how much peated malt for a light-to-medium smokey flavor?

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Walker

I use secondaries. :p
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I'm working out my Scottish Ale recipe and I want this one to have a discernible, but not overpowering, smokey flavor. This is a 5 gallon extract w/ grain recipe.

What I'm after is kind of like "Mmmm... that's got a little smokey taste to it, doesn't it?" but not "Damnit! Who put their F**king cigarette butt in my beer?"

Would I come close to my target with something like 6 oz, steeped for 30 minutes at 150 degrees?

-walker
 
I wish I had a definitive answer for your question but unfortunately I don't. I've used peated malt in the first two batches I've done. The first had an OG of 1.055 and I only used 1 oz for the 5 gallon batch. The second is a wee heavy with an OG of 1.073 and I used 2 oz in that one. Neither one is ready to drink yet so I'm not really sure how much smoke I've added. I just decided to play it safe.

Per style guidelines, there's only supposed to be a slight perception of smokey notes.

I've got 1 oz and 2 oz going right now, you have a go using 4 oz and we'll compare notes. I'm not a smoker so it won't take much smoke for me to pick it up.
 
I found a recipe that called for 8 ounces of smoked........of course, it was for a wee heavy, so I'm thinkin' the strength of the brew would have a lot to do with how much you use. Whatever the result, it'd be cool to find out how you both made out!
 
Hey, ScottT...

how long until your brews are ready for drinking? My Scottish Ale is far down the list, so I probably won't be cooking it up for another month or two.

I'm inclined to hear your opinion on the 1 and 2 oz batches before making my decision on how much to add in.

Also, leafing through one of my brew books, I think I might want to use rauchmalt instead of peated malt, so my original question is a little flawed anyway. :)

-walker
 
Bottling the first batch this comming weekend. Three weeks before I pop the first top.

The Second just went into the primary this past saturday and is fermenting like mad right now. Blew through the blow off tube and everything (I pitched 500 ml of yeast). I suspect that it'll be a month before it goes into bottles and then it'll need months to age. I'm guessing Christmas for that one.

Next batch with be a Cyser Mead (2 weeks to that one) that'll be bottled and aged for 6 months to a year and then an English Bitter that'll be ready pretty quick and will be put into a keg.
 
BYO has, luckily enough, featured quite a bit of info on smoked malts and other such types of malts. I suggest buying (or subscribing) and check it out...lots of good info.
 
Walker said:
I'm working out my Scottish Ale recipe and I want this one to have a discernible, but not overpowering, smokey flavor.
Clone Brews suggests 3 oz. for a Traquair House clone...that's what I'm planning to start with.
 
And if all else fails, you can do what I did with a Scotch Ale I brewed early in my 'career'. Some might call it cheating, but I've done it and it works. Add some Wright's Liquid Smoke to the beer at bottling. I added a tablespoon and it added a nice, but pronounced smoky flavor to the beer, much like rauchmalt. I half Tblspn. would probably be just right for a Scotch Ale.
 

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