I am by no means a purist when it comes to beer ingredients. Every time someone asks me, \u201cDo you think [insert crazy ingredient here] would be good in a beer?\u201d my answer is always, \u201cthrow it in and see what happens!\u201d. Experimentation is one of the greatest joys of homebrewing, and homebrewers are often the first to try things that later become mainstream. That said, sometimes too many ingredients complicate the brewing process and create a beer with too many competing flavors. So as you progress into creating your own homebrew recipes, I recommend getting back to basics first and brewing one of my favorite things: a SMaSH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SMaSH stands for Single Malt and Single Hop, and it is exactly that. It is a beer brewed from one base malt and one hop varietal. You can brew a SMaSH with any grain <\/a>and any hop that you would like, but in general using a base malt like 2-Row Pale<\/a> or Marris Otter<\/a> will produce a clear, crisp beer with a pleasant body and mouthfeel. Similarly, while any hop could be use for a SMaSH, medium alpha hops tend to work best because they work well for bittering, flavor, and aroma. While low bitterness hops can be used, you\u2019ll need to add more for bittering than you would for a better bittering hop, which can impart off flavors in your beer. My favorite hop for a SMaSH Pale Ale is Cascade<\/a>, and my Fresh Cascade SMaSH recipe is below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n