Maris Otter / Simcoe SMaSH

Next up is Maris Otter / Simcoe SMaSH.

As always, I’ll be using 12 lbs of grain (my standard for SMaSH beers).

I’ll be using “the rest” of my bag of simcoe hops.  I think it’s about 4 oz.  I will check the exact weight before starting, but the hops schedule will look something like this:

• 0.5 oz at 60
• 1 oz at 10
• 1 oz at 3
• 1 oz flameout

Whatever the remainder of the hops comes out to be, it will go in at flameout.

• OG: 1.060
• IBUs 47
• SRM 6
• ABV 6.2%

This will be my second maris otter smash.  My first one was quite tasty, but needed more hops.  I used willamette and didn’t really hop it enough.  I don’t think I’ll have the same problem with this much simcoe (much higher AA and much stronger flavor than willamette).  If anything, the simcoe might overwhelm, but I’ll take my chances on that!

I think I’ll use WLP029 yeast, East Midlands Ale Yeast, as I have some that I need to use.

UPDATE: starter made with WLP029.  Beer should be brewed within 3-4 days.

2-Row and Fuggles SMaSH

Made a SMaSH with just 12 lbs* 2-row and fuggles.  Used Nottingham yeast.  Boiled about a gallon of the first runnings for about an hour to increase malliard reactions, then boiled the whole thing longer than normal too (total boil was near three hours).

The funny thing was that I had “around” 5 oz or so of Fuggles (leaf), and wanted to use them up (to free up freezer space, I have two freezers that have a bunch of hops in both. LOL).  So I decided I was going to use them all no matter what.   Also, just to make it interesting, I decided NOT to use a scale.  I put a good handful in at first wort hops, then started tossing in a handful here, a handful there, starting at 15 minutes.  Most of it was added at around 8 minutes or less.  The funny thing is…

It will come out tasty. 🙂

I know.  I’m a rebel and I’ll never be any good.

I have various other SMaSH beers planned for the near future, including one I’ve already got the ingredients for, Maris Otter and Simcoe.  And I’ll definitely be brewing that petite saison again (probably identical grains, but this time use cascade hops).  And the Bravo/Munich smash was out of this world!  Gotta try some Vienna, some golden promise, and who knows what else in the future!

*I am using 12 lbs of grain for all my smash beers, just to “standardize.”  In my system this makes an approximately 6.0-6.2% ABV beer.