Smokey Rauchbier

Last weekend I made an extract rauchbier. Everyday since then I've been checking the progress.... good yeast activity after double pitching... got a bad pack of yeast..... but man o man is it really smokey! Its like I stuck my nose over the vent holes on a weber smoker.

Does this smoke aroma mellow with time?

I added 1/2 teaspoon of Wrights Liquid Hickory Smoke for a 2 gallon batch.

Schlenkerla said:

I added 1/2 teaspoon of Wrights Liquid Hickory Smoke for a 2 gallon batch.

Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with the brand, but that could be a LOT of smoke. I've got some liquid smoke 'sauce' kind of stuff in my fridge now (molasses, vinegar, etc), but the last bottle of *real* liquid smoke I had (condensation captured from inside a smoker) only required a few drops for a whole 5 gallon pot of stew. 1/2 teaspoon of that stuff in 2 gallons of beer would be intolerable.

if it's too much smokiness for you, make the same recipe (without the smoke) and blend the two batches together to get the right taste at serving time.

-walker

After looking closer at the bottle, I think my batch may not be too smokey after all. The smell is pretty strong. On the bottle it states that 1/2-1 teaspoon could be added to one cup of BBQ sauce for smoke flavor.

I'll keep my fingers crossed and stop smelling it for now.

I've used Wright's before. It's one of the best, all-natural brands on the market. I used a 1/2 teaspoon in a five gallon batch of Scotch Ale and that worked well. That much in two gallons might be overkill, though. It will mellow a bit with time, but not that much. IMHO, next time I'd go with half that amount for two gallons. Walker-san's suggestion is a good one!

It will mellow, it may take a few months. My first barleywine (2003) I used 1/2 lb of peat-smoked malt and it was undrinkable for 6-8 months, fine now.

I tasted it last weekend. Its not as smokey as I had earlier expected. Its just like the strong smell of bannana ester during fermentation. Only in this case it was smoke.

When I tasted it, it reminded me of a marzen or an octoberfest. Only with a noticable smokey smell.

It will be very drinkable in a month or two. I can picture myself sitting in the shade across from the smoker, chicken smoking away, dog at the side, radio blaring, and tall heady weizen glass in hand. :rockin:

My rauch is doing the same thing. At first it was super-rauchy but now the beer character is prominent and the smoke is an awesome aroma/aftertaste.

Smoke on!
:rockin: