New member doing first BIAB SMaSH

[MrClint]

I will be taking a stab at this fairly simple recipe this weekend. What could possibly go wrong besides everything or some little part?

This brew doesn't have a name as such, but I assume it to be an ale of sorts. I have all the parts and ingredients ready to go, with one remaining question:
I have 2lb of Munich malt, why not just use it all instead of the 1.6lb called for in the recipe? More is more better, right?

 

[Sammy86]

This brew doesn't have a name as such, but I assume it to be an ale of sorts. I have all the parts and ingredients ready to go, with one remaining question:
I have 2lb of Munich malt, why not just use it all instead of the 1.6lb called for in the recipe? More is more better, right?

More is going to raise the OG so I would make sure to run the recipe through a recipe program or google sheet and see what kind of Abv you're going to get.

 

[MrClint]

I'm going to stick to the recipe. I can make adjustments based on the flavors later on. It's a one gallon brew to determine if I like this beer. I can make it with different malts and hops on other brews. This will be my starting point.

 

[Sammy86]

I'm going to stick to the recipe. I can make adjustments based on the flavors later on. It's a one gallon brew to determine if I like this beer. I can make it with different malts and hops on other brews. This will be my starting point.

Ok, well good luck none the less!

 

[MrClint]

Ok, well good luck none the less!

Thanks! Yeah, the cool thing about just starting out is that I have no preconceived expectations -- other than I expect this recipe and method to work to a lesser or greater degree of drinkability. I'm not even a beer purist. I like to drink a cold Corona after mowing the lawn, that's about the extent of my exploration. Here I am having bottled up some Hefeweizen this morning, and brewing this recipe from above as we speak.

 

[RM-MN]

I will be taking a stab at this fairly simple recipe this weekend. What could possibly go wrong besides everything or some little part?

This brew doesn't have a name as such, but I assume it to be an ale of sorts. I have all the parts and ingredients ready to go, with one remaining question:
I have 2lb of Munich malt, why not just use it all instead of the 1.6lb called for in the recipe? More is more better, right?

Without brewing the recipe first (hard to do when you haven't done one) you don't know what brewhouse efficiency to expect so the amount of grain needed is unknown. Best to start by following the recipe and check what your Original Gravity turns out to be and see how that compares to the recipe. I'd even suggest you do the first 3 recipes as written, then adjust the grain as needed to be able to match what the recipe expects.

 

[MrClint]

I'm crazy enough to taste a pinch of malt grains after creating the wort, and took a nibble out of a Tettnang pellet. No bad flavors on the ingredients going in. That said, I wouldn't want to gargle a mouth full of any type of hops. I'm optimistic so far. The wort is on the boil right now. I'm beginning to doubt that a full hour of boil is really needed. I guess it could serve to reduce the liquid a bit more? I'll hang with it and see how it goes. At least with beer there's a fairly quick turnaround.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Thanks for the video. Really good judgement on those things that can be left out to facilitate a quick and simple brew.

 

[MrClint]

Thanks for the video. Really good judgement on those things that can be left out to facilitate a quick and simple brew.

Yeah, he seemed to simplify things in an easy to follow manner. Having now put the wort in the fermentor, I'd say that the process was highly doable and it felt like actually brewing real beer.

I tasted the finished wort and it was pretty bitter, maybe the hops are just the first thing to hit the palate, but the underlying sweetness of the malt was present. We will have to wait and see how it goes from here.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Yeah, he seemed to simplify things in an easy to follow manner. Having now put the wort in the fermentor, I'd say that the process was highly doable and it felt like actually brewing real beer.

I tasted the finished wort and it was pretty bitter, maybe the hops are just the first thing to hit the palate, but the underlying sweetness of the malt was present. We will have to wait and see how it goes from here.

To me the bitterness of the wort isn’t like the end result after the beer has fermented, meaning hop bitterness in beer is much more pleasant. That’s the one criticism that I would offer. If you’re going to throw all the hops in at once, I would throw them in at 10 minutes to the end of the boil, that way you get the nice dank/floral/citrusy flavors that a hop has to offer.

 

[MrClint]

To me the bitterness of the wort isn’t like the end result after the beer has fermented, meaning hop bitterness in beer is much more pleasant. That’s the one criticism that I would offer. If you’re going to throw all the hops in at once, I would throw them in at 10 minutes to the end of the boil, that way you get the nice dank/floral/citrusy flavors that a hop has to offer.

Criticism, constructive or otherwise, is always welcome. Nothing that I say or do at this point changes anything. These are observations to help understand the process, kind of like reading street signs along the highway. I hear you, changing the hop timings is certainly on the table.

If this recipe leads to a good and drinkable beer, is it repeatable and can I make it consistently good?

Beer is a living thing (certainly at this stage of the process):

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

Criticism, constructive or otherwise, is always welcome. Nothing that I say or do at this point changes anything. These are observations to help understand the process, kind of like reading street signs along the highway. I hear you, changing the hop timings is certainly on the table.

If this recipe leads to a good and drinkable beer, is it repeatable and can I make it consistently good?

Beer is a living thing (certainly at this stage of the process):

I do think your beer will be excellent. Please let us know how it comes out.

 

[MrClint]

I do think your beer will be excellent. Please let us know how it comes out.

I hope you are right! I will keep you posted. It's bubbling away right now and smelling really nice. The cool thing about beer is that I will find out soon enough -- and the cool thing about it being only a gallon is that it won't flood out the compost bin (worst case).

 

[MrClint]

OK, this one is bottled up. Took a nip from the beginning and at the end. It's cloudy, which isn't really a concern. Tasty, some hop bitterness comes through. Smells like beer. No "off" flavors or smells. My palate needs some work. I know just how to fix that -- drink more beer!!

 

[MrClint]

To bring things full circle, this beer came out OK, drinkable, but it didn't really move the needle for me. The carbonation was on point, but the aroma and beer-y-ness was lacking. All of the hops are added all at once and that's probably the biggest issue. I don't want to tweak around with it to make it work better. I'm moving on to the SMaSH recipe in the "Brew Better Beer" book by Emma Christensen. She is using pale ale malt and a hop schedule that would showcase the hops a bit better (I think).

 

[McKnuckle]

I will offer that your schedule is a bit rushed. Totally understand the impatience of course! If I'm reading correctly, you bottled 12 days after fermentation started (not a problem), and you are drinking it 12 days after that (a bit premature).

First, aim to clarify the beer before bottling, even if you don't really care, as it will help with conditioning. And give it 14 days minimum, 21 days optimal, to carbonate at warm temps. And then 2-3 weeks beyond that for cold conditioning... and THEN, finally, you can judge it more accurately as a finished product. Beer really changes for the better in the first month after it's fully carbonated and cold.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

he SMaSH recipe in the "Brew Better Beer" book by Emma Christensen. She is using pale ale malt and a hop schedule that would showcase the hops a bit better (I think).

If it's the Amarillo SMaSH recipe, for those following along, hops are @60 (bittering addition), @20 (flavoring addition), and @0 (aroma addition).

FWIW, IMO, it's a solid (and traditional) approach for adding hops.

Note that cool down time (from flame-out to around 140F) will have an impact on the outcome of the @0 addition.

 

[MrClint]

If it's the Amarillo SMaSH recipe, for those following along, hops are @60 (bittering addition), @20 (flavoring addition), and @0 (aroma addition).

Yes, that's the one but I'm starting with cascade hops, which according to my "poking around" is a direct replacement for Amarillo. I've grown fond of Sierra Nevada PA, which is Cascade hoppy. I will start a new thread when I kick off this brew.

Note that cool down time (from flame-out to around 140F) will have an impact on the outcome of the @0 addition.

Good to know. I use three huge ice packs that bring the temps down fairly quickly.

 

[RM-MN]

Yes, that's the one but I'm starting with cascade hops, which according to my "poking around" is a direct replacement for Amarillo.

Yes, Cascade is a direct replacement for Amarillo, just as a grapefruit is the exact replacement for an orange. Well, they ARE both citrus fruits.

 

[MrClint]

@McKnuckle, good call out! It was a fairly early taste test. It could probably use a couple more weeks of bottle conditioning as you suggest. Even so, I'm not sure this is the SMaSH recipe that I want to work with long term. It seems rather specific and is more introductory than anything else. It did help me catch the brewing bug though. I'm ramping up to brew some Cascade SMaSH beer following the "Brew Better Beer" Amarillo SMaSH recipe.

 

[BrewZer]

Remember the Jim Croce song, "Time In A Bottle"?

And you thought it was about love and memories...

 

[MrClint]

Shout outs to @McKnuckle & @BrewZer, giving it a little more time seemed to really help this brew. The wife and I enjoyed this along with some homemade burgers tonight. So much for snap (early) judgements