Cascade SMaSH

[puravida]

I must admit I was a little bit skeptical about these 'SMaSHes' that seem to be the thing to do at the moment.
I've just emptied a corny of my first one - a cascade and lager malt version. Must admit - it's been one of the best beers I've brewed in a while and I was heartbroken when I got the the gush of doom signally the end of the keg.

Even more so when my 3 year crashed into my pint and knocked the last remaining precious drops all over me.

So lesson learnt. Simple can be beautiful!

 

[periolus]

I agree that simple can be beautiful - I have tasted a few really nice SmaSHes. However, they can be a bit one-dimensional. If you are intending to get to know a hop, try making a more complex malt grist and then adding gypsum to your water to accentuate your single hop. The more complex maltiness will support the hops nicely enough if the recipe is balanced.

If it is the malt you are trying to showcase as a single malt, then try adding a second hop to the mix to add another dimension, without overpowering the malt, and add calcium chloride to your water, which will accentuate the maltiness.

It all gives the same sort of result as the SMaSH experiments are trying to produce, but will give more character to the beer at the same time.

Personally, I haven't done the water treatment yet - I was told about it last week and intend to give it a go. I have tasted good results with both additions though, so it is worth trying ; )