This SMaSH Cascade Pale Ale is probably the easiest and quickest beer to brew. It’s possible to brew this beer in under an hour, including preparation and cleanup.

SMaSH stands for Single Malt and Single Hop. This beer is very similar to New Albion Ale, commonly known as the very first craft beer brewed in the United States and is a perfect introduction to the One-Hour Brew Day.

About the SMaSH Cascade Recipe:

Grain Bill:

  • 2.5 lbs Pale Dried Malt Extract
  • 1 teaspoon Irish Moss

Hop Schedule:

  • 1 oz Cascade @ 15 minutes
  • .5 oz Cascade @ 5 minutes
  • .5 oz Cascade @ flameout

Yeast:

  • Safale US 05

The Process:

Heat 1 gallon of water to boiling.  When the water starts to boil, add the Irish Moss and Dried Malt Extract. Once it returns to a boil, set your timer for 15 minutes and add 1 oz. Cascade Hops. With 5 minutes left in the Boil add .5 oz Cascade Hops. With 0 minutes left, turn off the heat and add another .5 oz of Cascade Hops.

Move the stock pot to a sink or other container filled with ice and water and then add one gallon of cold water. When the temperature falls below 80° F, transfer the Wort to the fermenter and add the yeast. Safale US 05 is the recommended yeast, but you can use any California Ale Yeast, or other clean yeast, such as White Labs WLP001.

Bottle after fermentation has stopped.

The Numbers:

  • 1.053 OG
  • 1.012 FG
  • 5.4% ABV

What’s next?

Now that you have the basic idea of a SMaSH beer down, try to experiment with different hop varieties or different malt bases. Using this method is a good way to discover the flavors of different hop varieties without doing a full 5-gallon batch, or spending a whole day on an experimental brew.

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