First AG batch notes - SMASH Recipe

[shanersnyder]

Have done a couple of extract kits, and my brother in law and I decided to jump into AG. After countless hours on HBT and a free how to brew class, we went and invested in the AG equipment.

Reading alot about AG and SMASH recipes, so we decided for a Maris Otter/Amarillo recipe. Here was the plan, emphasis on the WAS, for the day.

Grain bill
10 lbs Maris Otter

Hops
.5 oz Amarillo at 90 min (8.6%AA)
.5 oz Amarillo at 30 min (8.6%AA)
1 oz Amarillo at 1 min (8.6%AA)

90 Boil time
7 gal boil size (Boil gravity – 1.041)
5 gal batch size (OG – 1.057)

Batch Sparge
1.5 quarts/pound
Target Mash Temp- 154⁰

Planned pretty well except I miscalculated the absorption rate. Instead of writing 1 gal of absorption, I used 1 quart. Expected 3.5 gal during the first runoffs, but was closer to 2.5. Second run off gave us 3.5 gal, so we started with 6 gal instead of 7 and the boil gravity was 1.030.

Modified the boil time and hop schedule
45 minute boil time
.5 oz Amarillo at 45 min (8.6%AA)
.5 oz Amarillo at 15 min (8.6%AA)
1 oz Amarillo at 1 min (8.6%AA)

Ended up with 4.5 gal and the OG was 1.050. Its happily fermenting now. Missed the mark in terms of quantity, but by adjusting the boil time, I was able to hit almost the same OG and American Pale Ale style.

Moral of the story is to take copious notes and be flexible when brewing, otherwise I would have not known where the miscalculation happened.

 

[eluterio]

Good way to start! Ive been brewing for a few years now and take notes each time. It gets to be a pain but help me make great adjustments.

 

[riderkb]

I would have kept sparing until the kettle had 7 gallons, but that only works if you have extra spare water ready. It's a good idea to have extra water in the HLT anyway.
It will be fine regardless of little details like efficiency and boil volumes. The fermentation is where all the critical steps are.

 

[shanersnyder]

I would have kept sparing until the kettle had 7 gallons, but that only works if you have extra spare water ready. It's a good idea to have extra water in the HLT anyway.
It will be fine regardless of little details like efficiency and boil volumes. The fermentation is where all the critical steps are.

Maybe someone can clarify something for me. My original plan was targeting a pre boil OG of 1.041 and at 6 gal I was at 1.030. I was worried that adding a third sparge would drop that even lower.

 

[riderkb]

That's right. Your boil gravity would keep dropping, but you can boil off the extra water and get closer to your expected OG. If you have a big burner boiling off 2 gallon per hour is no problem.

 

[eluterio]

Your efficiency was off that's why your numbers were off a bit. Make sure you keep notes and do 5 batches to achieve consistency. Once you have figured that out then you can make the proper adjustments in your grain bill. I have an efficiency of 68 to 75 %. If I'm too high I add water to low I sparge a little more but not hit the 1.008 on my refractometer. I usually stop regardless at 1.016 of how much wort I have. Pulling too much wort during sparge can lead to having an astringent beer due to pulling out tannins.


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[shanersnyder]

Update: Moved the smash to a secondary fermenter and took a sample for FG. Delicious. Maris Otter and Amarillo give a great pale ale taste. This will also be our first kegged beer and will be going on tap next week.

 

[shanersnyder]

Just tried this beer after sitting in the keg for a few months. Excellent beer for a first AG. Biscuity with a great Amarillo hop taste. Definitely will do some more SMaSH to learn the different Malts and hops

 

[USAFSooner]

MO and Amarillo sounds like a fantastic SMASH. Try it with some Belgian Yeast like Trappist High Gravity instead of a clean strain like US05 or West Coast Ale and you'll be surprised how good it is with that Belgian Funk.

 

[USAFSooner]

Some similar hops to try... Citra, Moteka, Wakatu. These three give more of an orangey mango vs the grapefruit that Amarillo throws.

 

[shanersnyder]

Some similar hops to try... Citra, Moteka, Wakatu. These three give more of an orangey mango vs the grapefruit that Amarillo throws.

Definitely will use this suggestion. Fruity hop kick sounds like a winner

 

[USAFSooner]

Nelson Savin throws a white wine grape flavor.

 

[olotti]

Galaxy is also another great fruity hop. I did a MO Galaxy smash and it's just a great juicy beer and u get enough malt from the mo on its own to have a nice balance.