Vienna - Calypso Smash

Brewing up a smash with Vienna and Calypso, let me know your thoughts:

Batch Size: 5.5 gallons

12.5# Vienna
.75 oz Calypso 12.3% AA @ 60 mins
.75 oz Calypso 12.3% AA @ 10 mins
.50 oz Calypso 12.3% AA @ 0 mins

Mash:
1.5 qt/lb @ 160F

Yeast:
Wyeast American Ale 1056

i havent tried calypso but really want to after i read the description. Sounds like a good smash, update with tasting notes later if you do it.

I'd move the 20 minute to 10 minutes and the 5 to 0 minutes, but that's me. I think I get best flavor extraction at 10 minutes, and I think a 5 minute boil is too long for aroma. Especially if you're chilling with an immersion chiller, I'd (personally) move the 5 to 0.

I'd also mash significantly hotter (like 158-160) since the 1056 is going to really dry out an all vienna wort. I like my SMASHes mashed hot so I can get some unfermentables in the wort and avoid the super bone dry malt flavor profile that a lot of SMASH ales suffer from.

Sounds like a great SMASH to me. Good luck with it!

bigbeergeek said:

I'd move the 20 minute to 10 minutes and the 5 to 0 minutes, but that's me. I think I get best flavor extraction at 10 minutes, and I think a 5 minute boil is too long for aroma. Especially if you're chilling with an immersion chiller, I'd (personally) move the 5 to 0.

I'd also mash significantly hotter (like 158-160) since the 1056 is going to really dry out an all vienna wort. I like my SMASHes mashed hot so I can get some unfermentables in the wort and avoid the super bone dry malt flavor profile that a lot of SMASH ales suffer from.

Sounds like a great SMASH to me. Good luck with it!

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Excellent ideas. I'll incorporate them! Thanks!

Fermenting now. Fantastic hop smell already. Will update with tasting notes when I take a hydro sample in a week or so.

Transfered to a keg today to do some conditioning.

Aroma: The hops aroma is not very prominent, but there is an interesting caramel apple smell. Smells like those caramel apple candies, definitely not unpleasant but unexpected. The caramel is more prominent than the apple though I have no idea where that is coming from.

Taste: Nicely balanced with a slight emphasis on the bitter side. Mid way through the bitter gives way to a very slight caramel apple sweetness. Finish has some grain but is overtaken buy a bit of a dry clean bite. Not sure if that's an alcohol bite or a bitterness bite just yet.

Overall: This would make a nice amber hybrid beer (EDIT: now that I taste it more, it'd be a good american amber ale as well). Next time I would up the later boil hops to get a bit more out of them and actually get a sense of their flavor/aroma.

I just saw this thread and my fear with Calypso is that the aroma and flavor qualities Ive read about all seem volatile. I was wondering when reading your original post if it wouldnt be better to use more hops in your late additions and then dry hops as well to make sure those "pear" and "apple" effects come through. Would you agree with those sentiments now that its done...

mhenry41h said:

I just saw this thread and my fear with Calypso is that the aroma and flavor qualities Ive read about all seem volatile. I was wondering when reading your original post if it wouldnt be better to use more hops in your late additions and then dry hops as well to make sure those "pear" and "apple" effects come through. Would you agree with those sentiments now that its done...

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From what I tasted (only a few weeks in to fermentation) I would agree 100%. There is very very little noticeable hop aroma and very soft flavor.

I would at least double the late hop additions in my next batch.

EDIT: In fact in the next week or so I'll do just that. Keep everything the same just add a bunch more late hops to see if I can get some more flavor/aroma out of it.

Im making an English IPA that I want to use the new El Dorado hops in and Im afraid of not getting the "candy-like, cherry/watermelon candy" flavor to shine through. Im looking at doing a 75/25 blend with Chinook to add a mild pine element so I was thinking:

.75 Oz El Dorado w/ .25 Oz Chinook at 30 mins/10 Mins/ and flameout as well as dry-hopping. I think this should be enough to shine through...

Pulled another sample to taste and it's pretty good. The bitterness has mellowed out a bit and works well with the sweetness of the 160 mash.

The hop flavor is more pronounced than before and has a floral aspect to it that I didnt expect along with some slight appleish notes and maybe some tangerine.

There is some hop aroma and it too is more floral than I would expect from the description with a touch of citrus, a slight sweetness, and maybe a slight apple (could just be my imagination)

I'm wondering if the previous taste/aroma was altered due to lot of suspended yeast and the temp being 65F. Current temp is 36F as I crash it for the next few days.

I would definitely brew again but consider going 1oz of flavor hops and .75 aroma and see what happens.

What's the SG?

Og: 1.056
fg: 1.013

jyda said:

Og: 1.056
fg: 1.013

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Nice. The high mash temp kept your gravity above 1.010, so you should be able to appreciate the full contribution of the vienna malt. Well done.

The more I brew with Vienna the more I like it. This is my first all Vienna batch and so far seems tasty.