Tag Archives: SMaSH

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

The Session #125 — Pale European Lagers: The Ultimate SMaSH beers

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thesessionNote: This is my first time contributing to The Session, a monthly blogging challenge for beer aficionados. For The Session #125, Mark Linder chose the topic of SMaSH (single malt and single hop) beers.

SMaSH beers–those brews marrying a Single Malt variety and a Single Hop variety–are often promoted as something that’s interesting to try but not particularly versatile. As a homebrewer, I’ve usually thought of them as a tool to explore ingredients, perhaps fun as a technical gimmick but not necessarily a pathway to truly exceptional beer. Sure, you could get some good stuff, but it would lack complexity and get boring after a few pints. SMaSH beers were a way to turn out some pale ales with funky new hop varieties, but these were only a brief stop along the journey to a more worthy recipe. Don’t even bother entering them in a BJCP competition, because they won’t hold up well relative to their rivals with a longer ingredient list.

Then I discovered the Bohemian pilsner.

When I first sampled American-style craft beer, the cheap American lagers of my early days faded into mental oblivion. Why even bother with a watery fizz-drink, when you could blast your taste buds with a triple imperial IPA touting 190 IBUs, 12 percent alcohol, and five varieties of hops? Or what about a delightful English porter, with its malty backbone and slightly fruity yeast character? Clear beers were for quitters and college students. European lagers were mildly intriguing, but typified by badly aged and skunky six packs in green bottles. Why bother with that, when there was a world of fresh local craft brew and homebrew to explore?

An Archaeopteryx-linked beer requires the appropriate glassware.

My first homebrewed Bohemian pilsner (made with genuine Jurassic ingredients!)

Not too long ago, though, I decided to dip my homebrewing toes into the lagered waters. Bohemian pilsner (a.k.a., Czech pilsner, a.k.a., Czech premium pale lager in the 2015 BJCP guidelines) caught my attention early on…it was the original pilsner, after all! What better way to learn what this beer is all about?

Yet, I was shocked by the simplicity of the classic recipes! Bohemian pilsner malt. Czech-sourced Saaz hops. Soft water. Clean lager yeast. The rest is just up to technique–in particular, a good decoction mash was apparently the key to success.

My first attempt at a Bohemian pilsner wasn’t perfect, but wow, it was pretty darned good. This was the first time I consciously experienced Saaz hops, finally getting a name to match with that distinctive aroma and flavor. It was also the first time I experienced a genuinely fresh European-style lager in the United States, and I finally knew what the big deal was all about.

This spurred a realization. SMaSH beers weren’t just for pale ales. In fact, pale lagers are the most reliable ticket to SMaSH success. Quality malt. Quality hops. Careful water chemistry. A clean fermenting lager yeast. A bit of skill. All of this combines to a memorable and surprisingly complex brew. Of course, Czech pilsner isn’t the only lager style with a simple recipe. Munich helles, German pils, and others jostle alongside in the running. Any of these can be done quite well with a short shopping list. This is what makes them so hard to do exceptionally well, perhaps–any flaws can’t hide behind crystal malt and yeast esters.

So, what’s the style best suited to a SMaSH beer? I love all of my European pale lagers, but Bohemian pilsner wins for me every time.

Equinox IPA Kegged

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Today I kegged the Equinox IPA. It had been in the primary fermenter since 27 August, just a little over two weeks. After the first week, on 3 September, I moved the beer out of my fermentation chamber (which was getting switched over for a lager), and let it ride at ambient temperature for a week or so. I figured this would be OK, because the main run of the yeast had presumably wrapped up by this point, so the risk of getting off-flavors from a hot fermentation was quite low.

Final gravity was 1.010, down from 1.062, equating to 6.8% abv. I added the dry hops (3 oz. of Equinox hop pellets) at this time; they’re in a bag, weighted down with some stainless steel washers and suspended in the keg via unwaxed and unflavored dental floss. I will leave it at ambient temperature for a few days, before tossing it into the keezer to carbonate at the lagering temperatures.