Smoked malt from Islay

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lasseg

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So I'm going to Islay next week, visits to Ardbeg, Bruichladdich and Caol Ila are scheduled. I'm thinking about trying to score some of their smoked malt. Does anyone know if this is possible? Surely, the destilleries must be able to part with a few ounces of malt?

Surely, I can't be the first homebrewer to visit Islay and think "Hey, I could put that in a beer!"
 
Wow!! I am uber jealous...:cross:

Maybe bring them one or two of your finest and arrange a barter. That is gonna be one hell of a good time. The Caoel Ila 18 rocks my socks right now, probably my current favorite.
 
I'm not sure what the USDA inspectors at the airport will think of this. I know for sure that raw grain would definitely not be allowed in. I'm not sure about malt though. The concern is about any plant pathogens that might come along with it. I think you can go to the US customs website and they list there things that are not allowed. The European maltsters have permits to allow them to ship the malt to the US. If the distilleries have such a permit and you can get a copy of it, you should have no problems.

Good luck!
 
If you do have trouble with customs, you could always just get some scottish peated malt from a HBS. I use it here and there.
 
So, I'm back from Islay. The people at Ardbeg were kind enough to part with half a pound of their peated optic malt, it's at 40 ppm phenol content and smells great.

The kind folks at Bruichladdich were happy to hook me up with two pounds of their Octomore malt.. it weighs in at a staggering 167 ppm phenol content! Just smelling that stuff makes me cough black tar balls for hours ;-)

Both malts are quite pale, I'd say no more than 5-10 L, and I'm currently at a loss on how much to use. I'm thinking no more than a couple of percent of the grist bill..

I'm also trying to figure out what to brew with them (no lagering capabilities.. only room temp..) I know that there are some Islay-whisky barrel aged imperial stouts out there, if I make an impy, toss in some oak cubes and use some peat malt, I should end up pretty close.. no? Or how about a smoky barley wine?

Further, I can't really see the smoke combining well with abundant hop aroma or belgian yeast, so I'm pretty much ruling those out..

Any ideas?
 
So how did this turn out? I'm a SMS peat freak and have been thinking about incorporating smoky and/or peat malt in select brews. When I read of homebrewer's experiments with peated malt smelling like bandaids (i.e. medicinal), they obviously haven't enjoyed a good Laphroiag. What's the phenol ppm content in simpson's peated malt for instance? Can't come close to PC8.

Ken
 
mmm, smoked porter...most of the people around here (AK) use alder wood and smoke it themselves, but i bet a robust porter would benifit from the aroma and flavor of burning brake pads. Mmmmm!
 
This may be worth trying - sub some of the rauchmalt for peated

9-9-9 Barleywine

I made the rauchmalt smoked version and it is fantastic. One warning - make sure you re-pitch at bottling or it will have real trouble getting carbed.
 
It is generally (strongly) recommended not to use peated malt in smoked malt recipes.Much to sharp. Much to harsh.

Stick with rauchmalt for smoked porters et al.
 
I was all excited about this until I saw the original date of the thread. What is the correct term for a revived thread, can we call it a Messiah thread?
 
It is generally (strongly) recommended not to use peated malt in smoked malt recipes.Much to sharp. Much to harsh.

This prompts a somewhat tangential question: Has anyone every used peated and rauchmalt together? Or smoked malt from 2 different woods? I wonder if you could get something interesting by combining different types of smoked malt.
 
It is generally (strongly) recommended not to use peated malt in smoked malt recipes.Much to sharp. Much to harsh.

Stick with rauchmalt for smoked porters et al.


Is there some rationale for this statement? I can understand that the sum total ounces of these potent malts can get out of hand depending on the beer, but if they are balanced correctly the result could be some interesting depth. Perhaps there is a more scientific approach to how much peat and/or smoke can be integrated depending on the beer style, O.G., F.G., alcohol content, or other attributes.

I originally searched for: peat, phenol and ppm and this is the only thread that popped up. I would like to have a basis for how much of anything I put into my recipes, including how I age the beer or simulate aging with the addition of wood chips or other components. Looks like trial and error is the method I will have to try to find that balance.

Ken
 
I used some of the peat smoked malt in an amber smoked ale that I made. (My own recipe, no real BJCP classification adherence.) It was quite enjoyable and received many compliments when served.

I used 4 ounces that were steeped in an LME extract recipe.
 
Generally, peated malt should be used with extreme caution. It is VERY potent, and must be used accordingly. I am sure it can be used to good effect, but in most beers it just doesn't work that well. And yes I can speak from experience.

Working with smoke in beer is much more art than science. How much flavor is in smoke??? I smoke my own malts for my smoke beers and like to mix woods and use all different stuff. My favorite combo for dark beers is apple wood and hickory. It has a sweet but harsh flavour that I find very appealing. Any nut or fruit wood in general will be good for smoking. Just start fooling around with it.
 
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