Before SMaSH there is SHaME

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SteveLikesBeer

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I'm still very green to brewing but I want to be able to get some of the learning experience that SMaSH gives. People seem to have different views of how hops taste and smell (my girlfriend swears IPA's are sweet) which leads me to believe first hand experience of how one experiences hops is the better than following general descriptions. Since I'm doing extract I can't do a single malt and single hop (SMaSH) but I can do a single malt extract and single hop in an attempt to learn how I perceive hop bitter, flavor and aroma. As far as I know there isn't a name for it, though I have seen recipes which do just this. Assuming there isn't already already a name for it I propose SHaME!

Proposed rules for SHaME:

  1. Only 1 Hop Variety: For instance, only chinook from start of boil to dry hop.
  2. Only 1 LME or DME Style: Must be of the light variety.
  3. Steeping grains are not allowed: Only 1 LME/DME Style

Fellow extract brewers .... thoughts?
 
Extract, especially as you increase in color, already has specialty grains in it. It would be closer to a smash if you used say only extra light extract, but then if you add crystal it no longer is even close to single malt. For instance, NB's Pilsen LME is pilsner malt and carapils. By adding crystal it is now 3 malts.

To me you are just making a single hop extract brew to "x" style in the end. I recently made an IPA that way - the only things that went into the pot were water, pale LME, and centennial hops.
 
I love the SHaMe idea!

To learn the taste of a hop just try it with a couple of mini batches with different extracts. Or you can split a batch into 2 brew pots to do different hops and/or yeasts.

In my mind the real value to looking for good combinations of extract and hops is that it takes just over an hour to brew a batch with just extracts and hops. That my friend, is a lot easier than setting up the equipment to spend 5 hours of all grain brewing.
 
Excluding an extract because it includes Carapils seems arbitrary. Carapils doesn't typically impact flavor, just mouthfeel and head retention. I can understand if it includes other specialty malts, but Carapils is mostly aesthetic. Love the SHaME idea, btw.
 
All my brewing is a SHaME, I am unashamed to say. Always pleased with the results, especially considering time/effort trade off compared to the more complex AG processes. It gives more focus to plus other factors such as temperature and yeast that have a lot to do with flavor, the grain bill+hop schedule aside.
 
I had a SMASH brew the other day that could become a SHAME brew
Marris Otter and Citra using Saf-05 yeast
Delicious
 
My shame. I did not realize i bought smash extract kit from Northern ,till 1/2 way through boil . I thought I bought smashing pumpkin . I'm now thinking to add pumpkin pie spice to it in a secondary.
 
Sir-Hops-A-Lot said:
I had a SMASH brew the other day that could become a SHAME brew
Marris Otter and Citra using Saf-05 yeast
Delicious

+1 on this, easy and good beer too!
 
Nice idea. I'm planning on doing something similar with 13 types of hops and 1/2-gallon LME-based batches. More here.
 
I ended up making a SHaME brew this past weekend. A Belgian single with 5 lbs. Pilsen Light DME and Hallertau hops with WLP500. I guess it is kind of cheating that I used a bit of sucrose.
 
This is a fantastic idea that I do regularly. I do it because my SHaME recipe is dead easy and keeps beer in the pipeline:

3 lbs Briess Golden Light DME (late)
2 lbs ditto in boil

Hops to ~30 IBU, then a flavor/aroma addition at flameout (before I add the late DME)

Yeast (usually S-04)

Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. And tasty as hell!

:mug:

Bob
 
I'm looking for some SHaME recipe advice, I have
7# Maris Otter LME
6oz Mosaic
1 US-05
I have the capability to do a full boil. With the reviews I've seen about using Mosaic as bittering hop is a bit of a waste, I wonder If I should just do a shorter boil i.e. 20 minutes.
2oz at 20 min
1oz at 10
1oz flameout
2oz dry hop
Looks like about 70 IBUs
 
For me, that's waaaaaaay too much hops. It'll be a hops tea, nothing more. Seek balance. The point of SMaSH brewing is to explore the flavors of base malt as well as hops varieties and yeast strains.

If you insist on brewing hops tea, don't waste the extra dosh on the MO LME. Just use any old gunk. ;)

Bob
 
I've read if it's all late addition hops you need to add considerably more. I'm open to suggestions
 
I'd bitter to no more than 15-20 IBU, then add a hint of hops at flameout. Put it this way - in my 5-gal Anglo-American SMaSH I use Goldings: a half-ounce for 60, a quarter-ounce at 20, and a quarter-ounce at flameout. More than that totally swamps the malt. I mean TOTALLY. You're talking about a much more assertive variety. See what you have to add at 20 minutes to get 15-20 IBU, then add a tiny bit at flameout. I think you'll be surprised. ;)

Bob

EDITED TO ADD: The awesome part of your idea to boil hops for 20 minutes only is that you needn't boil it longer than 20 minutes at all. :)
 
So edited:
7# Maris Otter LME
.75 oz Mosaic (20 min) (18ibu)
.25 oz Mosaic (flameout)
1 oz dry hop - is that unnecessary?
I've never used Mosaic sorry.
 
I think you could safely dry-hop. It will still be hops-forward, but not the enamel-dissolving hops tea you had proposed. :D

I've never used Mosaic either. But from all the information I can gather it's pretty potent.

Bob
 
I recently used mosiac for the first time and it's quite the good hop. I got a lot of citrus and berry last time I used it.

The updated recipe looks good to me. What's the starting gravity of the the LME?
 
According to brewpal it's preboil gravity is 1.040, the OG is 1.044 and FG should be about 1.008. It's from Austin Homebrew if that tells you anything. I've only done 2 extracts, I mostly do BIAB.

UPDATE: I made this last night. It was pretty bitter with that little bit I put in there. Thank goodness I didn't add any more, I'm still going add the dry hop and I'll let you know how it is when it's all carbed up. Thanks for the help!
 
Tapped this earlier this week. I wish i would have put .5 oz in at flameout. The flavor was kind of light.
 
Fellas,
I have some SHAME on tap right now.
Northern Brewer's Session Ale: 6# pils extract, 3 oz Simcoe and Bry 97. This is one SHAME kit that you NEED to brew.
Another I have tasted is Marris Otter, with Citra and Saf 05. Delicious!
 
I am going to SHaME myself this weekend with some some chinook or cascade hops haven't decided yet.
 
So the one thing I get from this thread is that MO + Citra + S-05 = Excellence and that this is overall an awesome thing to do. I believe I may have to try this soon.

By the way, does anyone have an opinion of the AA% used on the SHaME-ful brews. I've read a little that more of a low AA% hop makes for a smoother brew, but then you could get away with only 1 oz of a high AA% hop as in the 0.5/0.25/0.25 example. Opinions?
 
That's part of the fun of learning what different hop varieties (with different AA's) offer in beer...and how you taste them. For me I noticed Citra has a smoother result than chinook or simcoe which follows your note, but I know that not everyone experiences the hops the same way!

Long story short, I think citra would be really tasty with MO and a clean yeast like US 05 but remember SHaME, like SMaSH is about learning about your ingredients!
 
This is a fantastic idea that I do regularly. I do it because my SHaME recipe is dead easy and keeps beer in the pipeline:

3 lbs Briess Golden Light DME (late)
2 lbs ditto in boil

Hops to ~30 IBU, then a flavor/aroma addition at flameout (before I add the late DME)

Yeast (usually S-04)

Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. And tasty as hell!

:mug:

Bob

I take it this is for a 5 gallon batch? I just want to be sure because i want to try it, sounds good, thanks


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