Screwy's Bitterness Balance Calculator

 The BJCP Style Guidelines state the desired number of International Bittering Units (IBU) that are needed to obtain a balance between hopped bitterness and malt sweetness in a hopped beer style. Beers that don't taste sweet or bitter are considered to be balanced, although individual beer drinkers may perceive this differently.

 The formula takes into consideration the beer's original gravity, actual attenuation and bittering level but does not take into account phenol, ester or other complexities. The beer drinker should use the desired IBUs as a reference point and decide for themselves what they consider to be balanced.

 Screwy's Bitterness Balance Calculator

 Click here to access Screwy's Bitterness Calculator 

  On the BJCP balance scale a traditional Bock style beer is considered to be sweet as opposed to a Stout style beer which is considered to be bitter. The addition of bittering hops are used to bring a sweeter malty beer back in balance while the addition of fermentable sugars such as malts are used to bring a bitter beer back into balance.

Cowboy Golden Lager w/Pale Export

Cowboy Golden Lager w/Pale Export
Features: golden, pale and hopped to perfection (4.6% abv)
Price Range: $18.00

Overall Rating: Very Good









Blending together the pale gold color and extraordinary hop flavor of the Cowboy Golden Lager with the traditional continental style of the golden colored Pale Export UME creates a truly hoppy lager with added body.








Cowboy Golden Lager w/Pale Export
REFILL INCLUDES:
1 Can Cowboy Golden Lager (HME)
1 Can Pale Export (UME)
1 Packet Dry Brewing Yeast (under lid of HME)
1 Packet One-Step™ sanitizing cleanser

INGREDIENTS: MALTED TWO ROW BARLEY, HOPS, HOP EXTRACT, WATER, AND YEAST (Packed Under Lid).

Fermentation, Carbonation And Conditioning Times:
21 days for fermentation
21 days for carbonation
28 days minimum conditioning at 50-70F
02 days minimum in fridge

Fermentation: 24-Jul-2010 to 14-Aug-2010 - (68-72F)
Carbonation : 14-Aug-2010 to 04-Sep-2010 - (68-72F)
Conditioning: 04-Sep-2010 to 25-Sep-2010 - (55-70F)

Brewer's Comments:
"This was my second time brewing this beer, I brewed my first batch in March 2010. It's a 'Premium' recipe that includes (UME), in place of the Booster that ships with the 'Standard' MB refills. I really liked this beer the last time I brewed it because it wasn't too 'heavy' it should make a nice thirst quencher on these really hot summer days".



Fermentation:
The ingredients used in this recipe included 1 can hopped malt extract (HME), 1 can of unhopped malt extract (UME) and 1 packet of dry yeast. Recipes having more ingredients require increased fermentation time, to allow the yeast to work.

Carbonation:
Just as in the fermentation process carbonation times will depend on the complexities of each recipe. As a rule of thumb recipes containing many ingredients take longer to carbonate than recipes with few ingredients.

Conditioning:
I usually condition my beers in a cool basement for 21 days before drinking it, allowing all the flavors to fully merge and mature in the bottle before drinking. In a dark basement, with a consistent year round temperature range of 50-70F, naturally brewed beer can be stored for up to 12 months. Prior to drinking the beer should be refrigerated for 24-48 hours and served cold in a clean glass.