BeerBorg

I never tried to make my own recipe. Since I'm the only drinker of beer in house, a 5er mistake takes a long time to drink. I know how to adjust recipes for my tastes, and to correct problems.

With my recent harvest of hops, I wanted to try something simple to showcase the hops, like a SMaSH Pale Ale. Never did one before. I have 2 1/2 ozs. of Centennial available to make a 5er. My focus will be on flavor and aroma, with balance of malt and bitterness. I'm not making a light easy drinking brew, I want some body to it, as it will be a fall drinker. I can figure out the amounts and process, but was looking for advise on the grain. Rahr 2 row is pretty much all I've used as the bulk of my grainbill, so I'm not familiar with any others, and with my hopes of doing a SMaSH, don't want to use the wrong grain, if there is such a thing for a Pale Ale...

Any help would be appreciated...

Personally, if I want a bit more malt character in my pales, I use Maris Otter or Golden Promise. I also throw in some Vienna or Biscuit. Munich is my other friend. Some combination of those give me the maltier profile I'm looking for. You have enough enzymatic activity in Maris Otter and Golden Promise is enough to get you by. The others may need a blend with 2-row or MO/GP.

Agree with swenocha on the Munich and or the Biscuit.

I've also started using more Aromatic for a maltier backbone.

Same here Munich is most of my pales and/or ipas

So Maris Otter or Munich would be good choices for a SMaSH? I"m still on the fence doing a SMaSH, nothing can hide in them I guess... but, how will I learn then...

I did a maris otter, falconers flight SMaSH that came out pretty good. Give it a go!

If it's a SMaSH you want with a strong malt presence, I would say Marris Otter and whatever hops you have the most of , OR are most curious about!

mtsoxfan wrote:So Maris Otter or Munich would be good choices for a SMaSH? I"m still on the fence doing a SMaSH, nothing can hide in them I guess... but, how will I learn then...

Maris Otter, or it's brother Golden Promise, would be good choices. It has enough diastatic power to convert. Munich has less diastatic power, and should have enough (30L is the number I understand that is the target), but I always err on the side of a higher lintner number, so I always cut it with something else (esp if I have the higher SRM version).

Here are some numbers:

■American 2 Row Pale Malt: 140 °L
■American 6 Row Pale Malt: 160 °L
■British Pale Malts: 40-70 °L
■Maris Otter Pale Malt: 120 °L
■Belgian Pale Malt (2 row): 60 °L
■German Pilsner Malt: 110 °L
■Munich Malt (10 SRM): 70 °L
■Munich Malt (20 SRM): 25 °L
■Vienna Malt: 50 °L
■Wheat Malt, German: 60-90 °L
■Wheat, Unmalted (flaked, Torrified): 0 °L
■Crystal Malt (all): 0 °L
■Chocolate Malt: 0°L
■Black Patent Malts: 0 °L

Using the calculation Lintner_for_batch = Σ(lintner_for_grain * weight_of_grain) / (total_batch_grain_weight), you can use these numbers to calculate your recipes anticipated diastatic power. I usually shoot for much more than 30L, and if I'm using Munich or Vienna, for instance, I nearly always cut it with 2row or 6row, but it should get the job done anyway. I like using 6row simply because its number is so much higher. It also gives a slightly more grainy flavor (IMHO) than 2row. YMMV