Basic IPA with all Belma

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I got a couple of pounds of Belma hops from Hops Direct, so I'm trying a basic IPA (low ABV so I can drink more) using grains on hand and single hopped with the Belma to decide how best to use these new hops.
Batch size- 6 gal into fermenter.
10# Pils
1# Carahells
1# Wheat malt
0.5# Crystal 60l
2oz Belma @ 0min boil
2oz Belma @ 60min boil (corrected from 1 oz on original posting)
1oz Belma @ 65 min boil
Total boil time=70 min.
Mashed @ 122X 15min for protien rest and infused to 150-152 X 45 min for sacc, then mashed out at 166-167 X 15min with no sparge (full volume) for about 8.5 gal to boil kettle.
OG 1.043 IBU 74.5 per Beersmith
Pitched one pkg Safale US-05 at 56 deg. (will hold at 60-65 deg).
Will dry hop with 1 oz at terminal gravity and 4 days later add 1oz for another 3 days then keg.

Initial tasting of wort: Low sweetness, probably masked by prominment neutral hop flavor. Hop flavor is very pleasant,, somewhat floral, no berry and there is no spicy or citrus forward, no harshness. Finish has a definite hop bite that lingers on tongue and a sharpness like tasting a freshly picked cascade cone, but isn't puckering/harsh.
I'll update tasting notes when finished fermenting, kegging and then 4 weeks later.
 
I let the first dry hops sit for four days, now have split the batch into 2.75 gal each, then dry hopped with an additional 1.3 oz of Belma in one and 1.3 oz Cascade into the other.
Here is my tasting notes from the single dry hop to this point:
The plain Belma at this point is very smooth, first taste has a faint tropical fruit and strawberry flavor with minimal aroma. Finish is not harsh, but does have a definite hop resin bitterness that lingers on the tongue. Makes a pleasant IPA even though Beer Smith says the IBU's should be over 70.
 
I have played around with Belma quite a bit and have come to realize liek many others that Belma needs to be used in excess in late hop additions and in the dry hop in order to get a real impact from it.

I brewed a Belma/Cascade red with 8oz+ of Belma in the boil and another 4oz in the dry hop and the 4oz of Cascade in late hop additions overwhelmed the Belma.

I will say though that it does live up to it's AA % and makes an excellent neutral bittering hop. Even a great FWH choice.
 
Just FYI, hops are listed by time left in the boil. So your bittering addition would be (in your case) the 70m addition, whereas your flavor and aroma hops would be at 10m and 5m, respectively.
 
Hop schedule looks very odd.
70 minute boil with 65/60/0 additions?

I know you already brewed this, but in the future, you're going to want a bigger OG than 1.043 for an American IPA featuring the facets of Belma. This is not a boisterous hop. You need a lot of it to sense what it has to offer. This explains why you didn't sense much from it with only 2 oz. early and 2 oz. late in 6 gallons.

For a 6 gallon batch of AIPA, you should be between 1.060-1.070 OG, and use at least 7-8 oz. total hops, with much of the focus in the dryhop.

Drop the crystal malt % by half. You're currently at 12% with the Crystal 60 and Carahell (Carahell = Crystal 10).
 
Beersmith calculated the OG to be within the guidelines at 1.056, i think I messed up the mash a little because normally I hit the calculated OG fairly closely.
The additions were at the beginning of boil-2 oz, then at 60 min into boil-2 oz, and at 65 min- 1 oz at flameout/whirlpool. (corrected original post for the second hop addition)
 
Kegged the beers a 3 days ago and carbonated. Had a couple of friends over while brewing today and pulled out the beer for them to taste. One liked the Belma only, and the other liked the Cascade/Citra one. I like them both, but I think I would have a pint of the C/C and then finish with 3-4 of the Belma because it is more neutral.
I also had an avacodo dip and a Cuban bean/corn soup with them. The C/C paired better with the dip and the Belma paired better with the soup. Since carbonating, the C/C dropped the flavor/aroma level noticebly, but the Belma hasn't.

Conclusions: I like the Belma, and can see using it quite a bit for my lagers for both bittering and aroma. It would take quite a bit of Belma to make a beer that would have a lot of harsh bitterness to it. I feel free to hit the upper range of calculated IBU for a particular style while using the Belma hops and expect to have a quaffable brew. I also think the Belma will retain its flavor longer than some hops like Citra.
 

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