When Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co. decided to brew a special beer commemorating its 2100th batch, it choose to brew a SMaSH beer at the recommendation of local homebrew club Roaring Fork High Altitude Mashers. At my suggestion, brewers Ken Jones, Chip Holland and Tom Schickling decided upon Briess Pale Ale Malt as the “single malt” for this “single malt and single hops” brew.
Ken said they were looking for a flavorful malt to brew something along the lines of a sessionable British or American-style Pale Ale. Since there was only going to be one malt used, he really wanted something more interesting and complex than a “generic 2-Row Base Malt,” but not something that would overpower the single hop variety they were going to select. With that in mind, I suggested Briess Pale Ale Malt. It is pleasant, bready, and biscuity with slight nuttiness and provides an excellent foundation for a variety of Pale Ale interpretations.
Ken said they decided to use Centennial Hops from Hopunion. The idea behind it was to break down the brewing process to its basic elements by limiting their recipe to only one malt and one hop, yet still make an enjoyable beer. Ken said they had to be careful to choose the right ingredients. Batch 2100 was released during American Craft Beer Week (May 12-18) and it was a big hit!
A recommended pairing is cheddar cheese beer soup and roasted half chicken.