, Pale Ale, Porter, Saison

Fermenting, Saison