What Style is this Beer?

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TopherM

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What happens when you brew with JUST two-row and a basic hop, like Cascade. Is that still a blonde ale, or does it have a different category?
 
I believe they call that SMaSH. Single Malt and Single Hop. Not sure, could possibly be blonde as well. I defo want to try a SMaSH soonish.
 
Topher...from Workaholics? :) It depends on you're OG and IBU's as far as style goes, but in general it would be a SMaSH. Single Malt and Single Hop brew.
 
Technically, SMaSH isn't a style. I could make a Koelsch for example (and have) using only pilsner malt and hallertau hops. You could do the same for many other styles. So smash is more of a method, or perhaps philosophy than a style.

Gila was more correct in saying blonde or pale ale, but to really define the style, more info would be needed.
 
Just to echo and chime in: Original gravity will help categorize it, hop variety (domestic or continental) and maybe the biggest style determinant would be yeast choice- 2row, cascade and chico yeast will give you a pale; with higher gravity a DPA and even higher gravity will be a barleywine (if you do a long boil and carmelize the wort a bit). 2row, hallertau and belgian yeast could yield a farmhouse ale/ saison or, Og dependent, even a tripel (although you would probably use pils malt)- brewing is quite a kaleidoscope, so many permutations it's dizzying- you can produce several distinctly different beers using the same ingredients just by modifying process- like ferm temp, etc.
 
FWIW, a lot of places make a "Summer Bitter" version of their Pale Ale, doing just as you said - 100% base malt and hopping accordingly. It's already been said, but the hop regiment will really catagorize it for you. It seems like you are falling somewhere between a blonde and a Pale Ale - if it is malt forward, call it a blonde, if it is hop forward, call it a PA. It may be tough to enter it into a competition with success, but it would be a great beer to have on hand for consumption during the warmer months.

I just had Brooklyn's Summer Ale, so this concept of a 100% Base Malt "Summer Bitter" is fresh in my mind.

Joe
 
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