Penticton Pilsner by Robcj (Homebrew)

The vast majority of beer is made with just four simple ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast. Everything from lagers to stouts, saisons and IPAs are derived from the same combination of basic brewing elements. Of course, there are an almost unlimited array of options for malt, hops and yeast—not to mention all of the books written on the science of adjusting the mineral content of water for different styles and effects. Brewers typically use more than one kind of malt and hops in their recipes.

But sometimes simplicity is king. There is a different kind of recipe, popular among the homebrewing community, called Single Malt and Single Hop beer—or a SMaSH. There are many benefits in brewing a SMaSH. A desire for simplicity in brewing is one. Understanding and appreciating the flavour contributions made by a specific set of ingredients is another. Perfecting your process by reducing recipe variables is yet one more.

I've been brewing for over nine years and during that time I've brewed many different styles of beers but until three weeks ago, I had never gotten around to brewing a SMaSH. I recently came to the conclusion that oxidation was ruining most of the beer I was brewing and I thought I had determined what parts of my process needed to change to mitigate it. I needed a clean and simple beer to test my hypothesis so a Pilsner and Hallertau Mittelfrüh SMaSH seemed like the answer. (Spoiler: It worked!)

Pilsner is a type of malted barley. Malted barley, or malt, is the foundation of beer. Pilsner is the lightest malt available and contributes very little colour to beer. It imparts a slight sweetness. Many European lagers use Pilsner malt, including the well-known beer style which takes its name.

Hallertau Mittelfrüh is a traditional German hop, one of a handful of hops collectively called noble hops that are used frequently in classic beer styles. Noble hops are characterized as smoothly bitter and typically lend subtle floral, herbal or spicy characteristics to beer.

I designed this beer to align closely with the German Pilsner beer style.

• Name: Penticton Pilsner
• Brewery: Me
• Style: (German) Pilsner
• Alc/vol: 5%
• OG: 1.047
• FG: 1.009
• IBU: 30
• Malt: Pilsner
• Hops: Hallertau Mittelfrüh
• Yeast: Fermentis SafLager 34/70

Appearance: I package my homebrew in kegs and serve them with my own draft system so there is no label design to admire, unfortunately. I poured this beer from the tap to a 300mL glass beer mug I bought at a neighbour's garage sale last summer. The beer is light yellow in colour and perfectly clear thanks to fining with gelatin. A nice head of foam settles a little too quickly but makes up for it with some great lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Smells faintly of hay and flowers. A simple beer with a simple nose.

Flavour: There's more to this SMaSH than meets the eye. I was pleasantly surprised by the character of this beer. It is well very balanced. There's some bitterness from the Hallertau hops but they also contribute some pleasant grassiness, citrus and white wine, all of which is coupled nicely with the bready sweetness of the Pilsner malt.

Mouthfeel: Despite its simplicity, this beer is not thin. It was carbonated to 2.5 volumes and feels just about right.

Overall: I like this beer and I'm hard on the things that I make so I rarely say that about my own beer. Homebrewers online would call it a pleaser for the BMC (Budweiser-Miller Lite-Coors) crowd. Approachable but with just a little more flavour and character than your average mainstream lager. Perhaps the best compliment I can give it is that I brewed another batch before we even finished the first keg.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.