[HoosierBrew]

I like Columbus and Chinook pretty interchangeably for a pleasantly coarse IPA bitterness. Occasionally I'll use Warrior for a smoother bitterness if I use more late/dry hops than usual, but normally it's the former two.

[erockrph]

I like Columbus and Chinook pretty interchangeably for a pleasantly coarse IPA bitterness.

+1 - If I use a bittering addition, then it's usually one of the above. I use Nugget as well - it's not quite as coarse, but not as smooth as something like Magnum.

[reverseapachemaster]

I bought two pounds of Belma when they were first released so I've been using Belma to bitter all of my beers until I run out of the stuff.

[hopfenundmalz]

I vote CTZ, but I also use Centennial for bittering a few IPAs.

[erockrph]

I bought two pounds of Belma when they were first released so I've been using Belma to bitter all of my beers until I run out of the stuff.

Yeah, I don't know what I'm going to do with the other 15 ounces I have left from the pound I bought. Not horrible, but nothing I have any real use for either.

[yso191]

I tried Belma too.  It is high enough in AA (10.4%) to be a bittering hop, but I was intrigued by the flavors ("very orange, slight grapefruit, tropical  pineapple, strawberry, and melon aroma.").  Unfortunately at only .8 for total oils you'd have to use a lot of it.  So it is now in the category of 'meh'.

[erockrph]

I tried Belma too.  It is high enough in AA (10.4%) to be a bittering hop, but I was intrigued by the flavors ("very orange, slight grapefruit, tropical  pineapple, strawberry, and melon aroma.").  Unfortunately at only .08 for total oils you'd have to use a lot of it.  So it is now in the category of 'meh'.

I think you mean 0.8, right? Which is still pretty low for a modern IPA hop. And total oils isn't the final word. For example, Centennial has more total oil than Mosaic, but Mosaic is a much more dominant hop (at least to my palate). If Belma is truly 0.8 mL/100g oil, then that's the same as Motueka, which has a lot more flavor/aroma impact in my experience.

Total oil is a good starting point, but there is certainly a lot more going on that we just don't see good data for (or even understand yet).

Maybe I'll have to just use up all of my Belma in a small batch to see what happens if you really push the limits.

[el_capitan]

I was also looking for Warrior.  That's been a great all-purpose bittering hop for me. 

My house IPA is made with all homegrown hops, and I like the Zeus quite a bit in that, so that's where I voted. 

[redbeerman]

I use CTZ most of the time.  When I'm not using that, it's usually Chinook.

[yso191]

I tried Belma too.  It is high enough in AA (10.4%) to be a bittering hop, but I was intrigued by the flavors ("very orange, slight grapefruit, tropical  pineapple, strawberry, and melon aroma.").  Unfortunately at only .08 for total oils you'd have to use a lot of it.  So it is now in the category of 'meh'.

I think you mean 0.8, right? Which is still pretty low for a modern IPA hop. And total oils isn't the final word. For example, Centennial has more total oil than Mosaic, but Mosaic is a much more dominant hop (at least to my palate). If Belma is truly 0.8 mL/100g oil, then that's the same as Motueka, which has a lot more flavor/aroma impact in my experience.

Total oil is a good starting point, but there is certainly a lot more going on that we just don't see good data for (or even understand yet).

Maybe I'll have to just use up all of my Belma in a small batch to see what happens if you really push the limits.

Yike.  Good thing I'm not a lawyer.  Yes I do mean .8 for total oils.  And I will edit my post to reflect that.  Thanks for the catch.

[chumley]

I like Chinook and Warrior.  Another favorite not mentioned is Horizon.

I can't believe there are so many CTZ fans out there.  "Dank" is the perfect descriptor for that hop.

[69franx]

Still early in my brewing career, but of the 3 IPA's I have made(of 7 batches), all 3 used Columbus as the bittering charge. All 3 were nice and bitter, but the flavor components really have made the difference for my batches.