Rauch and Roll

On Rauchbier:

Baron von BeeGee said:

I think if it tasted more like bacon I would have liked it more (because who doesn't like bacon).

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I tracked down some micro-brew smoked porter and was similarily dissapointed. I was expecting a bacony smokeyness and what I got was, well I'm not sure what, but it certainly wasn't what my mind's eye (mouth?) had rendered what a smoked beer would taste like.
I currently have a rauch lagering in secondary and I used liquid smoke instead of smoked malt (my contact didn't come through - ahem WALKER!) and so far it tastes good as far as the style goes, but it's not my dream rauch.
I want one that tastes more like beef-jerky and less like the wrong side of the campfire. Any ideas?

Chairman Cheyco said:

I currently have a rauch lagering in secondary and I used liquid smoke instead of smoked malt (my contact didn't come through - ahem WALKER!) and so far it tastes good as far as the style goes, but it's not my dream rauch.
I want one that tastes more like beef-jerky and less like the wrong side of the campfire. Any ideas?

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Well, if you need someone DEPENDABLE to get you some rauch malt
<-------

But it is beechwood smoked, not hickory. It's fairly easy to smoke your own (or so I've read :cross: ), so I'm thinking about rolling my own. Last time I was up your way you couldn't swing a cat without hitting a smokebox, the only problem would be not getting fish/moose smell in your grains, though that could be interesting...

Ironically, when I heard "smoked beer" the first thing I imagined was that fish/moose smell. That's smoked to me. Now how do we get that flavor without getting the 'salmon-haze' we've all heard about?

And I'll think about your offer, but Walker hurt me pretty deep, and I'm not ready to trust again yet...

Chairman Cheyco said:

Ironically, when I heard "smoked beer" the first thing I imagined was that fish/moose smell. That's smoked to me. Now how do we get that flavor without getting the 'salmon-haze' we've all heard about?

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I have a charcoal smoker that I use for a wide variety of things: mostly alder-smoked salmon and BBQ ribs and chicken. I'm not very picky at all about cleaning it (I soak all the parts in oxy cleaner once a year when the season starts, just brush the grills off otherwise.)

I never notice any ribs tasting like fish or any such thing. Smoke is a pretty assertive flavoring agent: I wouldn't worry about it.

One of these days I'm going to alder-smoke some malt and brew a nice APA with it. Pair that with alder-smoked Copper River Sockeye and go directly to heaven.

(Walker, can I borrow your socks for a minute?)

Chairman Cheyco said:

And I'll think about your offer, but Walker hurt me pretty deep, and I'm not ready to trust again yet...

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How about I send you rauch malt, and you send me spruce tips this spring? That way we'd both be baring ourselves and laying it out there...

Alright, but be gentle...