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Author Topic: SMaSH Beers  (Read 8244 times)

Offline skyler

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SMaSH Beers
« on: November 15, 2010, 12:01:54 am »
The article inspired me - I brewed an all MO/Glacier bitter today (w/WLP002). I've had an an MO/Cascade IPA at a brewpub in Portland (Amnesia), but couldn't really tell what it was supposed to taste like since it was always SUPER CLOUDY and full of suspended yeast. Man, I wish that more brewpubs filtered their beers...

If it turns out good, I was thinking about brewing up an MO/Centennial APA (around 1.055 at 40 IBU). Anyone else tried something like that?

Offline dontblake

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Re: SMaSH Beers
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2010, 08:20:06 am »
I made a Maris Otter / Cascade SMASH yesterday.   I think I put a bit too much Cascade in as the hydrometer sample was rather hoppy, but we'll see after fermentation.   I'll let you know how it turns out.
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Offline dano14041

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Re: SMaSH Beers
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2010, 11:06:58 am »
This article caught my fancy too, but most of the recipes were for paler beers. what grains would/could you use for darker beers? Browns and/or Stouts? That could be interesting.  ;)
Tulsa, OK

Offline ryang

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Re: SMaSH Beers
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2010, 11:18:44 am »
as mentioned in the SMaSH thread in beer recipes, a dunkel with all dark munich and hallertau would be quite tasty.

stout... hmmm, 15lbs of roast barley should do it...

Offline skyler

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Re: SMaSH Beers
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2010, 06:12:10 pm »
This article caught my fancy too, but most of the recipes were for paler beers. what grains would/could you use for darker beers? Browns and/or Stouts? That could be interesting.  ;)

Well, you could brew 100% Munich or Vienna, but that's about it. I suppose technically you could brew with 100% Belgian Aromatic or 100% Brown Malt, but that would be pushing the diastatic abilities of those malts and there would be no guarantee of success.

In addition to Maris Otter and Golden Promise, I think 100% Optic, Halcyon, or Pearl would make a flavorful Bitter. Great Western Pale is probably just one of the "Pale" malts that can be used for that basic flavor profile. There are plenty of "English-style" domestic base malts, like Gambrinus ESB, Briess Ashburne Mild malt, there are probably more options that I am just not aware of. I am surprised that the article didn't go into much detail about a classic BoPils being generally 100% Pilsner Malt and 100% Saaz, but there are really more pilsner malt options  than I could count, each providing their own little something (perhaps a good test would be to brew several identical pilsners with different base malts, but I don't care for pilsners much, so I won't be doing that test).

Offline skyler

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Re: SMaSH Beers
« Reply #5 on: December 14, 2010, 03:42:47 pm »
My Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter and Glacier SMaSH bitter came out surprisingly neutral. What is surprising is that I used a pretty characterful yeast and got very little yeast presence (perhaps due to a lowish fermentation temperature). I used a lot of hops for the gravity (1.045), but the hop flavor and aroma are very restrained. And the color is more pale than anything I have brewed. This beer was always going to be bottled and given as a gift to my girlfriend's grandpa (who is a Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve man). I figured he would enjoy something low in alcohol, light in color, and just a little more flavorful than what he's used to. I was concerned that this recipe was going to be too "English" and too hoppy for him, but it is almost as neutral as a lager. I think Glacier is an even more neutral hop than Willamette or Mt. Hood. In the future, I plan to try this hop primarily for malt-forward beers. Here's the recipe:

Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter) 9lb 0oz (100.0 %) In Mash/Steeped

Hops
US Glacier (5.7 % alpha) 30 g Loose Whole Hops used 60 Min From End
US Glacier (5.7 % alpha) 30 g Loose Whole Hops used 20 Min From End
US Glacier (5.7 % alpha) 30 g Loose Whole Hops used 5 Min From End
US Glacier (5.7 % alpha) 30 g Loose Whole Hops used At turn off
US Glacier (5.7 % alpha) 30 g Loose Whole Hops used Dry-Hopped


Yeast: White Labs WLP002-English Ale (1L stir-plate starter)
OG 1.045, FG 1.011, 4.6% ABV
IBU ~35

Single Step Infusion (68C/154F) w/Mash-Out