Let's talk about SMaSH, baby!

[EvilGnome6]

I understand the basic premise of a SMaSH recipe. Pick a single malt and a single hop and brew up a batch.

Since I'm buying hops in bulk, I'm beginning to realize that I won't be burning through some of this inventory fast enough before they go stale, even though they are stored in vacuum sealed jars in my freezer. Then it struck me: make some SMaSH brews and go hop happy.

That sounds simple enough but I don't have much experience with IPAs. I tend to brew nothing but Belgian ales so I'd like a little help picking a base malt and a yeast strain for a series of SMaSH recipes.

I have lots of Belgian Pilsner on hand but I don't think it would be a good base malt for a hoppy beer. I also have lots of Belgian yeast strains on hand but I'm really not too intrigued by the whole "Belgian IPA" concept. Those flavors really clash IMO and I don't think it's the point of a SMaSH which is to explore the malt and the hops.

The hops I have on hand are pretty varied:

Summit
Styrian Goldings
Hallertauer
Cascade
Hersbrucker
Magnum

So, if you were going to take on a series of hop heavy SMaSH recipes, what would you choose for the following:

1) Base Malt

2) Yeast

3) OG, IBU, BU:GU

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Well, I have only a little experience with SMASH's, but here are my thoughts on SMASH IPA's:

1. It depends: Are you looking to learn hop or malt profiles or both?
If you're making American IPA's to learn the different hop profiles, I would say your basic 2-row or pale-ale malt would be appropriate.
If you want to learn malts, use a variety, although, again with IPA's I would stick to basic 2-row, pale ale, maris otter, maybe some pilsner. The whole point is to experiment and learn right?

2. Something clean/neutral so it doesnt cover the flavors/aromas. see here :https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/cleanest-ale-yeast-158203/ , but the concensus seems to be US-05 or chico.

3. I think it's to your personal taste. I heard Mustafo on the BN say one day (and I'm paraphrasing), "it's easy to go extreme, to put too much of something in and overwhelm the beer. It's harder to make a balanced beer" My advice would be to shoot for the middle of the BJCP style guidelines, tweaking them to your personal taste and make a well-balanced beer.

Edit* - be mindful when using your hops (aroma/bittering/etc.). not every hop should be used in the same quantities or timing additions of course (regardless of BU's - I'm thinking flavors/aromas at this point).

 

[EvilGnome6]

1. It depends: Are you looking to learn hop or malt profiles or both?

I think initially I'd like to stick with a single base malt to learn the hop profiles. One variable at a time for now. Perhaps Pale Ale would be a better choice to provide enough body since I won't be adding any crystal malts?

2. Something clean/neutral so it doesnt cover the flavors/aromas. see here :https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/cleanest-ale-yeast-158203/ , but the concensus seems to be US-05 or chico.

Thanks for the pointer. I was debating between US-05 and Nottingham but it looks like US-05 would be the better choice for this.

My advice would be to shoot for the middle of the BJCP style guidelines, tweaking them to your personal taste and make a well-balanced beer.

That's good advice. Of course I'm tempted to create a crazy hop bomb but I'll practice restraint (at least initially ).

Edit* - be mindful when using your hops (aroma/bittering/etc.). not every hop should be used in the same quantities or timing additions of course (regardless of BU's - I'm thinking flavors/aromas at this point).

Yes. My plan was to keep the bittering addition small (.5 - 1 oz at 60 min) and then burst the late additions to bring out flavor/aroma: one addition between 15-20 minutes, one addition between 5-10 minutes and a final at flameout. I might even leave out the 60 minute addition and make a bigger one at 30 minutes instead.

 

[electric_beer]

12lbs Briess Vienna Malt
3oz (FWH) 1oz (20) 1oz (5) 2oz (DH) Styrian Goldings
Yeast: US-05
Mash 155 for 60
OG. 1.063 FG. ~1.016 IBU. 51 ABV. 6.1%

Maybe?

 

[DrinksWellWithOthers]

I'm planning on an onslaught of 1 gallon SMaSH brews once I start putting a dent in my current inventory. One series will use Canadian pale malt, another with Marris Otter, some with US 2 row and lastly a couple with Vienna. I'll be using US05 with all of these and shooting for 40-50 IBUs.

 

[jmick]

I think if you're gonna make these on the hoppy side, you'll want to use a base malt with a bit more substance to stand up to and balance out the hop bitterness and flavor. Maris Otter, Golden Promise, even Vienna would all be good choices.

 

[EvilGnome6]

Hmmm... How about Belgian Pale Ale malt? After some poking around it seems Belgian Pale Ale is very similar to Maris Otter.

I use quite of bit of it in my other Belgian recipes so I could start buying it in bulk to use in SMaSH recipes as well.

 

[dcp27]

If you wanted to take a break from all the SMASH IPAs, you could probably do a SMASH tripel with your belgian pils and styrian goldings. not sure if that works without candi sugar though.

edit: you won't really learn anything about the hops, but with the high OG and low AA it'd help you get rid of a good chunk and make something different

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Hmmm... How about Belgian Pale Ale malt? After some poking around it seems Belgian Pale Ale is very similar to Maris Otter.

I use quite of bit of it in my other Belgian recipes so I could start buying it in bulk to use in SMaSH recipes as well.

Not exactly the cheapest malt to experiment with, but would make for some great beers. And, guess not that expensive if you're buying bulk.

If you wanted to take a break from all the SMASH IPAs, you could probably do a SMASH tripel with your belgian pils and styrian goldings. not sure if that works without candi sugar though.

edit: you won't really learn anything about the hops, but with the high OG and low AA it'd help you get rid of a good chunk and make something different

Great idea! And, if you really want to knock down your inventory, you can double the batch and send a growler or two to all the helpful souls on this post. Hey! How else are you going to know if you're doing it right?!?

 

[EvilGnome6]

Not exactly the cheapest malt to experiment with, but would make for some great beers. And, guess not that expensive if you're buying bulk.

Looking at my LHBS, Belgian Pale Ale is 20 cents/lb cheaper than Maris Otter and 10 cents/lb more than US Pale. Not bad at all. They also give me a discount for buying bulk and unmilled. This is looking like the one.

Great idea! And, if you really want to knock down your inventory, you can double the batch and send a growler or two to all the helpful souls on this post. Hey! How else are you going to know if you're doing it right?!?

Ha! I'm actually trying to get something other than Belgians in rotation with the SMaSH thing.

 

[EvilGnome6]

Alright, I've sketched this one out as my first SMaSH:

Summit SMaSH
Beer Style: American IPA
Recipe Type: All Grain

malt and fermentables

12 LB Belgian Pale Ale

hops

60 mins 0.5 oz. Summit
15 mins 0.5 oz. Summit
5 mins 0.5 oz. Summit
1 min 1.0 oz. Summit

yeast

Wyeast American Ale (1056) info

Original Gravity: 1.072
Final Gravity: 1.018
Color: 6° SRM / 11° EBC
Bitterness: 55.8 IBU
BU:GU: 0.77
Alcohol: 7.2% A.B.V.

 

[electric_beer]

Sounds pretty tasty to me!!

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Yeah. I would definitely partake.

 

[Ketchepillar]

What are you planning on mashing at? I think you would have to mash pretty high to get a base malt only beer to finish at that gravity with 1056. Since it is only base malt, you may want to mash higher than normal to get some body and character out of it, but if you want to stay true to its IPAness, you wanna mash low. I'd split the difference and mash at 152F and expect a FG closer to 1.013.

 

[EvilGnome6]

What are you planning on mashing at? I think you would have to mash pretty high to get a base malt only beer to finish at that gravity with 1056. Since it is only base malt, you may want to mash higher than normal to get some body and character out of it, but if you want to stay true to its IPAness, you wanna mash low. I'd split the difference and mash at 152F and expect a FG closer to 1.013.

Oh, that's just the FG prediction from Beer Calculus. I have no idea what kind of attenuation to expect with 1056. I was planning on mashing around 153F which seemed to be about average for most of the IPA recipes I looked at.

 

[EvilGnome6]

The wheels are in motion. I stopped by the LHBS today and picked up a 55 lb bag of Belgian Pale Ale (Castle) and a packet of Wyeast 1056. It might be a few weeks before I get the first SMaSH done but I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

The wheels are in motion. I stopped by the LHBS today and picked up a 55 lb bag of Belgian Pale Ale (Castle) and a packet of Wyeast 1056. It might be a few weeks before I get the first SMaSH done but I'm looking forward to it.

Not to overload you right now, but why don't you set yourself up and brew 4 diff Smash's over one weekend? That way, you can sample them side by side at the same time and have the beers be aged approx the same.

I actually have a dream of setting some kind of record by brewing as many diff styles as possible in the shortest amount of time possible. Like every BA/BJCP North American Style in 24 hrs... It makes me giddy thinking about it!

 

[EvilGnome6]

Not to overload you right now, but why don't you set yourself up and brew 4 diff Smash's over one weekend? That way, you can sample them side by side at the same time and have the beers be aged approx the same.

That's a cool idea but I can't even imagine how much work that would be.

 

[EvilGnome6]

Summit SMaSH
Beer Style: American IPA
Recipe Type: All Grain

malt and fermentables

12 LB Belgian Pale Ale

hops

60 mins 0.5 oz. Summit
15 mins 0.5 oz. Summit
5 mins 0.5 oz. Summit
1 min 1.0 oz. Summit

yeast

Wyeast American Ale (1056)

Brewed this one up yesterday. OG came out to 1.067 and it had a nice krausen going this morning.

 

[Skrimpy]

Brewed this one up yesterday. OG came out to 1.067 and it had a nice krausen going this morning.

You last posted in March. How did this thing turn out?