So I'm thinking of brewing a smoked porter to bring in the cooler months of autumn. Smoked malt is nothing I've ever worked with, so I thought I'd check in with you all. Smoked malts seem to come in all shapes and sizes, from different wood used (cherry, alderwood, etc.) to different maltsters (who generally have different processes).
Does anyone have a favorite smoked malt, or favorite for a particular style? If so, why? Anything else I should consider before drawing up a recipe?
Also, I've seen darker kilned smoked Munich style malts. If I go this route, should I start to replace any standard Munich in the recipe with a lighter base malt, or do the smoked Munich malts not lend the same flavors?
Does anyone have a favorite smoked malt, or favorite for a particular style? If so, why? Anything else I should consider before drawing up a recipe?
Also, I've seen darker kilned smoked Munich style malts. If I go this route, should I start to replace any standard Munich in the recipe with a lighter base malt, or do the smoked Munich malts not lend the same flavors?