Ah, the International Bitterness Units Scale, other wise known as the IBU scale. The IBU scale is used to measure the bitterness of beer. This bitterness is provided during the brewing process by hops.
I am a hop lover. Some folks call us hop heads. There is a boundary however. To brew a beer simply to smash one over the head with teeth scaling hoppy bitterness is unimpressive. More impressive is the brewer who understands the different varieties of hops and their unique characteristics and is able to capture those in a brew. That is cool.
There are a ton of hops out there with a wide variety of flavors. Interesting to note that hops (Humulus lupulus) are part of the family Cannabaceae along with hemp (Cannabis Sativa).
Some of the more recognizable hops out there today are:
Cascade – which is one of the “big 3 C’s” the other C’s are Columbus and Centennial. Other types are: Simicoe,Willamette, fuggles, Crystal, Chinook, Saaz, Goldings, Hallertau and Hersbrucker. To see a complete list you can go to the USDA web site: http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/docs.htm?docid=14772
You’ll find that Cascade hop is a key flavoring hop in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the Columbus (a high alpa acid hop) can be tasted in Beer Republic’s Racer 5. Heck blend the two and add Centennial like they do at Green Flash Brewing Co to create their remarkable West Coast IPA (India Pale Ale). Maybe it’s the blend of Simicoe, Santiams and Amarillo that go into Smuttynose IPA that results in IBU of 65….all of them different and all of the delightfully yummy.
So what the hell is the IBU Scale and why should you care. It would be easy to say the higher the IBU’s the more bitter the beer. However, that would be way bad, it would be wrong.
A example of where the IBU scale could be misleading to the novice drinker is any style of beer that uses a high amount of malt (something else we need to explore). There are instances in which a brewer will use a lot of hops (higher IBU) to balance the maltiness of a beer. An example of such would be an Imperial Stout.
I mentioned a few beers above that are good examples of beers with different hop characteristics. Whether its an IPA or an ESB or simply a good pale ale. Some good U. S. beer makers of consistent quality that you should be able to track down are:
Stone (CA.), Sierra Nevada (CA), Anchor Steam (CA), Victory (PA), Smuttynose (NH), Bear Republic (CA), Brooklyn (NY), Avery (CO), Southern Tier (NY), McNeills (VT), Long Trail (VT). You pretty much can’t go wrong with anything from these folks.
So with just enough info to be way dangerous I want you to start thinking outside the box. Maybe outside the bottle would be more appropriate. You never know what you’re going to like. Shit, next time you’re in your neighborhood beer store do some exploring. Check out the different beers available. Ask the person working if they carry any beers that are made locally. Go ahead, don’t be afraid, they won’t bite. Try something new, go for it. Expand your beer horizon. Baby steps, start with local beer and then maybe a neighboring state or two.
As my bro likes to say, “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey getting there that is the most fun.” So go, enjoy your beer journey.
Cheers
