SMaSH question

[JTOVERMOHLE]

Hello all....hoping to do a Maris Otter SMaSH this week. I will be using Lemondrop hops, unless my Wakatu shows up before it says it will.....my question is, I want a <15 IBU beer. Is it ok just to use the hops as a 5 min addition and not use any for bittering for the 60 min? BF shows a higher than I want IBU if I use either one as a bittering hop. Just want the flavor of either the lemon or the lime to be slightly present in the final product. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ChiknNutz]

The amount of bittering is generally just a function of time in the boil. Simply adjust the time until you reach the desired IBU.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I have only used Lemondrop a few times myself. I find that it adds more of a lemon aroma than a lemon taste (though flavor is a combo of both smell and taste). Given that character, I suspect it is more useful as a very late boil hop or a dry hop. I probably would not use Lemondrop as a 60 min addition.

What you describe sounds like a fine plan.

 

[JTOVERMOHLE]

I have only used Lemondrop a few times myself. I find that it adds more of a lemon aroma than a lemon taste (though flavor is a combo of both smell and taste). Given that character, I suspect it is more useful as a very late boil hop or a dry hop. I probably would not use Lemondrop as a 60 min addition.

What you describe sounds like a fine plan.

Thanks. Just looking for something suttle. Any experience with wakatu? Supposedly gives off a lime flavor/smell. I'm fairly sure I'll just do a 5 min late hop addition on 2.5# maris otter. I think it may come in around 7%. Not necessarily a lawnmower beer, unless i crank down the MO to get it around 5%

Thanks for the reply!

 

[cmac62]

If it was me I'd bitter to the IBU with a different hop and then do FO and DH with the flavor hops you are interested in.

 

[JTOVERMOHLE]

If it was me I'd bitter to the IBU with a different hop and then do FO and DH with the flavor hops you are interested in.

Wouldn't that defeat the whole principle of a SMaSH tho??

 

[cmac62]

Generally you don't get any flavor out of a 60 min hop addition, but technically yes it would not be a SMASH, but what you are really interested in is what does Lemondrop or Motuka taste and smell like. Again, I'd use like .5 oz citra or something to bitter and the other hops at FO and DH.

 

[JTOVERMOHLE]

I'll punch it into BF and see what I come up with. Thanks for your thoughts!!

 

[CascadesBrewer]

If it was me I'd bitter to the IBU with a different hop and then do FO and DH with the flavor hops you are interested in.

I almost typed this earlier but then the "I want a <15 IBU beer" thing made me wonder how much would be needed.

With a 30-50 IBU beer, I would say that you would likely get a better evaluation of the hop flavors and aroma using a generic bittering hop (I tend to use Columbus/CTZ or Warrior...Magnum is a popular one as well). While there might be some validity in evaluating the bittering character of a hop, I would never see myself using Lemondrop or Motuka as a bittering hop in a real batch.

 

[JTOVERMOHLE]

I finally got to bottling my SMaSH today. Used MO/Wakatu. 1/4 oz at 20 min, 10 min and 1/2 oz at 5 min. 3.5 gallon batch and came in at just shy of 18 IBU and 4%.

Drinking what didn't fit in the bottle uncarbed and slightly frozen. It tastes like ill consume a few on a hot summer day...maybe with a splash of fresh lime.

 

[lumbergh]

What flavors/aromas are you getting from these hops? I have some but haven't used them yet.

 

[JTOVERMOHLE]

What flavors/aromas are you getting from these hops? I have some but haven't used them yet.

So I just cracked open the first one last night after 2 weeks of bottle carb. It tastes quite a bit more hoppy than I anticipated. I didn't get the lime that i thought maybe would come through. I'm not a hoppy beer kinda guy so im a little disappointed in this one. And from my few batches of beer I have made, it tastes, to me anyway, like a slightly less strong version of el dorado. Its not a bad beer, just not what I expected. Going to drink the next one with a lime wedge and see if i can pull a little of that flavor out of them. As others suggested above, maybe combo them with a citra hop to get more of those notes.

 

[cmac62]

Is the hoppy flavor or bitterness? Also, it is hard not to oxidize the subtle hop flavors when bottling. You may want to look into using trifecta (Brewtan B, Asorbic Acid and Kmeta) to at least give the hops a chance.

 

[JTOVERMOHLE]

I think it is hoppy flavor. I wish I could be more helpful, but my virgin-esque hop palette is no where near what it could be in the future. I've never heard of the trifecta, but i will definitely look into it. I'll have another batch ready to bottle in a week or so.