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Do you do SMaSH brews

  • Once to try

  • It's a regular thing

  • No, not really interested

  • I plan to, like a good idea.

  • ain't telling.

Results are only viewable after voting.
Orfy

Orfy

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I'm interested in how many of you have done.

It'd be good if you post the combination and variations.

I've stuck with

Fuggle and Maris otter
Highly recommended.

I've done a
balanced
Extra Malty
Extra Hoppy
Decoction
Oaked
 
I've done a SMaSH MO/Fuggle twice now- need to start working on some of the variations that you've listed, Orfy.
 
Just did a 2-row and Cascade. Bubbling merrily away. I think this could be a regular thing for a while.... good way to find what different hops and yeasts do, and it's pretty cheap to do.
 
Like the idea a lot, haven't had the chance to do one yet. If all works well and the temps stay above 0F, I'll be doing one the the weekend after Christmas.
 
I did one by accident. I didn't have a recipe and just bought 12# of 2 row. One way I added character to the grain bill was toasting 2 lbs in the oven.
 
I smashed for the first time last week. A 2.5 g batch MO & Argentinian Cascade. More as a way to get a handle on the AC's than anything else.

I can't say anything about it yet, and I don't know that I'd tweak that combo again (unless the AC's surprise me.)

But would I SMaSH another combo? You betcha...it's a great way to get to know your ingredients, and to try out different techniques like decoction and roasting your own grain.

Any of you newer brewers reading this thread, don't be intimated by this, you don;t HAVE to make 5 gallons of it, you could do this in any small batch size, from using a gallon jucg 3/4 of the way full (like the basic brewing guys to) to 2.5 gallon, in a water jug...or even your old MR Beer keg which is gathering dust in the back of the closet.

And extract brewers, you can attempt this too...Some liquid extracts, expecially the lightest lovibond ones are SINGLE MALT as well. Northern Brewer #20053 NB Organic Light Malt Syrup...Or even using XLT DME and a single hop would be an extract alternative. Or a base extract + a couple ounces of steeping grain and a single hop.

William's Brewing even offers Marris Otter LME. MARIS OTTER EXTRACT 8 LBS @ Williams Brewing

It's a great way form everyone to get more control of their process, AND to get a feeling for how ingredients work with each other.
 
I checked off once to try but I'm sure I'll try again. Revvy's thread got me interested and I made one similar to his except with regular cascade hops. Marris Otter, 2 lbs toasted, Cascasde hops.

It has only been fermenting for 5 days. I plan to bottle some to keep and then I can experiment with different hops or base grains and compare the difference.
 
I did a Vienna and Goldings SMaSH last weekend. I'll be doing a MO and perle SMaSH sometime this week. I think I'll be doing some more often down the road, it's a good learning experience.
 
I voted once but it was actually two brews on one brew day. Each one used Marris Otter.

One used my homegrown Cascades, the other my homegrown Centennials. I did it as a way of seeing how my homegrown hops faired for all additions.

Turned out well. Slightly odd coconut character but balanced enough bitter wise..
 
I have only done one, but plan on putting them into my rotation, so I voted it as a regular thing.
 
Im thinking of trying a munich, marinka smash. no idea how it will turn out but I cant wait to try it.
 
i have done a couple a pacific gem mo ipa and a 2 row cascade, both turned out very good
 
I brewed my first one last weekend. I went with domestic 2-row and glacier. They're the two ingredients I use most often, so I thought I'd get to know them a little better.
 
i looked around a bit but couldn't find the answer to this question: if you add sugar (as you would with a tripel) can it still be considered a smash?
 
Maybe... but wouldn't that defeat the purpose...which to me is to see what a single grain and single hop combo tastes like. The sugar will alter the flavor I'd think.
 
EvilTOJ said:
I plan on making one with pilsner malt and tons of cascades. I'll call it the Hulk SMaSH! <:D>
Click to expand...

DO IT! I did pils/cascades, the beer tasted wonderful going into the bottles, but unfortunately got infected with wild yeast so I ended up dumping it. I really need to re-brew this one... I have some extra pils and cascades lying around, hmmm...

henrychinaski said:
i looked around a bit but couldn't find the answer to this question: if you add sugar (as you would with a tripel) can it still be considered a smash?
Click to expand...

Mash low and slow and you don't need the sugar. Belgian pils @147*F for 120 minutes with some <pick your favorite noble hop> fermented with Wyeast 1388 would make a fine Belgian Golden Strong Ale.

Pils, Vienna, and Maris Otter are all great for SMaSH brews since they have a lot of malt flavor/character on their own.
 
I really want to try this. I plan on doing a very plain-jane 2-row (maybe MO) and american hop smash, as well as trying out the one deathbrewer gets so excited about (vienna & Mt. Hood).
 
I'm thinking this might be an easy brew if I do a brew in a bag thing inside. I have a 5 gallon pot, or three gallon so I could easily do a 2.5 gallon brew with BIAB and then ferment in a 5 gallon carboy or corny. Hmmmmm
 
mmb said:
You're my HERO!

I want to do a Pils/Tett SMaSH as my first lager. It is time. :mad:
Click to expand...

Uh. Thanks?

I don't like overly muddled recipes. sMaSh just made sense before I even heard of it. Even when I do more complex recipes like Bock, Porter, etc... I still keep the grist as minimal as I can and I rarely use more than two type of hop in a recipe.

That, and every brewday produces an Ale and Lager regardless of the grist.


Additionally, I have a lot more smash'ing on the way. I also have some Tradition, Columbus, Brewers Gold, Zues, Magnum, Chinook, Spalter Select, Sterling, and Palisades to play with.
 
Brew shop was closed. I had 2row and simcoe. I took some of the first runnings and in a sauce pan I reduced it down and darkened up quite a bit. After it reduced down I turned down the heat, wanted to carmelize, not scorch. It's easy to scorch and get ash flavors!!!! Then returned it to the boil kettle. Used Rogue PacMan. 10lbs 2row, 6oz simcoe. 1oz 60 min, 1oz 20 min, 2oz 5 min, 1oz dryhop. Got greedy on my sparge, batch sparged 3 times after draining first runnings and ended up with 87% brewhouse eff. YAY!! Turned out to be an srm of 5-6 instead of about the srm of 3 you get without modified grains in 2row.

I'm also thinking Munich & Willamette.
 
Amarillo + Vienna pale ale (5%)
Amarillo + Vienna IPA (7.5%)

Samples all tasted great, but I've not tried the finished version of either yet...
 
i've done vienna+northern brewer (which i've made quite a few times), munich+ekg, and vienna and something else...can't find my notes, but i think it was hallertau. all of them are great.

my friend has also made a belgian munich+mt. hood that is fantastic.
 
I really want to do some but I'm trying to get my other variables locked down so I can get the most out it. I just did my first AG a few weeks ago so my process stilll needs much refinement. Darker and more complex beers help mask some of the faults :)
 
holy crap, i just found a recipe i made for a vienna/amarillo SMaSH and i cannot even remember what it tasted like. it must have been one of the beers my friends gluttoned before i could get a taste! i need to make this again.

craig, i may agree with you on the dark beers in terms of masking flavors, but not necessarily the complexity. you will get very complex flavors from these simple recipes. the main thing you have to concern yourself with is temperature. you get that under control and you'll make some fine beers.

if you're trying to refine your process and recipe development, the absolute best thing you can do is keep it simple.
 
Grimsawyer said:
Brew shop was closed. I had 2row and simcoe. I took some of the first runnings and in a sauce pan I reduced it down and darkened up quite a bit. After it reduced down I turned down the heat, wanted to carmelize, not scorch. It's easy to scorch and get ash flavors!!!! Then returned it to the boil kettle. Used Rogue PacMan. 10lbs 2row, 6oz simcoe. 1oz 60 min, 1oz 20 min, 2oz 5 min, 1oz dryhop. Got greedy on my sparge, batch sparged 3 times after draining first runnings and ended up with 87% brewhouse eff. YAY!! Turned out to be an srm of 5-6 instead of about the srm of 3 you get without modified grains in 2row.

I'm also thinking Munich & Willamette.
Click to expand...

I am interested to see how this one is coming along. I have been using alot of Simcoe lately and I like it alot.
 

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