Rauchbier recipe...

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Baron von BeeGee

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Bill, this is the recipe I snagged off the web. It was in French(?) and rather generic, so I'm not sure of the quality. There were also some wheat beers in there, however, that were spot on:

Bamberger Smoked Ale / Allemagne Schlenkerla Rauchbier
OG 1054 FG 1013 ABV 5.5%
IBU 30 EBC 52
25 litres
rauch malt 6010g
chocolate malt 105g

Mash 50°C - 20 minutes 65°C - 60 minutes
Hallertau 52g, 60m
Irish moss at 15m
Top Working Ale Yeast (I guess a German Ale yeast?)

Does it seem reasonable? It's a lot of rauch malt, but in kicking around on the web I've seen it may be used up to 100%. I'd probably just go with a single-infusion, as well.
 
That does seem like too much smoked malt.

The Bamber Rauchbier from the Schlenkerla is the strongest-smokiest I have had. There are plenty more around Bamberg that are really lighty smoked that taste better, or are more to my taste. Even though I have had hundreds from the Schlenklera (last time was last July!)

The recipe in "Brew Classic European Beers at Home" says to use 10 lbs smoked malt and 2.8 lbs of chocolate.

If you've NEVER had a genuine Bamberger Schlenklera Rauchbier I would advise anyone to find one first before attempting to brew something like it. If you've never had one you can't judge it against your HB. Heck, you may not even like it.:(

Here's a recipe I found on the net that looks pretty tame. Notice he only used 2.5 lbs of smoked malt.

Classic Rauchbier
author - Scott Russell (giving credit where credit's due)

(5 gallons, partial mash)

This is a Bamberg-style reddish lager, sweet and substantial like a Marzen, with the distinctive smokiness of a beechwood fire.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. lager malt
2.5 lbs. rauchmalt
.5 lb. carapils malt
.5 lb. Vienna malt
2.5 lb. unhopped light dry malt extract
1 oz. Hallertau hops (4% alpha acid, 4 AAUs)
1 oz. Tettnang hops (4% alpha acid, 4 AAUs)
Munich lager yeast slurry (Wyeast 2308)
3/4 cup corn sugar or 1 cup light dry malt extract for priming

Step by Step:

Heat 10 qt. water to 164° F. Crush grains, mix into liquor and hold 90 min. at 152° F.
Runoff and sparge with 14 qt. at 168° F.
Add the dry malt to kettle, mix well.
Raise to boiling, add Hallertau hops.
Boil 60 min., add Tettnang hops, boil 30 min.
Remove from heat, cool and add to fermenter along with enough chilled pre-boiled water to make 5.25 gal.
When cooled to 65° F, pitch yeast.
Seal and ferment for two days at 55° F, then move to cooler place and ferment a further two weeks at 45° F, rack to secondary and condition six weeks at 38° F.
Prime with corn sugar or dry malt extract and bottle. Condition six weeks at 35° F.

OG = 1.060 (15° Plato)
TG = 1.018
Bitterness: 28 IBUs


I am a DME brewer (and some grains) so I am partial to this recipe and use liquid smoke:

Rauchbier

Ingredients:

7 pounds, light dry extract
1-1/2 teaspoons, liquid smoke
1-1/2 ounces, Tettnanger hops (boil)
1 ounce, Tettnanger hops (finish)
1/2 teaspoon, Irish moss
Your choice of German Lager Yeast

Procedure:

Boil extract, liquid smoke, and boiling hops in 2-3 gallons of water for 45 minutes.
Add Irish moss and finishing hops and boil 15 more minutes.
Strain into fermenter, add cold water to make 5 gallons, pitch yeast.
After 3 days rack to secondary.
Allow to ferment an additional 3-4 weeks.

Specifics:

Primary Ferment: 3 days
Secondary Ferment: 3-4 weeks

Comments:

This is basically a nice light beer, but with a definite smoke aftertaste. Mainstream, but with a non-commercial twist.


I would recommend brewing a Marzen as the basic recipe. I don't think too many Americans can handle Rauchbiers just because of their flavor.
 
Interesting...thanks for the other recipes. I'm definitely going to try to get my hands on one before I brew 5g, but I don't think I've ever met any type of smoked comestible that I didn't like and like a lot.
 
I have recently done two traditional lager Rauchbiers. The first had 3lbs for a 6 gallon batch and the other 10lbs. The one with 3lbs turned out a nice Octoberfest type lager with nice noticable smoke flavor and aroma. The second one was more intense but finished high and sweet. It was not that the smoke was too intense, it just seems there is an optimal point for max smokiness and anymore causes the flavor to be perceived as something different. To me it is like drinking single malt straight verses adding a little water. When slightly diluted with water, you can pick up different flavors than you do straight up.
 
PT Ray said:
To me it is like drinking single malt straight verses adding a little water. When slightly diluted with water, you can pick up different flavors than you do straight up.
I can take your point on that. If and when I get around to doing this one I might do two batches...one as the original recipe and one with ~25-33% smoked malt.
 
Yeah, I'm not seeing the downside, but maybe 5g would be a bit much to go through. I did an amber ale last weekend that called for 1/2 oz :confused: of peat malt...I followed the recipe as I am wont to do the first time around, I just hope it comes through a bit. I've used both rauch and peat malts in the past, so I'm aware that the difference between them is not subtle.
 
Popped by the local gourmet grocery on the way home and nestled between the Franziskaner and Schwarz was a Schlenkerla! I never really expected to ever find this beer, but there it was in singles so I grabbed one. By Wednesday evening I will have a definitive answer on how much I like smoke beer.

I'm not convinced I would have noticed it if it wasn't embedded in my subconscious...wonder how many others I'm overlooking...:confused:
 
Well, I tore into this one last night after work. Interesting. It kind of hooks you after a few sips, but ultimately it wasn't my thing. It wasn't that it was too smoky (it was very smoky), it was more the flavor of the smoke. I guess that's beechwood...I was thinking in my mind it would be more a hickory like smoke. It's definitely a decent beer that I'll enjoy again in the future, perhaps with some babyback ribs, but I don't need no 5g of it layin' around!
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
Yeah, I'm not seeing the downside, but maybe 5g would be a bit much to go through. I did an amber ale last weekend that called for 1/2 oz :confused: of peat malt...I followed the recipe as I am wont to do the first time around, I just hope it comes through a bit. I've used both rauch and peat malts in the past, so I'm aware that the difference between them is not subtle.

Hey, Billy... post back here after you taste that that amber. I'm interested in knowing if such a small amount of peated malt is detectable.

After reading a bunch about Scottish Ales prior to brewing my 80/-, I opted to use hardwood smoked malt (beechwood) to he historically accurate instead of the peat smoked malt.

I used 4 oz in my batch. It was detectable, but just barely.

Next time I'm going to say "screw it" for the historical accuracy and brew it like the comtemporary commercial versions and use peated malt, but I don't want to over-do it.

-walker
 
Roger that. Hoping to bottle it this weekend or maybe Monday, so I'll be stealing a little sample for the Baron. I'll try to remember to post a review once it's carbonated since that usually emphasizes different flavors.
 
Imperial Walker said:
Hey, Billy... post back here after you taste that that amber. I'm interested in knowing if such a small amount of peated malt is detectable.
Well, bottled last night and at least at this point I can say definitely detectable, and my buddy agreed with me. It's a very faint flavor that I think is just perfect...not overpowering, but you don't have to hunt too hard for it. So, at least in an amber ale, 1/2oz is detectable. Really makes me wonder about those recipes that call for 3oz or more, but I suppose those are generally darker, maltier beers that would overpower 1/2oz.
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
Well, bottled last night and at least at this point I can say definitely detectable, and my buddy agreed with me. It's a very faint flavor that I think is just perfect...not overpowering, but you don't have to hunt too hard for it. So, at least in an amber ale, 1/2oz is detectable. Really makes me wonder about those recipes that call for 3oz or more, but I suppose those are generally darker, maltier beers that would overpower 1/2oz.

Thanks for the input, BeeGee!

I'll be using it in a pretty malty scottish 80/-, so an oz or two might be what I am looking for.

-walker
 
Imperial Walker said:
Thanks for the input, BeeGee!

I'll be using it in a pretty malty scottish 80/-, so an oz or two might be what I am looking for.

-walker
I've got a 1/2oz left if you want it! I bet the guy at AHBS was pretty pissed about packing 1oz of peated malt, but hey, they gave me the option...:mug:
 
Baron von BeeGee said:
I've got a 1/2oz left if you want it! I bet the guy at AHBS was pretty pissed about packing 1oz of peated malt, but hey, they gave me the option...:mug:

Since the stuff is cheap (AB carries it now for less than $2.00/lb), I'll probably just pick up a full pound and vacuum seal what I don't use. I plan to have my scottish ale be one of my staples, so the pound of grain will get used up.

I've got 12 oz of beechwood smoked malt that I don't plan to ever use, though. I'll probably end up tossing it.

-walker
 
Chairman Cheyco said:
I'll use it. We can't get it up here.

I'd be happy to send it to you, but... would it be worth the shipping costs? I have no idea how much it would cost to ship a 3/4lb package to you up there.

We can discuss via PM, but if you really want some rauch malt and can't get it easily, I could send a FEW pounds to you if you cover the shipping charges.

-walker
 
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