A MO/EKG SMaSH, done well, is like ambrosia.
Well, Ambrosia (in England) is a thoroughly disgusting rice pudding. I don't think I would like an ESB that tasted like that.
Do as much late addition hops as you can, or hop burst it to epic results (in a great way). Combine it with a great English yeast strain and you cannot fail.
This would not be typical of an English Pale Ale, but I agree that it could be interesting. That's how I do my English IPA's, but they are nothing like any commercial English IPA.
I do like mashing my MO SMaSH recipes at either 150F or 152F. I mash at my normal ratio range (1.25-1.35/#) for this recipe.
Have you ever tried a thick mash? I find it gives a completely different character to the beer.
Crystal MO will allow you to add a little more special 'sumpthin sumpthin' to the batch. :rockin: I do plan on making a batch without the crystal MO in it, at some point. But with the version I've been brewing coming out as epic as it has, that's on the back burner.
Using Crystal MO means it's STILL a SMaSH recipe.
I agree, but the crystal would interfere with the taste if you wanted to do a SMaSH to understand the difference between M.O. and another base malt.
I've also found that fermenting as close to the low end of the yeast strains listed range gives best results too.
Probably because you learned to drink in America. I prefer fermenting at a higher temperature, because I learned to drink in England.
For the OP, brew it up either with, or without, the Crystal MO. Just make sure you brew enough of it since I suspect it will go FAST. I'm finding that I have to brew it at least every 3-4 times (or no more than 3 months apart) so that I can keep enough on hand. I'm also forced to ration it to myself. I can't kick a keg until another keg of it is chilled and carbonated already. :fro:
No more than 3 months apart? I have to brew it no more than 3 weeks apart.
Chilled and carbonated? Should be warm and flat.