How does this Cascade SMaSH sound?

[punt1971]

Going AG soon and have been looking around for recipes. I've found a few I like the sound of but as this will be my first I've decided to keep it simple and go for a smash.

For my limited experience of modifying kits, I'm a big fan of cascade.

Here's what I've come up with (helped by many tinterweb resources including Jim's).

20l batch.

5kg Maris otter
28g cascade @ 60 mins
14g cascade @ 20 mins
28g cascade @ 5 mins
30g cascade dry hop
US05

I'm a fan of hoppy beers so I'm worried if this will be hoppy enough. I've basically used a full 100g pack of cascade but don't mind buying another.

Cheers for any help and advice

[Wezzel]

Sounds great. I did a similar one with 30g for 60 mins, 25g for 15 minutes and 45g at flameout. I only used 4.2kg of grain though.

I was really happy with it. Good aroma but could have done with a tiny bit more bitterness.

[jimp2003]

That recipe looks really good - get it brewed!

[Skittlebrau]

I'd not bother with the dry hopping at that rate, I'd use the 30g at flameout. I'd also aim for an OG of 1.040 but that is just preference.

[legion]

I'd keep the dry hop

[Matt12398]

I agree with Skittlebrau. Late addition, no dry hops.

[sweatysock]

I realise you are trying to achieve a SMaSH, but 250g of Wheat Malt or Torrified Wheat would not go amiss for some head retention. I brewed a couple of single malt beers in the summer and they did lack a bit of head retention. 250g of wheat malt transformed the later brews.

[punt1971]

Better head retention sounds good; who doesn't like head?

But I'm reading lots of different views on torrified wheat, mainly to do with flavour. Would adding 5% of either of these affect the flavour much? I'm not a fan of the sourish twang of wheat beers.

[sweatysock]

I know torrified wheat is essentially for head retention, and only have used it in one brew. I have on the other hand added wheat malt for the same reason. From the views on this forum I chose to go with the recommendation of wheat malt. I can't however compare as I have not brewed the beers without.

[barry44]

I am about to start all grain and I have bought wheat malt for the head retention but I am unsure how much to use. I was aiming to use 150g or so. I will keep an eye on this and see if we can reach a form of resolution as to what percentage of the grist it should make.

[sweatysock]

Barry, this should give you some food for thought. Apologies to the OP - not trying to highjack your thread.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=62996

[punt1971]

Well I've decided not to SMaSH, though not going complicated. Basically I've got a few grains left over and some hops in the freezer so want to use them up. I've also taken on board suggestions of wheat malt to help with the head.

Anyway, here's what I've come up with. I've ordered the bits I didn't have so this is it. Do you guys think this sound ok?

Ingredients:
------------
4.50 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC)
0.25 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (118.2 EBC)
0.25 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (3.9 EBC)
25.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min
5.00 g Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min
15.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)
7.00 g Yeast Nutrient (Boil 10.0 mins)
30.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min
15.00 g Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min
30.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min
15.00 g Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)


Punt!

[barry44]

Sounds nice. I love citra and it should go really well with the cascade.

[seymour]

Sounds nice. I love citra and it should go really well with the cascade.

I agree 100%.

Happy brewing and merry Christmas!

[mabrungard]

There is no point in SMaSH if you already have a good memory and understanding of the components you are brewing with. If you haven't brewed a single malt MO then its worth it to test it out. The single hop experiment is helpful too if you want to explore the nuances of the hop. For a pale ale, I prefer moving the gravity to the 1.050 to 1.055 range and balance it with about 35 to 40 IBU's. I wouldn't go overboard with late hopping in an attempt to achieve the bittering level (hop bursting). I find that it leaves too much hop matter in the kettle and that wastes wort and tends to impart more chlorophyl in the wort. Including a good early hop charge that produces most of the bittering and then somewhere in the range of an ounce of knockout hops for flavor and aroma is nice. I do like dry hopping and that is a welcome addition.

I see that you have altered your original brewing goal above and that is appropriate too. Moving from the SMaSH is OK. I'm on a quest in my brewing right now that is more focused on SH brewing. I use my normal SNPA style pale ale grist that is similar to your final grist and hop it with a different hop each batch. That is a great way to normalize your perceptions and allow you to focus on the hop.

Oh, don't forget to get the water chemistry into a good range with an adequate sulfate content!