Tag Archives: Mosaic SMaSH Session Pale Ale

Mosaic SMaSH Pale Ale

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Last year I did a Mosaic SMaSH pale ale, and was supremely happy with the combination of Maris Otter, Mosaic, and Stalljen kveik. The first version was a little light on gravity (1.043)–I learned the Thomas Fawcett branded malt doesn’t do well with only a 30 minute mash–which caused the beer to suffer from a thin body and slight astringency. I stepped up to a full 60 minute mash. I also wanted to amp up the Mosaic character, so included a dose of Abstrax Quantum Brite Mosaic at kegging. The end result is nothing short of amazing–it’s probably one of the best beers I have brewed recently!

Mosaic SMaSH Pale Ale

  • 10.75 lb. Maris Otter pale ale malt (Thomas Fawcett)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, in mash
  • 1.25 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), 20 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Kick Carrageenan tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1.75 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), 15 minute whirlpool at 190°
  • 1 pkg. Stalljen kveik (Kveik Yeastery #K.22)
  • 3 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), dry hop in fermenter
  • 2.5 mL Quantum Brite Mosaic, Abstrax, added to keg

Target Parameters

  • 60 minute infusion mash, 152°, full volume mash
  • 1.050 o.g., 1.012 f.g., 4.9% abv, 43 IBU, 5 SRM
  • Claremont tap water neutralized and adjusted with water salts, to hit estimated profile of 145 ppm Ca, 16 ppm Mg, 97 ppm Na, 189 ppm SO4, 110 ppm Cl, 10 ppm bicarbonate
  • 5.25 gallon batch

Procedure

  • To create my strike water, I added 7.2 mL of 88% lactic acid to 7 gallons of Claremont tapwater, to neutralize carbonates. Then, I added 2 g of epsom salt and 4 g of gypsum salt, and heated the water to 158°.
  • I added the grains, and mashed at 152° for 60 minutes, before raising the temperature to 168° for a 10 minute mashout.
  • After removing the grains, I had 6.2 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.046, for 70% mash efficiency.
  • I brought the runnings to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe.
  • After a 60 minute boil, I chilled to 190° and added the whirlpool hops, for a 15 minute whirlpool. The Anvil Foundry makes it easy to maintain temperature during the whirlpool!
  • After the whirlpool, I chilled down to 95°, transferred to the fermenter, and pitched the yeast.
  • I brewed the beer on 10 May 2026. It had a starting gravity of 1.052.
  • A vigorous fermentation kicked off within three hours of pitching the kveik; I left the fermenter in the sun to keep the fermentation temperature up.
  • Fermenter temperature was 86° on the morning of 11 May 2026, and was down to 78° on 12 May 2026.
  • I added the dry hops to the fermenter, at ambient temperature, on 21 May 2026. I cold crashed the beer on 23 May 2026.
  • I kegged the beer on 5 June 2026, and used forced carbonation to carbonate.
  • Final gravity was 1.014, for 5.0% abv.
  • I added the Abstrax hop product three days after kegging.

Tasting

  • Appearance
    • Pours with a persistent and “sticky,” frothy white head that leaves abundant lacing. Hazy, straw-colored beer.
  • Aroma
    • Ripe tropical fruit at a high level; passion fruit, guava, blueberry, sweet orange. Abundant blueberry and clementine orange. An aroma of fresh-cut hay, also.
  • Flavor
    • Medium-high bitterness, clementine and a bit of passion fruit flavor on the hops; some blueberry. Light level of maltiness. Lingering bitterness on the finish.
  • Mouthfeel
    • Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly dry finish.
  • Would I Brew This Again?
    • This is a fantastic recipe! The hop character is absolutely perfect; everytthing plays together well. The persistent haziness is a mild annoyance, but I figure it is from the kveik. Overall, this is a phenomenal recipe as a hop showcase.
  • Overall
    • 10/10

Mosaic SMaSH Session Pale Ale

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I wanted a quick-and-easy hoppy beer in the sessionable zone, so I threw together a SMaSH recipe with mostly on-hand ingredients. Maris Otter served as the base, for something a little more flavorful than average 2-row. I have a pound of Mosaic on-hand; I haven’t brewed with that variety in forever, and it’s interesting enough to stand on its own. Finally, I needed a yeast decision. This one required a quick turn-around to go on tap, so kveik was an obvious choice. My fantastic LHBS (Pacific Brewing Supplies in San Dimas) had a new brand in stock, a company called Kveik Yeastery. Looking through their products, a variety called Stalljen seemed perfect–it promised tropical fruit, mango, and pineapple, with citrus behind that. Reading a bit more about the yeast, I’m not sure if there are other commercial versions sold; if anyone knows differently, I’m happy to learn more. As a final note, this beer was set up as a “short and shoddy” style mash and boil, with 30 minutes on each.

Mosaic SMaSH Session Pale Ale

  • 10.5 lb. Maris Otter pale ale malt (Thomas Fawcett)
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB (mash)
  • 1.25 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), 20 minute boil
  • 0.5 tsp. BrewTanB, 10 minute boil
  • 1 Kick Carrageenan tablet, 5 minute boil
  • 1.75 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
  • 1 pkg. Stalljen kveik (Kveik Yeastery #K.22)
  • 3 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (10.7% alpha), dry hop

    Target Parameters

    • 30 minute infusion mash, 152°, full volume mash
    • 1.049 o.g., 1.012 f.g., 4.8% abv, 41 IBU, 5 SRM
    • Claremont tap water adjusted to hit 75 ppm Ca, 26 ppm Mg, 102 ppm Na, 164 ppm SO4, 130 ppm Cl, 10 ppm bicarbonate, RA=-60

    Procedure

    • Starting with 7 gallons of water, I added 7.2 mL of 88% lactic acid, 4 g of gypsum, and 2 g of epsom salts, in order to hit my water targets.
    • I heated the mash water to 157°, added the grains, and mashed at 152° with recirculation for 30 minutes. I then raised the mash to 168° for a 10 minute mash-out, before removing the grains.
    • My post-mash gravity was a bit underwhelming at 1.035 — that’s only 56% mash efficiency, well below my norm. Based on past results with the Fawcett Maris Otter, I’m thinking this is a malt that needs a full 60 minute mash at least; it certainly hasn’t overwhelmed me with its efficiency. Although I hadn’t planned a session ale, this is where I kicked things into session ale territory. I double-checked my mill gap, and all was OK there, so I can’t blame the mill.
    • I brought the runnings to a boil, but I upped the boil vigor a bit (85% power on the Foundry) and extended the boil to 60 minutes (instead of the planned 30 minutes).
    • After the boil, I added the last bit of hops and then chilled down to 93°. I transferred to the fermenter, pitched the yeast, and fermented at ambient.
    • I brewed this beer on 16 August 2025. Starting gravity was 1.043.
    • Vigorous fermentation kicked off within four hours of adding the yeast; the fermenter temperature was down to 68° by the next morning.
    • I added the dry hops on 21 August 2025, and cold crashed the beer on 24 August 2025.
    • I kegged the beer using a closed transfer on 30 August 2025. Final gravity was 1.012, for 4.1% abv.

    Tasting

    • Appearance
      • This is a hazy, light yellow beer that pours with a fluffy and persistent white head. The lacing is gorgeous!
    • Aroma
      • Aroma is dominated by a fresh citrus and blueberry hop character at a medium-high level. There is minimal malt or yeast character that I can pick up.
    • Flavor
      • Bitterness is at a high level, with slight astringency and hop bite. There is a medium-low level of malt flavor, with a grainy/malty-sweet character. The hops have a citrus and pine quality, with slight mango; it’s backed up by the citrusy notes presumably from the yeast.
    • Mouthfeel
      • Medium level of carbonation; light body and a dry finish with slight astringency.
    • Would I Brew This Again?
      • The core concept of this beer is great, but it definitely suffered from the low starting gravity. The astringency is annoying, but otherwise it’s a pretty decent beer. I would definitely do a version of this recipe again, with a higher gravity. Stalljen is a fantastic kveik strain; it’s unobtrusive and works well with Mosaic. I didn’t pick up the slight “twang” or tartness I get with Lutra (my other favorite strain), and I wouldn’t necessarily know this is a kveik otherwise. The persistent haze might be a negative in some recipes, but it’s so beautiful in this particular beer. Thinking ahead, I might aim for the same level of hops in a future version, with a starting gravity around 1.054. That would take a greater amount of malt as well as a longer mash.
    • Overall
      • 6/10