Smoking Malts

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MVKTR2

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I smoked 2 pounds of Marris Otter malt today. Here's a look see.

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Step 1 wet or soak the malt for 2-10 mins.

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Step 2 10-12 Briquettes & soaked wood chips/chunks.

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2 lbs of malt placed on the smoker.

Now the fun began... the smoking!!!

PHTO0059.jpg

There's grain in there smoking it's little heart out.

As this is a very small smoke source, because I wanted to keep the heat down, I chose to smoke this for 1.5-2.5 hours. Wound up smoking for 2.25 hours. I know some will say it's too long, but I'm surprised at how not overly smokey it is. To be fair I like smokey stuff, really smokey so I figured I'd go big then step back from there.
 
Smoke malts continued...

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This is post smoking, curing. Here the malts are in the oven for 1 hour @ 200 degrees.

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All done, 2 pounds of smoked malt.

Yes I used hickory wood. The temp inside the el cheapo grill was probably between 150-180 degrees. I think this is key as if it were hotter I'd be cooking the malt, & laying in harsher smoke flavors. Only time will tell. I plan on brewing with this in 10-20 days. The malt needs time to mellow.

Schlante,
Phillip
 
Interesting (meaning... pretty damn cool!).

Please share your plans for said malt.

I haven't made up my mind yet. I might do a dark mild, but I'm leaning toward a big malty sweet dark bier. Something 1.065-1.075, 1# crystal 60 (also homemade), 4 oz. Pale Chocolate, bittered to 25 IBUs.

I'm VERY open to suggestions!

Schlante,
Phillip
 
I know this thread is quite old but what the heck. I plan on smoking my own malts with the OP's method, but perhaps only smoke for an hour instead of 2. What are the results of everyones home smoked malts? Did the beers come out good/bad, what type of woods yielded the best results, how much malt did you use? The reason I ask is because I've read a few places home smoked malt is a lot more intense than commercially smoked malts but I do generally prefer a lot of smokiness.

I brewerd the Loon Lake Smoked Porter recipe with Weyermann Beechwood smoked malt. I added a bit more smoked malt to up the smokiness and it was a fantastic beer. Everyone called it the bacon beer, which I think is awesome, beer that tastes like bacon, I mean c'mon :) whats more awesome than that. Anyway, looking forward to replies. Btw, was planning on using cherry wood to smoke.

Cheers
 
As for Frikkieman's comment concerning smoke strength that's entirely up to how long one leaves the malt on the smoke. I'm a big smoke lover, BIG! Not to say I can't enjoy more nuanced smoke flavors, fish for instance become unpalatable when grossly over-smoked.

Resurrecting this thread to ask what others have done with their smoked malts. Thinking of doing this again, wanting to make something with no idea what to do? Previously did a smoked porter which was excellent.

The easy 'makes sense' approach is to make a sweet somewhat dark beer as we generally associate sweetness with bbq sauce. However perhaps the only thing I love more than beer is bbq, we have ribs every Thanksgiving for crying out loud! However the other main flavor impact of bbq sauce is tangy vinegar. I'm thinking a sour mash beer of some kind would work nicely. Perhaps something light, 4% alc, malt complexity from vienna/munich malts, and using a much lighter smoke profile would work well. Might even do two versions making sure one is sweet and spicing it with my homemade rub.

Thoughts on a different direction other than dark and sweet or soured?
 
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