IBU. Known as International Bitterness Units is a quick way for consumers to see how many hops are used in a beer. Many people correlate bitter beers with high IBU's.
A formula is put into action that takes scientific values and assigns them a number at the finish. The amount of hops used, the type of hop and it's known Alpha Acid, the time it is added to the boil and the amount of fermentable sugars in the wort are all taken into account. In the end, there's a final number, from 0 to 2000. (Any amount over 100 is nearly imperceptible.)
Percieved Bitterness though is much more personal. It's the judgement of an individual's palate that dictates this more qualitative scale. Words like Agressive, Assertive, Moderate, and Balanced are used rather than numbers.
(Moxie, WTF? Why are you explaining bitterness on this forum?
Well friends, because I can draw immediate correlation between the craft of brewing and the craft of this lifestyle. I'm putting out my beacon in the most direct way I can. Encounters here are casual and I need more. My passion for both is alive and I want this to be relatable to the right candidates.)
We can put ourselves to every online quiz, use every adjective that's been given to us, and still that ranking isn't enough to tell that potential partner exactly how we taste, how we feel, how we communicate. Simply because I'm packaged as submissive doesn't necessarily mean that I am the same flavor of others on the market.
...first off, our ages vary drastically. Although I was bottled a while back, I've only just now begun to mature in my flavor.
Each word I use to describe myself here is only my perception of myself, how I market that perception to others. Until someone has that first sniff of me (hello pheromones, I'm looking to you here) they'll be unaware of my truest self. I can say everything and anything to try to sway that opinion, but it's not mine to make.
Conversely, the same is becoming more and more apparent. I feel like I'm shopping for a new flavor I haven't tried yet. I could try to search out the whale I've heard others talk about but don't have the resources to attain. I find myself instead in the same comfortable indecision. I'm afraid to cross a style off my list because it seems too extreme, but I know I have moderate tastes. So instead I'll stare at the selection, read the reviews, and maybe take the proverbial sip.
(Moxie, it's okay to spit it out if it's distasteful. You'll only hurt yourself by trying to enjoy something you clearly find unpalateable.)
I'll leave it be here for tonight. To whomever reads this don't be surprised if I make more beer related posts. I at least have a wealth of knowledge in that field.
...but one last insight, even though it's entirely to Aggressively Bitter for my taste and I KNOW I won't like it, I always seem to find myself attached to this guy:
