Maris Otter & Columbus SMaSH

Third entry in my 'Getting Smashed' series is a Maris Otter and Columbus SMaSH. My buddy-in-brewing Mike Helle was kind enough to donate 8 lbs. of his Maris Otter stash for this science experiment. It smells and tastes great. I can see what all the hype around English malt is about.

The Vienna SMaSH I brewed last month acquired a diacetyl problem that I'm conflicted about trying to fix. (At least I think it's diacetyl.) I want to clearly identify that Vienna flavor but I kind of like the smoothness the diacetyl adds to the otherwise simple beer.

Having three of the same beer on tap is a little booooring though. I make take a pause for the flavor cause and do something else before finishing out the malt experiment. Julie returned from her Michigan trip with a bottle of Bam Biere from Jolly Pumpkin. I may have nefarious plans for this guy in the souring arena.

Recipe Notes
Style: Pale Ale

Batch Volume: 5 gal.
Color: 4 SRM
Target Bitterness: 36 IBU
Target OG: 1.040

Grist
8 lb. Maris Otter

0.5 oz. Columbus 15.6% (FWH)
1 tsp. Irish Most (15 min.)

0.5 oz. Columbus 15.6% (5 min.)

1.0 oz. Columbus 15.6% (30 min Hop Stand)

1.0 oz. Columbus 15.6% (Dry Hop 5 days)

Direct pitch of 2nd generation US-05 slurry

Brew Notes
Brew Date: 5/15/15
Mash Temp: 154F
Mash Time: 75 min.
Boil Time: 60 min.
Fermenter Volume: 5.25 gal
Measured OG: 1.042
Brewhouse Efficiency: 76%

Beautiful day for a brew today. Temps under 80 all day! Brew went off without a hitch. Another hop stand for 30 minutes to get the most out of Columbus for flavoring. Chilled down to 80 with the immersion chiller then in a cold water bath until it hit 72F and I got impatient. Gravity reading on 4.5 gallons of wort was 1.050 so I diluted with 3/4 gallon of water to hit 1.042 OG. I forgot to make a yeast starter last night from the 2nd gen US-05 slurry I had sitting in the fridge. It's been less than a month since harvest though so I warmed it to room temp, dumped the beer off the top, mixed it with some fresh wort in the mason jar, and dumped her on in.

I'm becoming a big fan of yeast rinsing since I have had a few successes with it. It's pretty economical and the attenuation have been consistently high. I may be over pitching which could cause some long term viability problems but don't know of a good way to get even a ballpark cell count measurement.

5/16/15 - After 24 hours gravity is 1.031, temp is 74F. Cooler would be nicer but US-05 is forgiving.

5/17/15 - Gravity is 1.012 but temp has risen to 76F. Too late to cool now I think. Whatever damage can be done has been done.

5/18/15 - Gravity is 1.008 and temp has fallen back to 72F.

5/22/15 - Gravity is 1.006 and temp is back to a normal 65F. Will probably let this sit in the fermenter for two weeks total to avoid the diacetyl problem I had with the Vienna SMaSH.

5/25/15 - Racked to secondary and dry hopped. FG is 1.006. It smelled a little bit like vinegar when racking but I think that was just the wort that wasn't cleaned up on the outside of the fermenter. The sample does taste a little like plastic with a bit of a cider character though. I'm guessing that was from the high fermentation temperature. I hope it doesn't get in the way of what the Maris Otter provides.

Kegging Notes
Measured FG: 1.006
Attenuation: 86%
ABV: 4.7%
Calories: 136 per 12oz.
Carbonation: 2.5 volumes (After force carbonating)

6/2/15 - Kegged after eight days of dry hopping. Longer than planned but I had a stout to evict from the keg which took some time. None of the off aromas or flavors were present which is awesome. There was a slightly stronger hop aroma and flavor than in previous SMaSHes likely because of the extra 3 days of dry hop contact time. I think it's the best tasting SMaSH so far but maybe because of the extra hoppiness.