Which smoked malt to use? Also, I'm an idiot

I'm brewing a 5g all grain batch of Jamil's smoked robust porter tomorrow and I don't know what smoked malt to use. The recipe calls for 3lbs. of German smoked malt, which I'm assuming is Rauchmalt? I gave the recipe to my LHBS who informed me that he was out of "smoked malt" and only had peated, which of course No I'm not using that. Anyway off to another supply shop on the other side of town that I know will have what I need. I bought some Rauchmalt and cherry wood smoked malt. Which one to use though? My idea of a good smoked porter is Smoke Jumper by Left Hand, wonder what they use? So as I start this post wondering which to use I realize that I ONLY BOUGHT 1lb OF EACH! Even if I used both I'd still be 1lb short. I'd just run back to the LHBS tomorrow morning but I'll be doing two batches and basically busy from sun up to sun down. My only hope is to start my Wee Heavy batch first and have the wife run back across town to for more Rauchmalt or Cherry Wood Smoked Malt? Boy I'm rambling and might get bounced outta here by Billy Klubb.

tldr: I'm a friggin idiot

I'd use whichever one smells better to you. Good luck with the beer, you friggin idiot!

Taste a bit of each to "get a feel for it." Then scale down to a 3.5 or 4 gal batch. Use both and hope for the best. At the end of it all you can then taste the end result. Remember back to the "pre-brew samples" of each. Then next time around you can use all one, all the other, or keep the blend if it worked out well.

I've never used smoked malt. Been tempted though. My LHBS probably only stocks one brand of it so that's what I'd end up using.

I'm afraid of the Cherry Wood Smoked stuff because it has a pretty bold aroma of smoked meat/hotdog water. I'm hoping the LHBS is open on Sundays so the wife can go get more Rauchmalt. Then I can get the 2/1 or 3/1 ratio I was looking for. I'll post my results.

Three pounds seems like a lot for smoke . I would think a pound.for 5 gals.

I've used cherry smoked, Beechwood smoked, and peat. Never used Rauchmalt.

For a decent smoke, but not overpowering, I'd use in 5 gallons:

- Cherry smoked - 2 to 3 lbs

- Beechwood - 3 lbs

- Peat - 0.25 lbs

If it were me. I think I just mix both lbs that you have and see what you get. May be subtle, but it will be there.

Weyermann beech wood smoked malt is rauch malt. I'm pretty sure that is what Left Hand uses, since it's the most common smoked malt out there.

What's your grain bill? What percentage of smoked malt? If its your first one, and you aren't entirely sure you want something insanely smoky, 2lbs may be enough. Smoke jumper wasn't all that smoky, IIRC. I would use both; don't be afraid of the cherry, it has a delicious sweet aroma. I used 40% in a porter recently and it was fantastic; very smoky, but not completely over the top. While I'm sure Rauchmalt is what was originally intended, you'll end up with a great beer with that combo.

God, I love smoked beers...

I have used Cherrywood. It is pretty smooth for lack of a better description. I think maybe 3-5 pounds in a 5 gallon batch.
Oak Smoked Wheat malt. A little more harsh. Again about 3-5 pounds max.
And Peat Smoked Malt. Very strong. I would use .2 pounds as a max with this.

I like a smoked ale but go carefully, it is pretty easy to over do it.

I am working on a recipe for a Polish Gratzer and at the moment I have 5.75 pounds of oak smoked wheat malt in the recipe.

So far no more than 1.25 pounds in any. At that you get a nice smoky flavor.

BigPerm said:

What's your grain bill? What percentage of smoked malt? If its your first one, and you aren't entirely sure you want something insanely smoky, 2lbs may be enough. Smoke jumper wasn't all that smoky, IIRC. I would use both; don't be afraid of the cherry, it has a delicious sweet aroma. I used 40% in a porter recently and it was fantastic; very smoky, but not completely over the top. While I'm sure Rauchmalt is what was originally intended, you'll end up with a great beer with that combo.

God, I love smoked beers...

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I also love smoked beers and I've been brewing a lot of APA's and IPA's lately so this weekend I need to do something different. Grain bill is:

UK pale: 8.5lbs
German smoked: 3lbs. (but of course I have 2lb)
Caramel 40L: 1lb
Caramel 80L: 1lb
Munich: 1lb
Chocolate: 12oz.
Black: 8oz

Wyeast 1056 to ferment:rockin:

BierGut said:

UK pale: 8.5lbs
German smoked: 3lbs. (but of course I have 2lb)
Caramel 40L: 1lb
Caramel 80L: 1lb
Munich: 1lb
Chocolate: 12oz.
Black: 8oz

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I know this is off-thread, but you posted it. 3.25 lbs of specialty grains seems an insane amount.

Calder said:

I know this is off-thread, but you posted it. 3.25 lbs of specialty grains seems an insane amount.

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When building and critiquing recipes I've seen this mentioned before. I'm pretty new to all grain brewing and have just been pulling recipes off of Brewsmith2. Is there anything wrong with having an abnormal amount? What are the negatives to having too many specialty malts?

BierGut said:

When building and critiquing recipes I've seen this mentioned before. I'm pretty new to all grain brewing and have just been pulling recipes off of Brewsmith2. Is there anything wrong with having an abnormal amount? What are the negatives to having too many specialty malts?

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If you use too much crystal and roasted malts you risk a beer that has a huge amount of unfermentables in it. This will lead to an unusually malty perhaps even sweet beer because the FG will be high. If you use way too much you might run into the problem of not having enough enzymes to actually convert the mash. This would just be bad all over the place.

I thought you generally wanted to keep specialty grains around 20%or less of the grain bill. Unless my math is off 3.25lbs is 22%. I wouldn't be worried by giving this brew a shot. I know I've brewed beer over the "limit" by more than 2% and they came out fine.

I brew a smoked porter with around 40% cherrywood smoked malt. The flavor is delicious and not at all harsh or overpowering.

GilSwillBasementBrews said:

I thought you generally wanted to keep specialty grains around 20%or less of the grain bill. Unless my math is off 3.25lbs is 22%. I wouldn't be worried by giving this brew a shot. I know I've brewed beer over the "limit" by more than 2% and they came out fine.

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While I don't know about the 20% guideline, smoked malt is a base malt. It still has the enzymes needed to convert itself and specialty grains.

Calder said:

I know this is off-thread, but you posted it. 3.25 lbs of specialty grains seems an insane amount.

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Don't forget that OP said in the first post that this is a recipe from Jamil. I'd trust JZ as a recipe source even before I'd trust myself.