experiencing hops

[skerrydude]

I bought a pound of several varieties of hops. I would like to know more about these hops with a SMSH beer. Is there a specific target IBU I should be aiming for to get this? I know that most kits have 1 oz bittering and 1 oz aroma addition. Will this be enough for most hops? I just want to know what hops I prefer so that I can prepare for harvest this year.

[cdburg]

Personally, I'd go for a pale ale. The Mirror Pond clone recipe, which uses Cascades throughout, could be a good starting point.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=17147&hilit=mirror+pond+recipe&start=8

Just adjust the main bittering addition (85 minutes) lower or higher, as needed, to keep the bitterness around 42.

I'd keep the rest of the additions the same size, but I do like hoppy tasting beers. A recipe with additions throughout will give you an idea as to the bittering quality and the flavors and aromas added by the 30 minute addition, flameout addition and dry hops. That's what has been most helpful to me.

[BDawg]

I think that a pale ale is a good beer for a single hop experiment.
While i'm a huge Mirror Pond fan, my only comment is that I'd try to cut down on the caramel malt contribution to accentuate the hops more.
In the referenced Mirror Pond recipe, I'd switch the Crystal 75 out and go for Crystal 40 instead. Then, I'd also lower
the amount of carapils and replace it with either more base malt or some Vienna malt. This will make it grainier and less sweet.
The dextrin content will be lower too, so I'd mash around 153 or 154 to try to compensate for that.

My .02-