IBUs provide a standard measure of bitterness, allowing brewers to strike a perfect balance of bitterness with the sweetness of the malt. This ensures the beer is neither too bitter nor cloyingly sweet.
Different beer styles have specific IBU ranges and calculating IBUs helps homebrewers create beers that conform to these guidelines and taste true to style.
While a conversion rate factor value of 75 is commonly used to calculate IBUs in mg/L when using ounces and gallons, it also restricts the hop isomerization utilization range to between 0% to 30%.
This enhanced calculator expands that hop isomerization utilization range to 0% to 100% by using a conversion rate factor value of 18.9 to calculate IBUs.
Where a 10% alpha acid hop is boiled for 60 minutes in a 1.050 gravity it yields 27 IBUs at 100% utilization. And the same hop whirlwpooled for 60 minutes at 195F yields 13 IBUs at 50% utilization. And the same hop whirlpooled at 180F yields just 7 IBUs at 25% utilization.
| Boil | Unit of | ||
| Post Volume | Pre SG | Measure | |
| Alpha | Time | Type | |
| Usage | IBU | ||
| AAU | Utilization | ||
| Alpha | Time | Type | |
| Usage | IBU | ||
| AAU | Utilization | ||
This section is for brewers focused on brewing water and the influence it has on their beer.