I brewed a delicious SMaSH. What should I try next?

[BrewVerymore]

The title is a bit vague. But I've just started brewing this year and took the forum advice on trying out smash recipes for starters. I have a few brews under my belt and recently brewed a delicious Citra smash and would like to know what would be a good style to try next. Something that isn't very complex as I am still just learning and would like to be able to slowly build my knowledge base and be able to discern what certain additions add to a beer in terms of flavor, aroma, and body.

Thanks for any advice

--Edit--
By the way I am brewing all-grain single step mash

 

[ncbrewer]

Nut Brown Ale might be good. Pretty basic, but lots of flavor. This would be good whether you're doing extract, partial mash, or all-grain. BTW, you might get better responses if you say what method you're using.

 

[Joewalla88]

One of my first simple all grain batches was just an easy altbier recipe. You could also just keep experimenting with different smash beer using different grains, and hopping schedules. I don't do them too often, but I love a good smash beer. You can learn a lot about various flavors from them too.

 

[JordanKnudson]

If you are really committed to the one-piece-at-a-time learning process, you could now brew the same recipe, but add a specialty malt that looks interesting to you. For example, your citra SMaSH with a small percent of the base malt replaced by Crystal 60, or Special B, or honey malt (ooh damn, that one would be good). It's basically an extension of SMaSH brewing that allows you to get to know another ingredient without introducing other new variables.

Another great option would be to brew a basic style with a simple recipe. A wheat beer might be a nice one to try, and there are so many variations that you could go any direction you want. Start with roughly 50/50 wheat and 2-row, use one hop variety that appeals to you, and a yeast that is either clean (like WLP001) or one that sounds like it will complement the hops you chose.

Regardless, would love to hear what you end up trying!

 

[kh54s10]

What beers do you like? A more complex beer is not necessarily any harder to brew. For instance a Porter. It uses different grains but the hop schedule is usually simple. The grains are all together in the mash, so brewing would be exactly the same as if you were doing a SMaSH.

Look at recipes and pick one that sounds interesting to you. My first 4 beers were an Irish Red ale, Patersbier which is a Trappist style, an Extra Pale Ale and a Nut Brown Ale. These were all extracts but quite different in styles. Next up were partial mash recipes. A Belgian Dubble, a Cream Ale, an amber ale, and a Pale ale. Then on to All grain. a Stout, IPA, Winter ale, Brown ale etc.

Don't let the idea that different beers are harder to brew. (a few might be) But it is usually just doing the same things just a little differently to go from one style to the next.

To me a quad IPA is only more ingredients and more hop additions compared to a pale ale. More things to pay attention to (mostly hop additions) but it is not more difficult.

Don't limit yourself and Brew On! :rockin:

 

[GrogNerd]

Joe has it.

maybe brew a different SMaSH, changing only one of those. if you used pale malt for your Citra smash, change it to pilsner or maris otter malt.

or, try your same exact recipe, but switch out 5-10% of your grain bill with a crystal malt.

OR, you can also learn by not changing anything, brewing the same recipe again. repeatability & consistency are good things

point is to build on what you already know and change just 1 thing.

(edit: jeez... take a minute to gather your thoughts and everyone steals your thunder )

 

[StateRoad84]

I have a SmaSh Maris Otter/Cascade on it's second week in bottle and it is delicious! My next SmaSh is going to be a Vienna Malt/Citra. Joe, I like that idea of replacing a small amount of the base

BrewVerymore, don't know if your into Cream Ales but they are simple brews. I've done a couple (second one is at 1 week in the fermentor) that have turned out nicely.

 

[Norselord]

The title is a bit vague. But I've just started brewing this year and took the forum advice on trying out smash recipes for starters. I have a few brews under my belt and recently brewed a delicious Citra smash and would like to know what would be a good style to try next. Something that isn't very complex as I am still just learning and would like to be able to slowly build my knowledge base and be able to discern what certain additions add to a beer in terms of flavor, aroma, and body.

Thanks for any advice

I am keying in on the part of your quote that I have bolded and underlined.

I would change your recipe by one specific variable in order to build on your knowledge base of ingredients. Now that you know what citra does in your hop schedule, and your grain does in your malt bill, consider one of the following changes to your recipe:

*Keep hop schedule and IBU the same, but try a different hop - this will teach you what each strain of hops adds
*Substitute 5-15% of your grain with a crystal malt - this will help you learn to develop your malt balance
*Substitute 20-50% of your 2-row grain with other grains; wheat, vienna, munich, meladoinin, etc.
*Use a different yeast strain to notice its impact on your base style
*Ferment at a temperature 3 degrees F higher or lower than your last batch
*Mash at 3 degrees F higher or lower than your last batch​

As you make each of the above changes one at a time, keep good notes and critically evaluate the impact of each single change on the final product.

 

[Norselord]

(edit: jeez... take a minute to gather your thoughts and everyone steals your thunder )

I started typing my response, got distracted by work, came back to it -- and sure enough...

 

[BrewVerymore]

Wow thanks for the advice everyone. One question about adding different malts. If I just take this citra smash ipa and replace an arbitrary amount of the base malt for a caramel malt, then how do I know what kind of beer the final beer is? For instance, how do I know when I am encroaching into another beer style's territory and am no longer able to call it an IPA?

 

[kristiismean]

well, first off, making your own beer you should not worry about what catagory it falls under,

but typically no more than 5 - 10% is normal for an ipa.

If your Backbone was good, I would do it all over again adding in another hop.

then add some crystal, some Corn sugar, some flaked oats

and bitter with something other than citra, like warrior, apollo, galena, etc

 

[GrogNerd]

well, first off, making your own beer you should not worry about what catagory it falls under,

but typically no more than 5 - 10% is normal for an ipa.

If your Backbone was good, I would do it all over again adding in another hop.

then add some crystal, some Corn sugar, some flaked oats

and bitter with something other than citra, like warrior, apollo, galena, etc

ummm. yes

yes

yes

yes

and yes (I suggest bittering with Nugget, then combo Mosaic & Citra late addition, flameout/hop stand and dry hop. oh. did I mention this is Deschutes Fresh Squeezed? my favorite IPA not made down the street)

 

[StateRoad84]

For instance, how do I know when I am encroaching into another beer style's territory and am no longer able to call it an IPA?

There is a thread in this section of the forum that discusses adhering to a particular style. What I took away is that unless your in a competition it really doesn't matter. That is the fun of homebrewing and craft beer, do what ya feel. I use APA for my SmaSh's, I stray on IBU's depending on whether I want malt forward or hop forward, but stay on style for OG, FG, ABV and color.

 

[mongoose33]

I have a SmaSh Maris Otter/Cascade on it's second week in bottle and it is delicious! My next SmaSh is going to be a Vienna Malt/Citra. Joe, I like that idea of replacing a small amount of the base

BrewVerymore, don't know if your into Cream Ales but they are simple brews. I've done a couple (second one is at 1 week in the fermentor) that have turned out nicely.

I do a Maris Otter/Styrian Celeia SMASH that is a smash with a lot of people. I may have to try one with Cascade.

 

[mongoose33]

The title is a bit vague. But I've just started brewing this year and took the forum advice on trying out smash recipes for starters. I have a few brews under my belt and recently brewed a delicious Citra smash and would like to know what would be a good style to try next. Something that isn't very complex as I am still just learning and would like to be able to slowly build my knowledge base and be able to discern what certain additions add to a beer in terms of flavor, aroma, and body.

Thanks for any advice

--Edit--
By the way I am brewing all-grain single step mash

I like how you're doing this. Too many variables changed at once means if things go south you can't identify why.

If I can offer one suggestion, it's this: I've tried, every time I brew, to do at least one thing better. Fermentation temp control. Elimination of O2. Yeast Starters. Better rehydration of dry yeast. Mash temps. Mash pH.
etc. etc.

It's continuous quality improvement, and it has worked very well for me. Somewhere along the way, my beers began to be good, and in some cases, very good. Even excellent.

You're approaching this in a very smart way. I'll bet, 6-12 months from now, you'll be very happy with where you are w/r/t brewing.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

Based on your post's title, I would say... Try something that is NOT a SMASH. Duh.

 

[ericbw]

Based on your post's title, I would say... Try something that is NOT a SMASH. Duh.

Ha!

 

[ericbw]

You must like lighter styles. Vienna or biscuit round things out. So does crystal as others said.

A blonde ale is base with some malty grains (Vienna and/or biscuit). Cream ale is base with some grains to make it crisper (corn and/or rice).

I think those are logical next steps. But so is trying the same recipe with WLP002. Lots of yeasts to try.

Someone said porter, which is probably the most complex grain bill, with multiple special grains that work together. But it's not harder, you're just adding more ingredients.