Belma hop

I am getting ready to create a single hopped double ipa with the Belma hop. I am creating the recipe using beersmith and I was wondering if anyone has entered belma hop into beersmith, and if so how did you enter it. Alpha, beta, origin?

jcironhide said:

I am getting ready to create a single hopped double ipa with the Belma hop. I am creating the recipe using beersmith and I was wondering if anyone has entered belma hop into beersmith, and if so how did you enter it. Alpha, beta, origin?

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Bump because i was curious as well.

This does not answer your question, but, I think you might be better off using Belma as a bittering hop it definatly has a nice clean bitterness, but a little to heavy and floral with out the big ipa qualitys your looking for as a late addition hop in my opinion.

As far as beersmith I believe U.S. between 11-13A and 2-6B I thought.

chuckstout said:

This does not answer your question, but, I think you might be better off using Belma as a bittering hop it definatly has a nice clean bitterness, but a little to heavy and floral with out the big ipa qualitys your looking for as a late addition hop in my opinion.

As far as beersmith I believe U.S. between 11-13A and 2-6B I thought.

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I keep wondering why people are trying to flavor IPAs with Belma after every thing I have read. If someone really wants to use it for aroma why not try it in a Shandy or something. Which is my plan for it.

Granted it was a small amount, but I dryhopped a cream ale with 0.75oz of belma and there was virtually no perceived aroma from the dryhop AND THIS WAS A CREAM ALE. I would not expect an IPA to taste like an IPA with only using belma.

What I have found to LOVE about belma is it's head promotion properties and the "kind" of head it produces. In my cream ale (a beer known for a quickly fading head), it promoted a full rocky head that lasted nearly the entire glass. It's unlike any other hop I've used at head promotion.

I also like it's bittering qualities. It's a full strength neutral bittering hop. Works really well.

If you were to use belma in an IPA I would recommend it as the bittering addition, and then some in FO and/or dryhop for head promotion only. Essentially, count it's aroma/flavor contribution as none. Use a big aroma/flavor hop for getting you into the IPA category.

Use whatever alpha was indicated on your order (e.g., for 2013 it's 10.4% for the pellets). I don't think the beta matters a whole lot for Beersmith's calculations, but you could put in maybe 5%? I never saw anything about Belma's beta levels.

Actually, I think Belma is covered in the 2013 hops update under add-ons! Try adding that first.

Totally my own opinion, but Belma is the one hop I won't use. It ruined a couple batches for me, even as a pure bittering addition. There's something about the flavor I find really unpleasant... not a good solid bitter like other high-alpha varieties. As a flavor hop, I find it really weak, but the flavor it does add is a weird, overly sweet berry flavor. Anyone in Portland OR who wants an unopened 1 lb bag of 2012 Belma is welcome to it!

For my 2012 crop I used 9.8% as that was printed on my package, a default beta of 2%. I made a DIPA SMASH with Belma. It wasn't a great beer but I've had many worse (think anything BMC).

joelrapp said:

I made a DIPA SMASH with Belma. It wasn't a great beer but I've had many worse (think anything BMC).

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You made a Double IPA (i.e. a big, robust, alcoholic, in-your-frickin-face-with-the-hop-factor hoppy beer, huge hop aroma, huge hop flavor) and it wasn't great. You've had worse from Budweiser, Miller, and Coors.

That is a very good summary of what I'd expect to get if using only Belma on any hop-forward beer. It's not the star; it's forte is a supporting role.

ong said:

Use whatever alpha was indicated on your order (e.g., for 2013 it's 10.4% for the pellets). I don't think the beta matters a whole lot for Beersmith's calculations, but you could put in maybe 5%? I never saw anything about Belma's beta levels.

Actually, I think Belma is covered in the 2013 hops update under add-ons! Try adding that first.

Totally my own opinion, but Belma is the one hop I won't use. It ruined a couple batches for me, even as a pure bittering addition. There's something about the flavor I find really unpleasant... not a good solid bitter like other high-alpha varieties. As a flavor hop, I find it really weak, but the flavor it does add is a weird, overly sweet berry flavor. Anyone in Portland OR who wants an unopened 1 lb bag of 2012 Belma is welcome to it!

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I'm in Vancouver and if you're offering........ Lol

ong said:

Use whatever alpha was indicated on your order (e.g., for 2013 it's 10.4% for the pellets). I don't think the beta matters a whole lot for Beersmith's calculations, but you could put in maybe 5%? I never saw anything about Belma's beta levels.

Actually, I think Belma is covered in the 2013 hops update under add-ons! Try adding that first.

Totally my own opinion, but Belma is the one hop I won't use. It ruined a couple batches for me, even as a pure bittering addition. There's something about the flavor I find really unpleasant... not a good solid bitter like other high-alpha varieties. As a flavor hop, I find it really weak, but the flavor it does add is a weird, overly sweet berry flavor. Anyone in Portland OR who wants an unopened 1 lb bag of 2012 Belma is welcome to it!

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^This!
I keep thinking it might work on a Saison or some such, but I hate that style. It didn't bitter right, put that Strawberry flavor in as FWH, and is generally not even worth the $5/lb I paid for it.

You are not going to win any awards with this hop, IMHO.

Brewmex41 said:

I'm in Vancouver and if you're offering........ Lol

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Just PM'ed you!