Best All-Purpose Bittering Hop?

I'm considering buying a pound of some all-purpose bittering hops to keep in the freezer and use an ounce or two here and there for most of my brews. I've mostly used either Nugget, Magnum, or Northern Brewer in the past. Are there any +'s or -'s about any of them that would make them more or less preferable as an all-purpose bittering hop? Is there something else I should be looking at? I currently have a stash of Cascade and Herbrucker (sp?) that I have been supplementing with 2 oz. packages here and there from the LHBS, but the prices are just killing me compared with buying online by the pound. Some planned projects will have me investing in Goldings and Fuggle soon, but what should I buy to bitter my US Pales and IPA's??

Have you tried Summit?

I like Columbus and Centennial in a lot of American styles as both bittering and flavor/aroma hops.

JayPowHound said:

but what should I buy to bitter my US Pales and IPA's??

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From that list, Magnum.


.

If I were buying a pound I'd get either Centennial or Columbus.

I have a pound of each, and use both quite a lot...probably Centennial a bit more.

columbus

but i would go with whatever has the highest alpha % you can find

magnum is a great clean bittering hop and my favourite for that purpose.

zeus (columbus) is my favourite for that citrus-y American IPA style.

Hmmmm... I have mostly been using nugget in my IPA's (which is my favorite style, and therefore the one I have brewed the most)

I've never done anything with Columbus or Centennial, but this thread has me thinking I should!

I've mostly been bittering with Nugget or Magnum and using various combinations of Cascade and Amarillo for flavor and aroma.

I just came across this recipe for a 3C IPA using centennial, columbus, and cascade that I may give a shot.

Has anyone brewed this or something similar? What would you change about it?

All Grain Recipe - 3C IPA ::: 1.073/1.012 (5 Gal)
Grain Bill

12 lbs. - Two Row Malt
1 lbs. - Crystal Malt (20L)
1 lb. - Munich Malt
1/2 lb. - Victory Malt
.5 lb. - Flaked Wheat
Hop Schedule (64 IBU)

1 oz. Columbus - 60 Min.
1 oz. Centennial - 15 Min.
1 oz. Centennial - 5 Min.
1 oz. Cascade - 1 Min.
1 oz. Columbus: Dry hop.
1 oz. Cascade: Dry hop.
Yeast

White Labs California Ale Yeast (WLP001)

Mash/Sparge/Boil

Mash at 151 to 153 degrees.
Sparge as usual
Ferment at 66 to 68degrees

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I like Warrior as it does not seem to impart flavors with its bitterness. I prefer my flavor to come from flavor additions.

northernlad said:

I like Warrior as it does not seem to impart flavors with its bitterness. I prefer my flavor to come from flavor additions.

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+1 to the above. +1 to Columbus. I just tried an ale I bittered with Galena and really like it!

I use Columbus a lot also, for all the reasons mentioned above - and if you like that citrus flavor, add an ounce or two of Amarillo very late in the boil - it almost gives a grape fruit taste that works very well.