What is a SMaSH beer?

SMaSH stands for Single Malt And Single Hop. It is a brewing approach using just one base malt and one hop variety. This lets you isolate and learn the flavour contribution of each ingredient. SMaSH beers are excellent for understanding ingredients and refining your process.

What are the best malts for a SMaSH beer?

Maris Otter and Golden Promise are classic UK choices with excellent biscuity flavour. Pilsner malt makes a clean, crisp base for hop-forward beers. Vienna and Munich add more malt character but work best at lower gravities to avoid being too sweet.

How much dry hops should I add to a SMaSH?

For a hop-forward SMaSH pale ale, 2-4 g/L is a good range (46-92g for a 23L batch). For a subtle dry hop, 1-2 g/L works well. Heavily dry-hopped NEIPAs may use 5-8 g/L but that is unusual for a SMaSH.

What is a good target OG for a SMaSH beer?

Most SMaSH beers work well at 1.045-1.055 OG (4-5.5% ABV). This gives enough body to showcase the malt while leaving room for hop character. Session strength SMaSH at 1.035-1.040 also works well for everyday drinking.

BrewCalcs

SMaSH Beer Calculator — Single Malt And Single Hop

Calculate grain and hop amounts for a SMaSH recipe from your target OG and IBU.

Batch Size

Final volume into fermenter

Target OG

Original gravity target (e.g. 1.050)

Target IBU

Bitterness in International Bitterness Units

Base Malt

Single malt for the grain bill

Hop Variety

Single hop for bittering and aroma

How We Calculate This

Grain Calculation

Grain (kg) = Gravity Points / (PPG x Efficiency)

Gravity points = (OG - 1) x 1000 x Batch volume in US gallons

Hop Calculation (Tinseth)

Bittering hops (g) = (IBU x Volume x 10) / (AA% x Utilisation x 1000)

Utilisation assumes a 60-minute boil (~25%). Dry hops are specified separately and do not contribute significant bitterness.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: March 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify values and adjust based on your equipment and ingredients.