iBu

ibu is a word used in Indonesian and Malay to mean mother. In everyday language it serves as a familial term and as an honorific before a woman’s name, similar to Mrs. or Ms. in English. It is widely used across Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore’s Malay-speaking communities, both in informal speech and formal address. The title Ibu Negara refers to a country’s First Lady, and Ibu can also precede titles or occupations (for example, Ibu Menteri for a female minister). The term carries respect and social warmth and is commonly used in schools, workplaces, and households.

In English-language beer terminology, IBU stands for International Bitterness Units, a standard used to quantify the bitterness contributed by hops. IBU is calculated from the concentration of iso-alpha acids in beer and serves as a rough guide to perceived bitterness. The scale is not perfectly linear with taste, because factors such as malt sweetness, carbonation, and overall recipe influence how bitter a beer seems. Typical IBU ranges vary by beer style, with lighter beers often in the single digits to twenties and hoppier ales and IPAs commonly between the thirties and hundreds. Brewers use IBU as one of several metrics to describe flavor profile and to guide recipe development.

While the two uses share the same letters, they belong to distinct linguistic and technical domains: a cultural term in Southeast Asia and a brewing measurement in beverage science.