IBU is International Bitterness Units. A board that prints IBU is reporting a bitterness number, not how bitter the beer will taste to you. Especially on a hazy.

What the number is

BJCP treats IBU as a style parameter in the 2021 Style Guidelines. TTB beer labeling treats many optional statements (including some compositional claims) as the bottler’s responsibility; IBU is not a required TTB line on a tasting-room chalkboard.

What it is not

IBU is not ABV. It is not a promise of perceived bitterness on a hazy IPA, where hop oils and haze can hide the same IBU you would notice on a West Coast pour. If the board omits IBU, do not invent one. For the three columns most Orlando boards actually print, see How to read a tap list.

Sources

  1. BJCP Style Guidelines.
  2. TTB beer. labeling and formula pages for what a bottler must print.