Optimizing Hop Aroma and Bitterness Through IBU Analysis: The Oakham Ales Case Study

For a Master Brewer, the perfect pint is a delicate balance of science and soul. However, relying solely on traditional methods to manage hop profiles and bitterness can often lead to hidden inefficiencies and missed opportunities for aromatic excellence.

Maintaining a worldwide reputation for innovation requires more than just a good palate—it requires a clear understanding of the chemical transformations happening inside the copper and the fermentation vessel at every stage of the process

Even the most experienced brewers face significant technical hurdles when managing hop-forward beers:

• The Subjectivity of Taste: Traditionally, bitterness has often been monitored by aroma and flavor rather than objective analysis, which can lead to inconsistencies between batches.
• The "Vanishing" Bitterness: Without precise measurement, it is difficult to identify if a specific hop addition is actually contributing to the final IBU or if it is being stripped away by yeast during fermentation.
• Aroma vs. Bitterness: Striking the right balance often means risking hop oils "going up the chimney" during boiling instead of staying in the glass.
• The Complexity of Traditional Labs: Many analytical methods are slow and involve hazardous reagents, making them difficult to integrate into a busy brewing schedule.

To help you evaluate the best fit for your brewery, here is how the CDR BeerLab® system simplifies the Bitterness (IBU) analysis compared to standard reference methods:

Theory is one thing, but the results in the brewery are what matter. Our UK distributor, QCL, has documented how Oakham Ales integrated CDR BeerLab® into their daily operations to streamline their process and protect their reputation for consistent, high-quality craft beers.

As a brewery famous for its hop-forward beers, Oakham Ales creates unique bitterness and aroma profiles by layering hop additions throughout the brewing process. Their complex regime involves six distinct additions: three in the copper, one in the hopback, a hop 'tea' infusion, and a final addition during conditioning. 

To move beyond monitoring bitterness solely by aroma and flavor, the brewery implemented a rigorous validation and testing protocol. By analyzing various stages of the brewing process, they were able to determine exact bitterness development and establish precise hop utilization.

As Stewart Poulter, Quality Assurance Brewer at Oakham Ales, explains:
“For our size of brewery, the CDR BeerLab® is an ideal tool for QA and process control. It is very easy to use, without needing a lab background and the reagents are non-toxic so it’s easy to implement”.

The analysis of IBU performed by CDR BeerLab® revealed critical insights: bitterness from the third hop addition was likely being removed by yeast during fermentation and not contributing to the final product. 

Armed with this data, Oakham Ales optimized their hopping regime, shifting the focus to later additions to achieve the required bitterness while extracting maximum aroma. This shift ensured that more aroma remained in the beer rather than being lost during the boil, preventing flavor from literally going "up the chimney".

In conclusion, the experience of Oakham Ales demonstrates that integrating precise chemical analysis into the brewery does not have to be a complex or hazardous process. By adopting the CDR BeerLab® system, the brewery transformed bitterness monitoring from a subjective sensory evaluation into an exact science, optimizing every stage of the hopping regime to ensure that maximum aroma remains in the glass rather than being lost during production. This approach not only eliminates process inefficiencies and reduces waste but also protects a Master Brewer’s most valuable asset: the quality, consistency, and reputation of their brand.