Belma Hops

[chutracheese]

The Z.D. recipe might let the hops come through well, even give it a chance to show it's "sweeter" side since 1968 finishes sweet.

I would add more Belma through the 15/10/5/1 additions though, maybe bump it to 1.5 or 2 oz even, I have found that Belma is on the soft side of the aroma/flavor spectrum compared to Citra.

Thanks

 

[jbaysurfer]

Has anyone dry hopped yet?

I have a Belma Pale ale that tasted pretty nice right out of the fermenter, but not a ton of citrus IMHO. It was more of a pungent, earthy kind of flavor.

Then I dryhopped with 1.5oz of Belma in the keg, and today, I'm wondering if I'll be able to even drink the rest of the beer.

Just one person's anectdotal experience. I think I'll use mine for bittering mostly, and keep it to the boil exclusively. I just don't enjoy it's dryhop flavor AT ALL.

 

[sweetcell]

Has anyone dry hopped yet?

I have a Belma Pale ale that tasted pretty nice right out of the fermenter, but not a ton of citrus IMHO. It was more of a pungent, earthy kind of flavor.

Then I dryhopped with 1.5oz of Belma in the keg, and today, I'm wondering if I'll be able to even drink the rest of the beer.

Just one person's anectdotal experience. I think I'll use mine for bittering mostly, and keep it to the boil exclusively. I just don't enjoy it's dryhop flavor AT ALL.

how would you describe the undesirable dry hop flavor?

 

[jbaysurfer]

how would you describe the undesirable dry hop flavor?

LOL...I though alot about this when I was thinking I'd post my findings up on this thread....and I couldn't come up with anything better then:

Just not right.

I'll taste it again today when I get home from work and try to give you something a bit more tangible then that.

 

[Chriso]

Thanks for the warning. I was planning to dryhop with 1.5oz just as you did. I will wait & watch...

 

[jammin]

I dry hopped with 4ozs and its fine. I think it's better suited for heavy dry hopping. The flavors are mild so extra duty helps out.


Edit:
Drink'n on a bomber of my Belma Zombie Dust clone. I'm getting an earthy, slightly fruity Centennial. That's promising imho.

 

[TimBrewz]

I had my all Belma Pale Ale(along with IPA and IRA) on tap for Sunday NFL/Homebrewers tasting afternoon. Nearly everyone who tried it said it was "different" or "odd" and tasted like strawberries and/or melon. No one disliked it, but not many refills on that one. The brewers who are into Belgians, thought it would work well in fruity, estery Belgian brews.

 

[Brewitt]

I dry hopped with 4ozs and its fine. I think it's better suited for heavy dry hopping. The flavors are mild so extra duty helps out.

I've got a Belma/Simcoe IPA fermenting. All additions are 2:1 Belma:Simcoe. I was planning to dry hop with 3 oz Belma and 1.5 oz Simcoe. Will it be enough?

 

[kaconga]

I had my all Belma Pale Ale(along with IPA and IRA) on tap for Sunday NFL/Homebrewers tasting afternoon. Nearly everyone who tried it said it was "different" or "odd" and tasted like strawberries and/or melon. No one disliked it, but not many refills on that one. The brewers who are into Belgians, thought it would work well in fruity, estery Belgian brews.

I have had similar reviews of my all belma amber ale. Strong berry nose and a mild berry/citrus flavor with a hint of spice. Tomorrow is brew club so I will have a few more experienced brewers tasting it then. I also handed out 12 at work to random guys interested in craft beer. Should have those opinions on Monday or so. Ultimately I like it but feel it isn't a good stand alone hop. I just need to find that great pairing.

 

[jbaysurfer]

I dry hopped with 4ozs and its fine. I think it's better suited for heavy dry hopping. The flavors are mild so extra duty helps out.


Edit:
Drink'n on a bomber of my Belma Zombie Dust clone. I'm getting an earthy, slightly fruity Centennial. That's promising imho.

That's a gorgeous beer. I'm getting grassy from Belma (for the poster who asked me what was unpleasant about my dryhop with Belma). Way more grass then fruit tbh. It's been 5 days now and I'm going to pull the dryhops from the keg after turkey day..we'll see.

I think it's going to mellow in time, and I have to say, since I last posted, it's definitely improved....but I'm still not going to dry hop with this one, though at this point, I do wish I'd have used 3oz given your suggestion of heavy dryhopping. It's still going to be a tough sell of the 5 beers I currently have on tap. It was great before the dryhop, but now I'm just hoping for the best.

 

[TNGabe]

I had my all Belma Pale Ale(along with IPA and IRA) on tap for Sunday NFL/Homebrewers tasting afternoon. Nearly everyone who tried it said it was "different" or "odd" and tasted like strawberries and/or melon. No one disliked it, but not many refills on that one. The brewers who are into Belgians, thought it would work well in fruity, estery Belgian brews.

I was really picking up on a red berry aroma, but I thought it might have been because I was expecting it from the description. I'm kinda surprised everyone has been using Belma for pale ales - I brewed a low alcohol saison and I'm pretty stoked on your description.

 

[theveganbrewer]

I have it in with cascade, dryhopped 1:1, and I get a light berry flavor. It's pleasant, and could really be good in some select styles.

 

[TimBrewz]

I was really picking up on a red berry aroma, but I thought it might have been because I was expecting it from the description. I'm kinda surprised everyone has been using Belma for pale ales - I brewed a low alcohol saison and I'm pretty stoked on your description.

Saison seems a good place for this hop.

 

[FarmerTed]

Saison seems a good place for this hop.

That's good to hear, cuz my next brew is going to be a saison, and I was planning to use some of my Belma.

 

[TNGabe]

That's good to hear, cuz my next brew is going to be a saison, and I was planning to use some of my Belma.

I think Nelson could pair very nicely with Belma in a saison.

 

[allenH]

I think Nelson could pair very nicely with Belma in a saison.

I just finished brewing a Nelson/Belma Rye Pale ale. Hopefully it works well with rye also.

 

[FarmerTed]

I think Nelson could pair very nicely with Belma in a saison.

I just got some amarillo, so I think I might put it in with the Belma.

 

[FourSeasonAngler]

I think Amarillo, Simcoe, and Centennial would all pair nicely with Belma. Not really opposites in flavor/aroma, but complimentary.

Belma is nice on its own, but doesn't have any one stand out characteristic. Couple it with one of the above and you turn a great hoppy beer into a great well-rounded hoppy beer.

 

[FATC1TY]

If I manage to not be lazy tomorrow, I might brew a nice pale..

Those that have used Belma.. shoot me in the direction of what might sound good to use with it. I have leaf and pellet Belma. I FWH as well, thinking about using Belma for that too.

I have Cascade, Amarillo, Citra, Chinook, Comet, Centennial, Magnum on hand right now.

 

[snaps10]

If I manage to not be lazy tomorrow, I might brew a nice pale..

Those that have used Belma.. shoot me in the direction of what might sound good to use with it. I have leaf and pellet Belma. I FWH as well, thinking about using Belma for that too.

I have Cascade, Amarillo, Citra, Chinook, Comet, Centennial, Magnum on hand right now.

I did magnum at 60, cascade at 30, 5 and flameout, and dry hopped Belma in an IPA and it turned out great. Maybe do magnum at 60 or 45, cascade at 15 and Belma at flameout and a single dry hop.

 

[porky_pine]

I'm about to dry hop a belgian IPA I used Belma, Citra, Amarillo and Cascade for the late addition hops. I'll post how it turns out. My Belma pellets do not smell like onions, they smell fruity.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

I finally got around to brewing. I did a pale ale with Centennial (FWH), Cascade (Bittering), Belma (Aroma) and CTZ (Finishing). I thought the Belma and Centennial smelt pretty similar.

 

[scottland]

I used some combined with Centennial in a big American stout I brewed Wednesday, and I'm going to do a farmhouse/saison soon with Belma and Citra.

To be continued...

 

[Brewitt]

I ended up brewing 5 gal of 1.067 OG IPA with 2 oz Warrior for bittering, 1.5 oz Belma and .75 oz Simcoe at both 15 min and 1 min. I transferred to secondary after a week and took a gravity and a taste. 1.010 FG and a nice piney resinous flavor with medium bitterness. Maybe a hint of fruitiness and a bit musty. I like it a lot. I decided to dry hop with 3 oz Belma, 1.5 oz Simcoe and 1.5 oz Centennial for a little more fruit. I'm expecting this to be a nice one! Pleasantly surprised at the Belma.

 

[TNGabe]

I ended up brewing 5 gal of 1.067 OG IPA with 2 oz Warrior for bittering, 1.5 oz Belma and .75 oz Simcoe at both 15 min and 1 min. I transferred to secondary after a week and took a gravity and a taste. 1.010 FG and a nice piney resinous flavor with medium bitterness. Maybe a hint of fruitiness and a bit musty. I like it a lot. I decided to dry hop with 3 oz Belma, 1.5 oz Simcoe and 1.5 oz Centennial for a little more fruit. I'm expecting this to be a nice one! Pleasantly surprised at the Belma.

I think finding the right blend with Belma is key - I'm pretty dissapointed in the single hop grav sample I had yesterday, but I think it would help shape a fuller fruit profile with some of the more tropical hops. I also pulled a sample of nelson citra saison to see how much longer to let it sit on dry hops and after I got my d$*k out of the glass, I was a little out of sorts and maybe Belma is better than I think alone.

 

[turvis]

Just ordered me a lb each belma and centennial looking forward to the combination.

 

[jammin]

Just ordered me a lb each belma and centennial looking forward to the combination.

I think they would pair well. I get a slight Centennial flavor from Belma. It's berry/melon/sweet dominant for sure. The sharpness of Centwnnial should make the fruitiness of Belma sparkle; sorta like a mimosa. Sure would like to hear your feedback if you brew it (assuming you make a hoppy APA/IPA).

 

[turvis]

I was thinking of doing a sasion and an APA about 1.055-1.060 range 30 to 35 IBU mostly late additions. Will let y'all know how it comes out.

 

[FATC1TY]

I like the suggestions.

I think I'm gonna go with a nice Pale and do it with some Centennial, Belma and perhaps some Amarillo. Maybe do Centennial FWH, hit it with Belma, finish with Amarillo and Belma at flame out.

Dry hop it with Centennial/Cascade and Belma.

Then do a nice light blonde with Belma and Citra for the folks who like their beer "light".

A saison is in the future, but I think once I brew those two and get a handle on how it works with other hops, I'll hit a Saison I've been waiting to do.

 

[jimkaren99]

i also did 2lbs i will do a hoppy pale 53 ibu's and1.058 og