Krampus

Recipes 

Howdy,

As part of a blog series on local ingredients I'm going to be attempting a SMaSH beer using local malts and local hops. Does anyone have experience brewing single malt/hop all grain beers? What tricks can the brewer use to enhance the character of a SMaSH beer?

It's going to be a pale ale made with entirely 2 Row Pale Malt and Sterling (or another dual-purpose hop).

Any ideas are appreciated and if anyone has first hand experience please give me your impressions.

Thanks!

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Check out my blog: Imperatrix Brewing for beer brewing adventures, recipes and informative articles on winemaking, brewing with honey, and beekeeping.

zachattack

Recipes 

Some people will toast some of the malt in their oven, but personally I feel like that's "cheating." The whole point of a SMaSH is for you to learn the ingredients, I think you'll be surprised at how the simplest beers are often the best. My MO/Columbus SMaSH IPA has been hands down my favorite homebrew so far.

Decide what direction you want the beer to go (IPA? Pale Ale? Maybe a lager if you're into that?) and pick an OG and hopping schedule, then just brew it up! I'd suggest a pretty neutral yeast.

Krampus

Recipes 

I agree. My most successful recipes have always been my least fussy ones. I'm planning on making a pale ale with exclusively 2 row barley malted by a local small batch maltster (which I'm very thankful to have found). It would be interesting to experiment with a other beer styles though. I think going with a fairly neutral yeast is a good idea so the malt and hops really shine through.

Mind sharing your MO/Columbus SMaSH IPA recipe? I'd love to take a look.

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Check out my blog: Imperatrix Brewing for beer brewing adventures, recipes and informative articles on winemaking, brewing with honey, and beekeeping.

zachattack

Recipes 

Sure! I had some help with the hop schedule, check out this thread here:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/mo-columbus-smash-ipa-hop-schedule-310897/

I ended up doing heywatchthis suggested in that thread. I had 13 lbs MO to get a 1.060 OG, mashed at 153, used US-05 yeast.

Here's how I hopped:
.5 oz FWH
1 oz @ 60
.5 oz @ 10
2 oz @ 0
2 oz dry hop

Columbus is a pretty heavy hitter (13% AA?) but this wasn't overly bitter. It was very hoppy but with all the late hops it was nicely balanced, I had a few people love this that normally hate IPAs. It came out a dark golden color, had plenty of dank, woodsy, citrusy hop flavor, and had a "dry toast" malty finish that I think is the signature of Marris Otter.

I love the idea of using all local ingredients! Too bad you can't use a local yeast.

Krampus

Recipes 

Thanks for sharing! Add a spontaneous fermentation and you might have yourself a 100% regionally specific beer. It's definitely a concept that I'm fascinated by.

Cheers.

__________________
Check out my blog: Imperatrix Brewing for beer brewing adventures, recipes and informative articles on winemaking, brewing with honey, and beekeeping.

monkeybox

Recipes 

Sure you can! See How to Capture Wild Yeast!

BOBTHEukBREWER

Recipes 

MO and cascade hops is good for me.