Adjusting AA in Hops

[Ricklust]

When using Hops in a recipe for bittering and the recipe calls for the Hop to be 6 AA but the Hops I have are 3.5 AA, can I increase the AA by doubling the 3.5 AA hops to get close to the 6 AA the recipe calls for ?
Does it work this way

[mashani]

Yes. But that would work best for 60 or 45 minute boil additions for the bulk of the extra hops used (actual bittering additions).

If you add them at say 30 or 20 or 15 or < then you are going to get more hop flavor and/or hop aroma then intended for the recipe.

That might be a good thing if you are making an APA or IPA or maybe an ESB where you really want a lot of hop presence... Most especially say something like a session IPA... to get lots more flavor/aroma without making it too bitter... that sort of thing.

But it might be a bad thing if you are making some style of beer that is supposed to have a low hop presence. For those, you really need to keep it as just 60 or 45 minute additions or you will notice them and be "off style".

If style doesn't matter, then YMMV, it might be awesome anyways depending on the hops you use...

Did that make sense?

[Ricklust]

Thanx...
Brewing an Irish Red Ale All Grain (BIAB).
Called for 1 oz Willamette Hops 6AA for a 60 minute boil for bitterness. All they had was 3.8 AA and I was wondering if I nearly doubled the 3.8 AA would it get it close to the recipe requested 6AA ?
At my LHBS...Sometimes it’s hard to find the exact AA in the Hops that recipes call for and I was trying to do some fuzzy math here.


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[mashani]

You can use say 1.5 or 1.75oz of those hops and end up with about the same result as with the intended hops/AAUs with a 60 minute boil. 2oz is possibly going to make bittering seem a bit more then intended. Taste perception in AAUs isn't exact, most people don't notice differences in up to around 7AAU increments, but I think 2oz might be enough to push you over that. That is OK if you like your beers less malty/sweet and more bitter, so it's up to you.

What I forgot to say above is that for the late hops - 15, 10, 5, 0, dry hop... you would just want to use the same amount the recipe calls for. It will be using them for flavor or aroma, not AAUs in that case. But your recipe doesn't have any of those, so I'd say just use 1.5 or 1.75oz of the other hops in the boil.

Also FWIW, none of the hops we buy are really what they say on the label, because age and storage conditions affect hops, and we don't control those things before they are in our possession. So pretty much every home brewer is doing "fuzzy math" with their hops even though they don't know it or acknowledge it... that is unless they have a lab handy to test their hops before use. So basically I'd just RDWHAHB and roll with those, it'll be good.

[Ricklust]

Great info...thanx.
I’m sure other’s probably had the same question.


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