Grain suggestions for 3 single hop IPA's

I really like Golden Promise and Maris Otter is my SMaSH beers. Both are really good, but pretty different. Golden Promise has a nice mellow sweetness to it, and Maris Otter is maltier, breadier, IMHO. Hope this helps.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Falconers Flight is a hop combination.
from one of those 1 oz package web sites:
A pellet blend containing a variety of the Pacific Northwest's most intriguing aroma hop varieties and additional experimental hops

 

2nd vote for GP.

 

The only smash beers I have made have used continental Pilsner malt., but none of these were IPAs (saisons and pilseners). Still, I think a good Pils malt would be nice in a smash IPA. I have used Pils as the base malt in a couple non-smash IPAs and, mmm. I have seen others use Vienna malt in smash beers, and I would think that might be good too. Of course, maris otter and golden promise are lovely, and being English, perhaps lend some semblance of tradition.

 

I would have to jump on board with the GP or MO. I love the MO as a single grain malt bill. gives a real nice malty backbone to the simplistic beers. I have used 2-row in a smash, the first time I just mashed normally and brewed, the beer was OK, but nothing out of the ordinary, and quite one dimensional. However in subsequent batches, I have done decotion mashes and/or removing the first gallon of wort and reducing it to syrup and adding to the boil, which helped mimic the crystal malt I didn't use.
I think for an IPA you want some of the Crystal malt residual sweetness and the flavor characteristic of the malt, so I would suggest mashing at a middle ground temp (149-152) removing about a gallon of wort from the first running (prior to sparge) and reduce it down to a thick syrup, then adding back to kettle once boil starts. This will give color and flavor to the single grain used, give a little extra pizzaz to your beer.

 

Im a big fan of Maris Otter with some carafoam or carapils for head retention.

 

Alpine Beer Co.'s "Bad Boy" is a single malt DIPA with MO, Columbus and Amarillo.

So, perhaps a SMaSH with MO and Columbus would turn out well. Good luck.

 

I've recently fallen in love with Pearl.

Golden Promise would be choice #2.

 

Ive asked around about that at the local shop and a couple of breweries an no one here in Houston seems to be able to get it... I wanted to use it for a Heady like brew I was doing but no love.

 

another vote for Golden Promise, it makes a delicious smash IPA.

 

i have also asked my LHBS for Pearl... much to my surprise, and kind of dissapointment (b/c i kind of don't believe them), they told me it was basically the same thing as MO.

 

Not local to you (or me) but...http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com/pearl-malt-fawcett-1-lb/

 

So you just ordered it online somewhere like what sjverla mentioned?

 

Munich

 

have not done this yet, but will be doing so in the near future, as the ambient temp in my basement is quickly approaching 65-70F

 

If you can find the MO or GP, that would make a great beer. I've found that straight 2-row pale and a dash of the lightest caramel also works well. Did that with a pale ale, just light hopping with Cascade, and really really liked it.