I want to brew several batches of a very simple, plain, yet tasty, SMaSH ale as I revisit my basic brewing techniques: mash temp control, good mashing and sparging technique, fermentation temperature control, sanitation, good bottle conditioning, etc. Is this a pretty good recipe? If you were to tweak it, what would you change?
Brew day 4/14, bottling day 5/ 5, ready day 5/26
Target batch size: 5.5 gal, 70% efficiency
Projected original gravity: 1.052, projected final gravity: 1.013
Projected: 5.1% alcohol by volume, bitterness 15.6 IBU, color 3.9 SRM, 172 calories per 12 oz. serving
11 lbs. Briess 2-row brewers malt, single infusion mash, 1 hour at 154 degrees F, 1.25 thickness
1 oz. Willamette hop pellets, 4.9%AA, 60 min.
Safale S-05 yeast, primed per instructions, fermented at 62 degrees F
Thats a beer I’d drink. Its not going to be very complex but I bet it will be tasty. Sometimes simple is better. I might add another .5 willamette or cascade around 20 minutes or something. Up the aroma a bit?
I wouldn’t use a regular two-row pale malt for a single-malt beer. I’ve done it and it’s just boring, IMHO. I’d go with something a little darker kilned. Something like a pale ale (3-4 SRM) malt, a UK cultivar like Maris Otter, a continental Pils or Vienna malt, etc.
On one hand, I’ve never heard anyone rave about how exhilaratingly delicious Briess 2-row is.
On the other hand, it’s a buck a pound at my LHBS.
I hadn’t thought much about pale malt; I haven’t worked much with it before. I’ve done all-Vienna beer before and liked it, and I really like the idea of an all-Weyermann Pils brew. A lot.
i would toast a pound of the 2row in the oven at 350F for 25minutes, make it more golden but dont blacken it. If your only going to do a 60minute addition, i would change it to FWH
