SmaSh recipe critique/advice

[teej_810]

I entered my SmaSh vienna/galaxy into a couple competitions under American Pale Ale category. It scored anywhere from a 30-33 on all score sheets and I need some help on how to fix some of the common flaws that were mentioned. The most common comments were:
1. needs more malt flavor/complexity
2. needs more balance between hops and malt
3. good hop aroma, but a little high in bitterness and not enough flavor in to last in the end.

So I love this hop and malt combo and want to stick with it since it's simple and tastes great. I think adding more malt/hop balance will bring out more of the malt character and add hop flavor. Here is what I'm thinking of altering in my original recipe below.

1. Take .25 oz hops from the 60 min additon and add it to the 5 min. addition.
2. Add 2lbs US 2-row and bring the vienna amount down to 9 lbs.

Original Recipe (Beersmith):

11 lbs vienna
.5 oz galaxy @60 min
.5 oz @ 15 min
.5oz @ 5 min
dry hop .5 oz for 3 days
WLP001 California Ale

OG 1.045
IBU 40
mashed @ 153 for 90 min.
Batch sparged


Will adding 2-row add more malt complexity? Or can I get the same effect by adjusting my hops for a lower IBU and lower IBU:GU ratio?

Will a lower BU:GU ration bring out the malt character more?

Am I right to take more hops from the beginning of the boil and put them more to the end to take some bitterness away and add more hop flavor?

Thanks for your help and cheers!

 

[thaymond]

Adding 2 row will not help, but a little Munich could help in your malt complexity. I've just been converted to using Munich in my ipa/APA malt bills. Its so tasty!

10 lbs Vienna, 1 lbs Munich 10
Keep hop schedule as is.

Just a humble suggestion. It sounds super tasty as is though!

 

[motorneuron]

APAs are a bit trickier than people give credit for--in some ways, I think they're harder to do well than an IPA. You have less gravity and hops to hide behind, so you need to balance it well.

I also think that a SMaSH is not necessarily a good competition beer. SMaSH is designed to be easy to brew, clean, a good vehicle for learning about malts and hops--but not necessarily the way to make the best beer. So you could suffer when you go against beers that have a little more complexity. This is not to dig on SMaSH, which has many virtues; I just don't think you're guaranteed to make your best beer that way.

Back to the question, though. APAs tend to go in one of two directions: either more toasty, or more caramel/"malty." The former is like Sierra Nevada; the latter is common. You could go either way by adding a little to your grain bill: some Munich (2 lbs), a little crystal 40 or 60 (half a pound), some aromatic or victory (half a pound), some biscuit (half a pound). These additions will help to round out your malt profile. You could also use a little wheat, whether malted or flaked, which helps give body to a lower-gravity beer.

As for hops, you might find it helpful to pick another hop that has a complementary or related flavor profile. I do think you want more overall hops, though, even if you just stick with galaxy. 40 IBUs is a little high for a relatively low-gravity beer.

Other overall recipe comments: you might want to up the OG to 1.050-1.055 range. That will leave a little more body and residual sweetness, which could also help increase your perception of the Vienna. If you increase the OG, you can keep your 40 IBUs. Also, add some more flavor hops--don't deduct from the bittering, but rather just increase your flavor or aroma hop additions to get a bit more hop presence. These should address some of the judges' comments.