Pilot Brewing: Apollo SMaSH Pale Ale
- Chris Lee
- May 25, 2016
- 3 min read
This beer is a great example of how a very basic recipe can yield amazing results. It is undeniably simple, yet complex from start to finish. I applied a two step mash schedule, paid far too much attention to fermentation temperature and I took EXTRA care to ensure that this beer was treated with lots of TLC. This is Apollo SMaSh Pale Ale.
What is a SMaSH you ask? A SMaSH is a Single Malt and Single Hop beer. The rules are simple: create a beer recipe with a single malt base and only one variety of hop throughout. Using the SMaSH method, you can make some amazing beers like Pale Ales, IPAs, Blondes, Barley Wines, etcetera etcetera. Its a great strategy if you want to learn more about particular malts and hops and the way that they can interact on a simple level in a beer.
Apollo Hops are generally used as a bittering hop that packs a whopping 18-21% Alpha Acid. This is one hop that makes a short list of what are commonly referred to as "SUPER ALPHA" hops. It is a citrusy hop by nature, but when used as a late addition, it can impart a great deal of interesting orangey characteristics. This hop delivers a pithy bitterness and a distinct dry tartness. These are some qualities that I believe make this SMaSH a unique creation.
Maris Otter is a great base malt and has a depth that has recently won me over with its full flavoured bready/biscuity character. In a beer that can only utilize a single malt, Maris Otter makes an excellent choice. I did bend the rules a little bit in this case, as I added a good helping of flaked oats to the mash to thicken up the beer's body. Technically, I did stay within the confines because flaked oats fall under the category of an adjunct. Oats are a great additive in beer as they impart a creamy smoothness and seriously thicken up the beers body.
If you want to try an alternate method to beer body thickening, you can always take the first 1/3 of the runnings from sparging, and boil it down separately to a condensed syrup. When the regular boil is complete, add the extra syrup back and blend. I have only tried this method once with a 2-row base pale ale, but I did notice an enhanced maltiness as a result. Food for thought. Here's the recipe!
Apollo SMaSH Pale Ale
1 Gallon Batch size
OG. 1.051
FG. 1.007
IBU 55
ABV 5.7%
SRM 4
60 minute boil
1.5 lbs Maris Otter Malt
6 oz Flaked Oats
Apollo .1oz @ 60 minutes
Apollo .2oz @ 5 minutes
Apollo 1oz @ 0 minutes
Apollo 1oz for 7 Days Dry Hop
Safale US05 yeast
Mash @ 122˚c for 20 minutes (Beta Glucan rest for Flaked Oats)
Mash @ 152˚c for 50 minutes
Primary for 10 days @ 18˚c
Secondary for 7 days with Dry Hop addition @ 15˚c
Tasting Notes after 2 weeks in bottle:
Aroma: passionfruit, creamsicle, orange sherbert, tangerine, lemon, hints of pineapple, hints of jolly rancher, lemon
Body: highly translucent,light amber hue, honey, lingering light foam
Palette: bitter orange peel pith, tart, creamy body, biting bitterness, passionfruit, starfruit. lightly malty and grainy, creamy texture, lightly grassy,
Tasting Notes after 4 weeks in bottle:
Aroma: orange pith, orange creamsicle, muted grapefruit, slight pineapple, lemon peel
Body: highly translucent, light amber hue, honey colour, light foam lingers around the edge of the glass
Palette: creamy effervescence, tart finish that lingers as it fades, bready, grapefruit notes, bitter orange pith, malty
