A year of SMaSH

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InTheBasement

InTheBasement

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I have decided that this year I am going to buy a 50 pound sack (or 2) of base malt and just make beer from that one malt. I will make SMaSH beers all year, changing only the hops and the yeast. I hope this will be a banner year for my learning process. So I am open to ideas as to the malt to use. I want the beers to be flavorful, but not heavy. Golden ales, I guess I would have to say.I was thinking maybe Munich, or Vienna? Opinions?
 
I just did my first ever SMASH and used Vienna/mosaic. Certainly a light body and mouthfeel. Its good but It feels like its missing something. I don't know that I'll be doing another SMASH but more power to ya for getting the feel for each grain and hops. Most here will agree Vienna is a great Smash grain and would be a good place to start.
 
If this were me, I would choose a solid English pale ale malt. Munich/Vienna will get old fast, and will not be suitable for many styles. I suggest English because it's got more character than your basic Briess 2 row, and is completely appropriate for all English styles... plus will not get in the way for American styles. There is so much territory between those two universes, you have plenty to keep you busy.

An alternative is pilsner. With that you can explore German and Belgian styles, with yeast adding interest on the Belgian side, and your technique making the difference on the German side since pale lagers and Kolsch are in scope with just one malt.
 
I know some have done SMaSH's with Maris Otter as the malt too. They have turned out really good! So don't rule out MO.

I think that is a great idea! I was thinking about how I am going to try to do a lot of SMaSH brews this year since I have a lot of different hops in my freezer, so this would help me identify the hop flavor and aromas betters. Good luck and take good notes. This way when the end of the year comes around, you can refer back to the notes to recall what you gathered from the SMaSH's do you did earlier in the year.
 
Maris Otter counts (to me) as a solid English pale ale malt, as does Golden Promise, Optic, Halcyon, and products labeled "pale ale" from Crisp, Fawcett, etc. Some of those are slightly less pale than others - in the 3L range - and you certainly can't go wrong with MO.
 
I'm doing some SMaSh beers this year as well. So far I've done Munich/Hallertau lager with a decoction mash, next I want to try a few other German lager and ale styles.. maybe a SMaSh Altbier with some of the munich toasted for color (if that still counts).

I also plan on doing some Pilsner and Maris Otter SMaSh beers to really understand their character better, as well as perfect my mashing techniques.
 
i also want to do some smash beers this year, but a 50lb sack wouldn't last me that long, lol. I use alot of vienna and munich malts in pale ales and hefeweizens, but I personally plan to choose either maris otter or golden promise for smashing. I agree that it is a great tool for learning.
 
I've done SMaSHes with Briess 2-row, Vienna, Munich, Pilsner malt, MO, Pearl, RedX...they're all good, in their own way...

However, I have to say, I think my favorite SMaSHes were done using plain old Briess American 2 row pale malt....
 
InTheBasement said:
I have decided that this year I am going to buy a 50 pound sack (or 2) of base malt and just make beer from that one malt. I will make SMaSH beers all year, changing only the hops and the yeast. I hope this will be a banner year for my learning process. So I am open to ideas as to the malt to use. I want the beers to be flavorful, but not heavy. Golden ales, I guess I would have to say.I was thinking maybe Munich, or Vienna? Opinions?
Click to expand...

I love the dedication!

I am looking forward to making a few SMaSH as well to improve my process, though im not ready to commit to a full year.

I would really like to see this thread continue throughout the year with your experiences.
 
I will update it regularly. Once I decide on a malt, I will make a beer. Presently my fermentation fridge is occupied by a lager, and will remain that way until Jan 21st. So probably on the 28th I will make a new brew. Perhaps I will do it on the 21st. Not sure.
 
That's a fantastic plan. I have an idea to (someday) do a series of Pils/Saaz SMaSH brews: BoPils, Helles, German Pils, Dortmunder Export, Saison, Patersbier, Trippel...I guess what I'm saying is that pils malt can be quite versatile.


One of my most successful beers was a SMaSH AIPA with 2-row and a pound of Centennial. I boiled about the first gallon of runnings down to maybe a quart of syrup, holding the mash at temp all the while. Once I limited my range in terms of malt and hop bills, I really discovered a lot in the way of technique. Have fun!
 
fantastic idea, that will really help you get to know not only the process better but the flavour characteristics of the particular malt and each hop you choose.

Out of curiosity what hops are you planning on going with? a mix of new and old world hops?

I have done quite a few smash recipes to date, my favourite was probably my Maris Otter and EKG, light, easy drinking, not to strong of a malt or hop flavour. very quaffable.

Then again I did a real nice Maris Otter and Galaxy beer, big flavour of peach, mango and quite a bitter beer also.
 
Personally I'd go Maris Otter. I did a MO / Simcoe pale ale and couldn't believe how good that tasted. Just ordered myself a sack and plan to do some more SMaSH beers with different hops and a few lagers for good measure.

Is it cheating to take some Maris Otter and toast it up in your oven to give it a bit more colour? Would be cool to knock out a single-malt porter :D
 
If this were me doing this for a year, I would go with a sack of Golden Promise and Pilsner. Golden Promise, in my opinion, is a good alternative to MO. It's not as bready/toasty and is a little sweeter. I'm interested to follow this thread and see some of your results!
 
I have not made any decisions yet on the ingredients. I am leaning toward munich or vienna, but have not made any choices of hops of yeast yet. I have basically, exclusively used dry yeast for my brews, and will likely continue that, although I may venture into the liquid realm at some point. I think I am going to go with hops varieties that I have never used before so I can start to build mu experience.
 
A 50 pound sack would only get me about 4 brews, so switch up on the base malts also. I would do Maris Otter until it ran out, then try something else.
 
I haven't brewed a SMaSH yet myself, but a local brewery here in Houston called Lone Pint Brewery is well known for their Yellow Rose SMaSH. They use german pilsner with mosaic and it's phenomenal. I think the pilsner malt lends just enough maltiness to give it body, but it leaves a lot of room for the hop profile to come through.
 
I can't see a year without Browns, Porters, Stouts. I always have at least one dark beer on hand. Actually, thinking about it, I brew darker beers more often than APAs and IPAs.
 
If it was me, I'd go with Maris Otter.

While I like 2 row if I'm trying out a new hop, I find that Maris Otter gives me a great balance between hops and maltiness. In addition, I think that MO is a tad bit sweeter than 2 row, which helps give a little complexity to the beer.
 
OK, I'm going with the munich. Hoping to brew this coming Sunday. I got a mill in December and just put it together this past weekend. Mounted it on the base yesterday and I am ready to crush. I have it set to.032 . Does that sound like a good setting, or should I go closer to .040.
 
As per the recommendation of a hbt'er a few years back i tried my first smash a munich/saaz, i think i used s-05 but it turned out good!
 
If you may purchase 2 sack of grain, why not get two types of base malt? BTW, I brewed a Maris Otter mosaic that was really good and will do it again for my summer ale. What ever you decide keep your tasting notes for future brew ideas and enjoy.
 
Hoppy2bmerry, where on LI do you live? I'm in Deer Park. I have made the decision to do SMaSH brews for the near future with one malt type, just for a learning experience.
 
OK, change in plans on the malt. I went to myLHBS on Friday. I was going to get a 55 lb sack of Munich, but they did not have it. So I went with a 55 lb sack of Maris Otter. Made my first SMaSH of the year. 12 lb of Maris otter, and UK Kent Golding hops. 1 OZ at 60, 1 at 30, 1 at 15. My expected OG was 1.062, I hit 1.061. Not too shabby. My mill gap is set to .045. I got a great crush with my new mill! Awesome! Can't wait to make the next brew.
 
New brew happening this weekend. 12 lb of Maris otter, and German Hull Mellon hops. 1 OZ at 60, 1 at 15, 1 at 5. I can't wait to do a comparison between the last one and this one.
 
My first SMaSH was a MO/Challenger brew that was amazing.
The MO I feel almost lends a buttery flavor which I loved!
I brewed three batches of that SMaSH experimenting with habanero additions and have ended up with a really drinkable beer.
This year I am going to dial down the MO to around %75 of the grist and I have some new hops that I got a great end of the year deal on that supposedly have a spicy flavor!
 
Good call on the MO. Lot of hop options. I did a SMaSH recently with Golden Promise and Chinook. A little more bread/biscuit than MO, but the bready and bitter together... wow.
 
I can't take full credit on "choosing" the MO. I was gonna get the Munich, but they did not have it in the 55 lb sack. But I think it's all gonna work out for the best.
 
Did the second of three SMaSH brews this morning. 6 hours from wake up to cleaned up and yeast pitched. I think that's a pretty good hit. All complete by noon. I now have 10 gallons in two fermenters going. One brewed last Saturday and one today. I think I will give it a break next weekend and not brew. Then again, can I resist the urge? I don't know. I am so excited to try three brews side by side that differ only in the hops variety.
 
InTheBasement said:
Did the second of three SMaSH brews this morning. 6 hours from wake up to cleaned up and yeast pitched. I think that's a pretty good hit. All complete by noon. I now have 10 gallons in two fermenters going. One brewed last Saturday and one today. I think I will give it a break next weekend and not brew. Then again, can I resist the urge? I don't know. I am so excited to try three brews side by side that differ only in the hops variety.
Click to expand...


If you can brew next weekend i would, brewing more consistently you'll be nailing those numbers and churn out better beers for comparison cheers! [emoji482]
 
Hi, stumbled on this thread while planning a SMASH (German Pils/Saaz) lager. How'd your beers make out?
 
My favorite IPA is a modified SMaSH. MO and Amerallio....Dry hop with Amerallio and Citra. Ferment with 05 and mash at 148....So good! I
 

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