Loral was released in the mid-2010s and bred with a specific technical target in mind: very low cohumulone, aimed at giving brewers a smoother, gentler bitterness than most hops in its alpha acid range typically deliver. That focus on bitterness quality over raw aromatic intensity puts it in a different category from most of the newer proprietary hops released around the same time, which tend to compete on distinctive fruit character rather than bittering smoothness.
Loral pulls double duty at 10-13% alpha acid, contributing a notably clean bitterness even in a full early-boil charge, while its mild floral, red fruit and herbal aroma that reads more restrained than the bold tropical-fruit hops dominating the modern hazy IPA category. That restraint is deliberate — Loral was developed partly with lager brewing in mind, where a contemporary hop character is wanted without the assertive fruit intensity a hop like Citra or Mosaic would bring.
A Loral-based bittering charge is best sized through the IBU calculator rather than by eye. Mount Hood is the closer substitute for the floral, restrained side of Loral's profile, though without its specific low-cohumulone smoothness. Crystal offers a similar gentle character from the domestic noble-substitute family. Modern American lager and pale ale both use Loral where a smooth, contemporary hop character is the goal rather than an aggressive fruit-forward one.