Hop Schedule and Selection Help for IPA

[crawfman]

I'm using some hops I have no experience with and am looking for some advice of when and where to use them in an IPA.

The grain bill is 12 lbs. 2-row, 1 lb. munich, and 0.5 lb c-60.

I'm looking to keep the IBU's within the upper end of 70 or 80 ibu's.

What I have are:
5 oz. Simcoe 14.1%
2 oz. Columbus 13.9%
5 oz. Citra 13.4%

Thanks!

 

[smagee]

Simcoe is a glorious hop; I'd use it in just about every beer I make, if I could afford to. It's solid for any phase: bittering, flavor, aroma, dry. I'd use that more towards the latter two, simply because it's awesome (piney, lightly earthy, very mild floral).

Columbus is largely known for bittering, but can contribute mild earthiness and pine when used at the later stages. Given your other two options, I'd use it as designed, as both Simcoe and Citra are better for the later stages than itself.

Citra will bring tropical flavors as a late addition--think papaya, mango, etc. I've read reports that using it as a bittering addition can yield a "cat's urine" flavor which, while I've never experienced it firsthand, still scare me away from trying it out there. I love it largely for dryhopping and flameout additions.

Were I to give you a schedule recommendation, off the top of my head:
1-1.5oz Columbus--60min
1oz Simcoe--15 or 10 min
1oz Simcoe--flameout
1oz Citra--flameout
.5-1oz Simcoe--DH
.5-1oz Citra--DH

It'd be a west coast style IPA, so you'd want to adjust that depending on your tolerance for hop flavors.