i’ve been reading about “SMaSH” recipies lately and have been considering doing something like that. as usual, when i’ve got an idea in mind Zymurgy will have an article in the next addition. with that article in mind, does anyone have any additional trial-and-error or success-story tips they’d care to share with a SMaSH recipe?
i’m looking to highlight the grain with a mild hoppy accent rather than the other way around. sounds like Marris Otter is a popular choice for lighter pale ales and ipa’s, but without modifying any of the grain on my own, i’m wondering specifically what might work for a somewhat darker, sweeter ale (possibly even a lager - considering the cold michigan winters i’ve been enduring lately).
It usually is a success for me if I have the water right. I did do a SMASH with Perle. It tasted like I was drinking potting soil. I never noticed Perle’s “earthy-side” until it was used it at 60,20,10 and 5 in what constituted as an Amber ale. Used Briess 2-row. Cleared up after some conditioning or maybe I just got used to it…
So I guess my point is consider the entirety of a hop’s character. Nearly poured that beer out until I realized (pointed out to me) that the hops were making the beer taste that way.
I have been thinking about this as well. As it gets cooler here is northern Cali I might try something british for a change. I will be watching this thread for ideas from now on.
I am doing a 2 row (Briess I think, Have to look) and California Ivanhoe Barley wine. So I guess that is a SMaSH although I will be adding some maple syrup so maybe not
EDIT not briess, Gambrinus Pale Ale malt. so it’s canadian.
Also pulled a cascade SMaSH small beer from this mash
I haven’t noticed that with Perle hops yet, I don’t think. Although I have brewed an all Perle beer before, maybe I didn’t use enough.
By the way, has the sparkle in the dudes teeth in your avatar always been there? I JUST noticed it. I’m sure it does that in the good, the bad, and the ugly haha
MO is a great base malt and can be left all alone in the mash tun and the use of 007 is great with an English beer ;) I’ve never worked with Whitbread Goldings either. They don’t seem to be too easy to get.
One nice thing to try is toasting your Maris Otter – it tastes exactly like roasted peanuts! I think I put it in a 350 F oven for 20 minutes or something like that, and the peanut flavor, unintentional, was astounding. I wanted to have it taste more toasty, sort of like Munich, but instead it was distinctly peanutty. With it, I made an American IPA with (I believe) Cascade hops, and I enjoyed it very much. You can try toasting all sorts of base malts, and the flavors can be quite surprising. Just an idea if you get bored sometime.
The peanuttiness came through LOUD and clear in my IPA. No problem there at all – it was the perfect balance to all the hops.
Another thing I want to try sometime is a 100% rye malt beer. I’ve done 40% before, and it was nothing like I expected. It’s not spicy, but rather very thick and chewy, and gives the creamiest head and mouthfeel that I’ve ever experienced in my life. Goes great with Hallertauer hops. If I did it again, I’d mash low and slow at like 147 F for 90 minutes and use a highly attenuative yeast to get it as dry as possible so that you could taste the flavor of the rye more than just the mouthfeel of it, which to me is its most significant benefit. The flavor is bready and mild, not at all like I might have guessed based on everyone saying “it’s spicy”. No, it’s not, unless it’s coming from your German hops. I know a lot of people disagree with me, but try it for yourself sometime. You might be very surprised.
I agree with the Pilsner and Saaz, especially if you want to do something different. You could do a sort of Patersbier recipe and ferment it with a Belgian yeast, then you could have a really nice Belgian Table beer (particularly because of the complex nature of Belgian yeast)
