Rauchbier Cherry Beech Smokebeer (Many Awards)

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ballz50401 said:
Well...I have to say that this beer rocks!! :rockin:
I won 4 medals recently from this recipe!

GOLD- 2013 Badger Brew-Off in Madison, WI
BRONZE- 2013 THIRSTY Classic in Amana, IA
SILVER- 2014 Upper Mississippi Mashout in Minneapolis, MN
GOLD- 2014 Great Northern Brew-Ha-Ha! in Duluth, MN

I highly recommend you brew this one if you like smoke. Thanks again passedpawn! :tank:
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Holy cow, congrats!
 
Wow! Thats awesome! Congrats on the wins!! Im entering it in Sicilianos Brew Off, one of West Michigans biggest comps. My fingers are crossed.
 
passedpawn said:
Holy cow, congrats!
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THANKS!

Fuzzymittenbrewing said:
Wow! Thats awesome! Congrats on the wins!! Im entering it in Sicilianos Brew Off, one of West Michigans biggest comps. My fingers are crossed.
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Good luck to you!

Sucks my last keg of this went dry 2 weeks ago. I think my wife drank more of it than I did! I did save two bottles. I'm not sure if I should drink them or enter them in one last competition...:drunk:
 
ballz50401 said:
THANKS!



Good luck to you!

Sucks my last keg of this went dry 2 weeks ago. I think my wife drank more of it than I did! I did save two bottles. I'm not sure if I should drink them or enter them in one last competition...:drunk:
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I say enjoy the spoils of war my friend and drink em!!
 
Out of curiosity are you guys entering this under smoked beers or "other" smoked beers?
Started diacetyl rest (a little it needs to clean up) but tasting fantastic otherwise, a nice sweet smoke with bacony or ham hints and a beautiful clear brown color to it.
 
Fuzzymittenbrewing said:
Uh Oh, looking like I may be stuck at 1.020. Any suggestions?
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Pure oxygen and yeast nutrients before pitching yeast helps greatly for attenuation and of course proper pitching rates. Mine went from 1.060 to 1.012 for 79% apparent attenuation and 6.3% abv. I agree with passedpawn to just roll with it. You could always add some more yeast to help finish it...
 
ballz50401 said:
Pure oxygen and yeast nutrients before pitching yeast helps greatly for attenuation and of course proper pitching rates. Mine went from 1.060 to 1.012 for 79% apparent attenuation and 6.3% abv. I agree with passedpawn to just roll with it. You could always add some more yeast to help finish it...
Click to expand...

If he mashed high, more yeast won't help.
 
ballz50401 said:
Pure oxygen and yeast nutrients before pitching yeast helps greatly for attenuation and of course proper pitching rates. Mine went from 1.060 to 1.012 for 79% apparent attenuation and 6.3% abv. I agree with passedpawn to just roll with it. You could always add some more yeast to help finish it...
Click to expand...







passedpawn said:
If he mashed high, more yeast won't help.
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Mashed at 154 for 90. Ill think about more yeast but I may just leave it be rather than risk it being too thin.
Would amalyse enzyme take it down too far?
 
passedpawn said:
If he mashed high, more yeast won't help.
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WLP838 is rated at 68-76% Attenuation. 60% AA is still a bit low for a high temp mash profile IMHO. The only real way to find out would be to perform a force fermentation test.

Fuzzymittenbrewing said:
Mashed at 154 for 90. Ill think about more yeast but I may just leave it be rather than risk it being too thin.
Would amalyse enzyme take it down too far?
Click to expand...

I too mashed at 154F and was able to get 79% AA. I do not have any experience using amylase enzyme so I can't help you out there. I would double check your thermometer and hydrometer for correct calibration to make sure you are getting correct readings too. I'm sure the beer will still turn out very good even with a high finishing gravity. I brewed a English Dark Mild a couple years back that only attenuated at 62% because of high floc yeast. It still won 2nd Place Best of Show at Byggvir's Big Beer Cup that year. Even though your brew didn't turn out as intended doesn't mean it still can't be a great beer!
 
ballz50401 said:
WLP838 is rated at 68-76% Attenuation. 60% AA is still a bit low for a high temp mash profile IMHO.



I too mashed at 154F and was able to get 79% AA. I do not have any experience using amylase enzyme so I can't help you out there. I would double check your thermometer and hydrometer for correct calibration to make sure your getting correct readings too. I'm sure the beer will still turn out very good even with a high finishing gravity. I brewed a English Dark Mild a couple years back that only attenuated at 62% because of high floc yeast. It still won 2nd Place Best of Show at Byggvir's Big Beer Cup that year. Even though your brew didn't turn out as intended doesn't mean it still can't be a great beer!
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I hear ya. The diacetyl cleaned up perfectly and it does taste great. Ill just roll with it. Thanks for your help guys
 
Hasnt totally cleared because only a couple days into lagering but I couldnt resist. Thanks passedpawn and others that helped. This brew is simply fantastic. Nice upfront smoke and definately hints of bacon or smoked meats. I think the cherry wood is the main magicmaker here. Flavorwise one of the best beers Ive ever brewed. :rockin:

1393492656201.jpg
 
Fuzzymittenbrewing said:
Hasnt totally cleared because only a couple days into lagering but I couldnt resist. Thanks passedpawn and others that helped. This brew is simply fantastic. Nice upfront smoke and definately hints of bacon or smoked meats. I think the cherry wood is the main magicmaker here. Flavorwise one of the best beers Ive ever brewed. :rockin:
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Sweet! Get a picture up here when that thing can carry a head. The carbonation in a beer carries the aroma (hops and smoke). Has a big effect on the perception. Let's hear how it changes when the CO2 takes effect.
 
passedpawn said:
Sweet! Get a picture up here when that thing can carry a head. The carbonation in a beer carries the aroma (hops and smoke). Has a big effect on the perception. Let's hear how it changes when the CO2 takes effect.
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Here we go! Wow what a change after proper lagering, this thing just gets better and better. Great depth from the smoke and nice hop balance. Theres no light behind it so hard to tell but it is quite clear.

1394513872781.jpg
 
I hope to brew this for the Big Brew day. What yeast from my inventory do you think would work best:
Safale 05
WLP 013
WLP 802
Or WLP 820?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Chops1867 said:
I hope to brew this for the Big Brew day. What yeast from my inventory do you think would work best:
Safale 05
WLP 013
WLP 802
Or WLP 820?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...

820 (or 802) if you can ferment cold. I'm brewing this tomorrow morning and I'm using Wyeast's Octoberfest blend. Someone else here recommended that and I thought it was a good idea.
 
I may use the 820. Was planning on making an Oktoberfest, this should be out of the primary in time to harvest the yeast.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
Brewed the Cherry Beech Smoke Beer this past Saturday for the Big Brew Day. First time brewing outside. Went very well - overshot my gravity by a few points. Carted the carboy home and pitched my WLP820 2 liter starter. Took 24 hours for visible activity, but she's going nicely now at 52ºF.

I changed the bittering hops to 1/2 oz Newport and used 3 lbs of the beechwood smoked malt.

IMG_2125.jpg
 
Update from my Big Brew Day of this beer. OG 5/3/14 was 1.050. I fermented this at 52ºF from 5/3 to 5/14 then raised the temp on the 14th to 68º for a diacetyl rest. On 5/19 the gravity was 1.010 for an ABV of 5.25%, I dropped the temp to 34º, and now it's resting.
I tasted the hydrometer sample on the 19th. Very yummy with no diacetyl. The WLP820 seems to have been a good choice.
 
Brewed this back in March and just opened the first this weekend. It was fantastic. At first the smoke kind of shocks you but once you know what to expect it is smooth and deliciously smoky.
 
Bottled mine in June 9 and it's just about fully carbonated and getting delicious. I ended up using 3 lbs beechwood and 2 1/2 lbs cherrywood. I also used WLP820 Ocktoberfest/Marzen yeast.

Some of you have entered this recipe in competitions. What catagory did you enter? If 22B "Other Smoked Beer" did you state a style? Did you list the smoked malts used? We have an upcoming competition in late July that I would like to enter.

Thanks!
 
Question for you guys... I'm brewing this weekend, but I'm not up on lagering, nor do I have the time to wait (competition in mid-October). Is there a comparable ale yeast I can use? Would approx 6 weeks be long enough?

Thanks!
 
MikeyLikesIt70 said:
Question for you guys... I'm brewing this weekend, but I'm not up on lagering, nor do I have the time to wait (competition in mid-October). Is there a comparable ale yeast I can use? Would approx 6 weeks be long enough?

Thanks!
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Look through the thread. I'm sure some guys brewed it with ale yeast. I'd use US-05.
 
MikeyLikesIt70 said:
Question for you guys... I'm brewing this weekend, but I'm not up on lagering, nor do I have the time to wait (competition in mid-October). Is there a comparable ale yeast I can use? Would approx 6 weeks be long enough?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I think 6 weeks will be fine as long as you have a healthy fermentation. Here is what Wyeast recommends for yeast choices in the Other Smoked Beer category:

Wyeast Strains:
1056 - American Ale™
1084 - Irish Ale™
2112 - California Lager™
1728 - Scottish Ale™
1450 - Denny's Favorite 50

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_styledetails.cfm?ID=197
 
Any advice on using Denny's Favorite 50 (Wy1450) on this? In it for a 1 gallon batch....
 

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