SMaSH Brew

[Vomtaylor]

So Im new to AG brewing and my buddy told me about SMaSH brewing. It sounds cool so im gonig to give it a shot. Looking for feedback on this, or if anyone has done it their thoughts...

Ingredients:
12lb Pale Malt (2 Row)

Hops:
Cascade
1oz @ 60min
.5oz @ 30min
.5 @ 5-7min
.5 @ 0min

maybe 1oz @2nd for 7 days..

Yeast 001-or SD Super Yeast?

Mash @ 160

Any thoughts before I go for it.
Thanks.

 

[bigbeergeek]

No offense, but that's a pretty boring smash. Why not throw in some crystal and make a proper pale ale instead?

 

[sendkyleanemail]

Mash that at 152 and it'll be great!!

 

[bigbeergeek]

Mash that at 152 and it'll be great!!

152 will produce a very dry beer with very little body. By mashing at 160 the OP can hope for a beer with a FG above 1.010 (a good thing) and some residual maltiness (also a good thing). Many SMaSH recipes call for higher mash temperatures.

 

[Vomtaylor]

No offense, but that's a pretty boring smash. Why not throw in some crystal and make a proper pale ale instead?

Thanks... first time trying this.. can hold 3 kegs in my kegorator, so I figure Ill try this in one.. if you have some input that would be great.. Open to ideas

I have tow porters going now and a hef.. Ill do a proper IPA, but really like the Smash idea... i fugired ill give it a shot.

 

[dunnright00]

No offense, but that's a pretty boring smash. Why not throw in some crystal and make a proper pale ale instead?

Because, then it wouldn't be a SMaSH?

 

[bigbeergeek]

If you're going to do a smash, why not toy with some variables? Use a hop that a little more exotic than the ubiquitous cascade. Flirt with a new yeast strain (Scottish, Belgian, English, or a limited edition yeast). Try a malt aside from 2-row like munich, vienna, marris otter, pilsner (or for the brave: aromatic malt). You've paired the most common American base malt with the most common American hop with the most common American yeast. I don't anticipate you'll learn much from the experiment aside from how common all those flavors are. If those were the only ingredients I had on hand, I'd toss in a pound or crystal 60, caramunich, honey malt etc and make a proper pale ale out of it. Just my two cents.

 

[bigbeergeek]

Because, then it wouldn't be a SMaSH?

That sort of goes without saying, doesn't it? I wouldn't brew a smash for it's own sake -- I brew them to produce something really tasty or learn about a new hop, grain or yeast. The OP's recipe would probably produce a better beer if it had some crystal in the mix (or it might be a more interesting beer if he toyed with one of the above variables).

 

[acuenca]

I did this exact smash but mashed at 154-156... Great brew. Won't do it again but very grapefruity... I even dry hopped with some cascade for 7 days after the initial 14... Tasted really similar to SNPA (obvious reasons)...

 

[pm5k00]

I would toast 1-1.5 lbs of the 2row in the oven for a little more complexity and color, it would still follow SMaSH rules and be a better beer overall.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I would toast 1-1.5 lbs of the 2row in the oven for a litle more complexity and color, it would still follow SMaSH rules and b a better beer overall.

Toasted 2-row is not 2-row. Some people call it "amber malt." Thus the beer produced will contain more than a "single malt" and the beer won't qualify for SMaSH status.

 

[pm5k00]

Toasted 2-row is not 2-row. Some people call it "amber malt." Thus the beer produced will contain more than a "single malt" and the beer won't qualify for SMaSH status.

If you toast it in the oven then its toasted, and your still technically only using a single malt. I don't care much for rules so to the OP do whatever you want, but all 2row is going to be very low on malt flavor.

 

[RJS]

i do a Munich, tettnanger smash. awesome. Actually the recipe was from here

 

[bigbeergeek]

If you toast it in the oven then its toasted, and your still technically only using a single malt. I don't care much for rules so to the OP do whatever you want, but all 2row is going to be very low on malt flavor.

I suppose if the OP roasted the 2-row to the point of making black patent malt and added it to the recipe you'd still consider it a SMaSH ale? You're missing the point of what a SMaSH ale is. You're not supposed to look for loopholes to create complexity, you're supposed to embrace the simplicity of the ingredients you're working with.

 

[acuenca]

I suppose if the OP roasted the 2-row to the point of making black patent malt and added it to the recipe you'd still consider it a SMaSH ale? You're missing the point of what a SMaSH ale is. You're not supposed to look for loopholes to create complexity, you're supposed to embrace the simplicity of the ingredients you're working with.

This^^... Plus I think they are incredibly useful to understand the exact flavors the malt and hop give to a brew. at least thats what they help me with...that way when I create my own recipes I can guesstimate what I flavors I want and will be in a given beer.

 

[pm5k00]

I understand the point just fine, I just floated a keg of a SMaSH IIPA with Maris Otter and Citra, it was very good. It was simply a suggestion for better beer. I don't see the point in being so uptight about rules for beer making, especially if you can make something better with such a minor step. Personally I wouldn't do an all 2row SMaSH, but if that's all that was available I would toast some like I stated.

 

[bigbeergeek]

I understand the point just fine, I just floated a keg of a SMaSH IIPA with Maris Otter and Citra, it was very good. It was simply a suggestion for better beer. I don't see the point in being so uptight about rules for beer making, especially if you can make something better with such a minor step. Personally I wouldn't do an all 2row SMaSH, but if that's all that was available I would toast some like I stated.

As I stated above, a 2-row/cascade/chico strain SMaSH isn't going to make a very interesting/tasty beer. I suggested a different base grain/hop/yeast or adding a little crystal and skipping the SMaSH thing altogether.

As I also stated above: if the SMaSH beer doesn't serve as an educational tool or isn't likely to be all that tasty, why brew it? 2-row makes a worthwhile SMaSH. How else can a brewer know if they prefer Great Western over Rhar, or the flavor differences between 2-row and a pils as base grains? But I agree with you: the OP's recipe looks pretty uninteresting... little to be gained in the name of education or flavor there. But why bother toasting the 2-row (thus diminishing the educational purpose of the brew) when it won't improve the flavor as much as an interesting base grain/hop/yeast or the addition of crystal malt?

End rant, end debate. Good luck to the OP and his beer.

 

[theKupiiBrewerii]

I think this is a good idea for a person who is extreamly new to brewing and doesn't know what part of the flavor profile is coming just from the base malt. My suggestion to the OP would be to brew at least a small batch of this but split it up into 1 gallon fermentors each with a different yeast so you can see the differences between the batches and learn more usefull information.

 

[HolidayIF1488]

I think this is a good idea for a person who is extreamly new to brewing and doesn't know what part of the flavor profile is coming just from the base malt. My suggestion to the OP would be to brew at least a small batch of this but split it up into 1 gallon fermentors each with a different yeast so you can see the differences between the batches and learn more usefull information.

That is one of the things my grandfather made me do when learning to brew. I've made countless 2row gallon batches w/different hops& yeast.Another thing he taught me is to taste the malt,chew up a couple grains of it. This gives you a basic taste for the grain. The underlying taste is the same after the fermentation so you get a basic taste for what you are looking for. There are countless combinations that=good beer,but just as many that don't. Brewing is a science. Trial and error.

 

[reeberom]

Brand new to the SMaSH idea and think it's a great place to start especially for us new brewers to understand profiles and characteristics of a hop or malt variety. I'm trying a 2 row citra SMaSH this weekend.

 

[Northbanu]

You're pretty close to the New Albion Ale recipe, the SMASH grand daddy of craft brewing.
The recipe and article about this historic brew can be found here: https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/2797-new-albion

 

[reeberom]

Thinking about a brew...

14lb marris otter

1oz citra @60
1oz citra @30
1 oz citra @15
1oz citra @10
1 oz citra @ 5
2 oz citra 7 day dry hop

Alcohol tolerant English ale yeast

Any suggestions?

 

[SpeedYellow]

Thinking about a brew...

14lb marris otter

1oz citra @60
1oz citra @30
1 oz citra @15
1oz citra @10
1 oz citra @ 5
2 oz citra 7 day dry hop

Alcohol tolerant English ale yeast

Any suggestions?

Sounds good. Assuming, of course, you like the smell of cat piss.

 

[reeberom]

Hahahaha!!!! Not a fan of citra?

 

[reeberom]

Why cat piss tho?

 

[bleme]

Why cat piss tho?

There are a lot of factors but Citra produces that flavor profile pretty often. It's better than it sounds.

 

[SpeedYellow]

Yeah, to elaborate, I was told by a friend that Citra produces that smell, so I should blend it with other hops. You see that blending recommendation here on HBT a LOT for that reason. So I did blend it, and voila, I didn't really notice any cat piss smell... until I compared it to other IPAs. Wow! Cat piss indeed. Thank god I didn't use 100% Citra; that would be nasty.

 

[reeberom]

No way. Citra is awesome. I haven't had any cat piss issues whatsoever. But, I have never tasted cat piss. People brew cat piss?

 

[HumulusHead]

No silly!

People don't brew cat piss!

Cats brew cat piss.

Then somewhere along the lines a person drank it


Sent from myPhone

 

[reeberom]

I'd try anything once. Cat piss beer, I wouldn't think twice. Sounds like I need to get a cat.

 

[reeberom]

Also, doesn't dank smell like a skunk? Or a Heineken for that matter.