100% Peated Ale

I had one the the best brewing sessions I've had in years. It all went perfectly. Like clockwork. 2nd time I've brewed it. Thought I would toss it out to share:

Brimstone Peated Ale 5.5 gallons

14 lbs Bairds Peated Malt
1 lb Bairds Peated Malt lightly toasted
1 lb Bairds Peated Malt Medium roasted (Brown malt level)

2 oz Fuggles 6.7 alpha 60 minute boil
1728 Scottish Ale Yeast Wyeast

OG 1.096
FG 1.020 projected - in the primary

Mashed grains with 10 qt water @ 135 - stabilized @ 122 F. Held 20 min.
Added 2 qt boiling water - stabilized @ 130 F. Held 20 min.
Added 4 qt boiling water - stabilized @ 142 F. Held 20 min.
Decocted 4 Qt - Boiled 5 minutes & returned - stabilized at 155 F 60 min
Iodine test clean
Decocted 8 qt - boiled 5 minutes & returned - mash out at 174 F.

Sparged with 5 gallons at 175 F. Collected 6.5 gallon total.
Boiled 1 hour with hops.
Counter flow chilled.
Pitched yeast.

Oddly (in a great way), I got a way better extraction than I expected and wanted to toss that around. Using Beer Calculus it nominally projected an OG of 1.072. But I got a whopping 1.096. The only think I can really come up with is that the PPG of 32 is way low and my eff is better than the default 75%. Bumping to a PPG of 42 and an 85% eff gets me much closer, but damn, I know I'm good but I have trouble believing that good (small humor here) - that's DME levels.

So, any thoughts about what went on? I should mention that when I did this as a small test batch of a couple gallons a couple years ago, I got similar results but chalked it up to sloppy measurements, but I'm sure of the numbers above.

Aside from all that, I'm near giddy to get this into my keg - Laphroiag's ale cousin

Not to sound like a jerk but I can't even force myself to envision this tasting good. I put a quarter ounce of it in a beer once and it tasted like manure.

No offense taken.

A 1/4 oz of what in how much? That's a miniscule amount.

As for tasting good - it's a matter of preference. Lots of people hate peat and this would not be the ale for them just as many scotch drinkers hate anything peated.

Whoops. I meant a quarter pound. It was in a scottish 80/-.

100% peated malt? Really? I find that I love scotch (the booze) but hate peated malt in beer. Even a couple of ounces puts me off- I imagine I'd think 100% peated malt tastes like an ashtray only worse.

Sorry to be so negative- it just sounds beyond terrible to me.

Do you find that it has a Scotch taste to it, with all the peated malt?

i would really like to know if this turned out.

I'm interested in knowing how this turns out. I brewed up a 1.107 BW with 2lbs of peated malt. I first did one with a full pound and it was good. My friends and I love it with cigars. Now this one is even better, it's maltier, but what I'm slightly disappointed with is the peat smoke flavor is decreased. I think the next time I make the beer I'll have to up it to 3 or 4lbs of peated malt. The beer is okay by itself but it is really made to accompany a cigar for me. That is where this beer really shines!

Also to you naysayers, just because you think it to be a vile flavor doesn't mean its a waste of the man's time. Peat flavor is just not for some people and I accept that people don't like the taste. What would be cool is if the people that hate the flavor of peat would accept the fact that others actually do like the flavor. I don't know how many times I've read a thread about peated malt where people are firing up torches in protest of using the malt in a beer. Isn't the whole point to make what you like and experiment?

torches? I don't think any of us had torches out. Definitely didn't see rudeness or being up in arms about it.

I'm curious about the results, too. I agree with previous posters that the recipe appears vile, but I'd really like to know what happens with it. Perhaps it's not as bad as we're all guessing.

I do like a peaty scotch, but, like Yooper, I'm not a big fan of peated malt in beer. However, in a beer with high alcohol content, little hop bitterness, and almost no hop flavor, it might work alright. I'm far from convinced that 100% peated malt is a good thing, but keep us posted!

bwomp313 said:

torches? I don't think any of us had torches out. Definitely didn't see rudeness or being up in arms about it.

Click to expand...

I didn't say you guys were rude I said others have been and are rude.


The key to making it work is to allow the peat to be the main player. Little to no hops, just enough to balance the sweetness. It works and I like really smokey scotches like Laphroaig Quarter Cask and others.

smokinghole said:

I didn't say you guys were rude I said others have been and are rude.


The key to making it work is to allow the peat to be the main player. Little to no hops, just enough to balance the sweetness. It works and I like really smokey scotches like Laphroaig Quarter Cask and others.

Click to expand...

I didn't mean to be rude. I'd be really interested to see if this beer reminds me of Laphroaig (my favorite Scotch). But my personal experiences with peat malt have not been positive and were very ashtray-ish. If sharing that is rude, well, yes, I guess I'm a real dick.

Yooper said:

I didn't mean to be rude. I'd be really interested to see if this beer reminds me of Laphroaig (my favorite Scotch). But my personal experiences with peat malt have not been positive and were very ashtray-ish. If sharing that is rude, well, yes, I guess I'm a real dick.

Click to expand...

Funniest thing I read all day Yoop

Smoking hole has it right. For some reason, there is a world of difference in a little peat and something peat based. If you like 'some' smoke or peat, I'd recommend trying a tiny batch of this 3 lbs of peated malt will give a nice 1 gallon test batch.

As for results, I will keep you up to date. As I mentioned, this is the 2nd batch as the first one was so nice. Solidly peaty of course, but IMO not nearly as in your face as you might expect. Again, as smokinghole hints at, if anything I rather expected the 1.070 OG first batch to be much stronger and was decidedly silky smooth. And also oddly, a little thin. It's why I toasted some of my own malt this time, and reduced the early conversion rest time about 30%.

Smokinghole - Laphroaig's quarter cask is actually got me inspired to try this out.

As for hops, one quick comment. I hopped very lightly before. 15 IBU if I recall. And this was due to a reference somewhere that hops actually accentuate smokiness, and I was being cautious. In a further attempt to up the perception of peat, I did increase the hops some in this one (a whopping 21 IBU). Still light but more.

BTW, for those that have used peated malt - any idea why I got such a yield?

I hopped my last attempt at double your IBUs to hit 50. However I also aged it 5 months with hungarian or french oak cubes soaked in Laphroaig Quarter Cask. I dumped the cubes and booze in when I transferred to secondary.

smokinghole said:

I hopped my last attempt at double your IBUs to hit 50. However I also aged it 5 months with hungarian or french oak cubes soaked in Laphroaig Quarter Cask. I dumped the cubes and booze in when I transferred to secondary.

Click to expand...

Hot damn. That sounds nice. Did you char the oak cubes? How long did you soak them?

They were medium toast for use in wine really. I soaked them for a good month or two before adding to the beer. There was about two ounces of booze with the cubes when I dumped the jar in the fermentor.

smokinghole said:

They were medium toast for use in wine really. I soaked them for a good month or two before adding to the beer. There was about two ounces of booze with the cubes when I dumped the jar in the fermentor.

Click to expand...

I'd love to hear how that comes out. Please keep us advised. Do you have a thread for that batch?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f77/oak-bog-200820/


There's the first recipe and the second recipe. I really like the brown malt addition in lieu of the caramel malt.

Sweet - I'll head over and read.

Question, as one how seems to be here a lot - is it cool to 'cross post' my recipe to the same section you have yours in - seems a much better area than this general one.

Go for it. I'm on a lot because I'm in college and have plenty of time between classes. I hate studying hahaha.

Please send me a bottle. I have used 4 oz of peated malt in a 12 gallon batch of 80/- and it lent a distinct peated and vegetal tone but it was not something that was terribly pleasant. Found that the split of people who liked that note was 100% down the "scotch drinker" line and those who were not scotch fans were put off by just that small amount of peat.

I too cannot even imagine a 100% peat malt beer.

Randar said:

Please send me a bottle. I have used 4 oz of peated malt in a 12 gallon batch of 80/- and it lent a distinct peated and vegetal tone but it was not something that was terribly pleasant. Found that the split of people who liked that note was 100% down the "scotch drinker" line and those who were not scotch fans were put off by just that small amount of peat.

I too cannot even imagine a 100% peat malt beer.

Click to expand...

Agreed!

I could oblige with a 2lbs in a recipe. In the recipe it came out to 10% which I think many would find as way too much. I just need to make sure they're carbonated. I had opened one last night that was not carbonated.

Any thought about brewing this with corn to thin out the body and then freeze distilling?

ReverseApacheMaster said:

Any thought about brewing this with corn to thin out the body and then freeze distilling?

Click to expand...

In a word, no. I actually increased the grain bill, made my own specialty malts and shortened the early rests to increase body. Corn - ick in my world. I can't imagine ever brewing with corn.

Someone else suggested freeze concentrating this also. I don't see the point really. Can someone enlighten me?

If you partially freeze the beer and pull out the ice it increase the alcohol content. Called an eis beer, the Germans are know to do this. I suggested it so the final product comes out more like a Scotch liquor with a much higher alcohol content than the original product.

@Steelers - Noted. Same real answer. I personally have no desire to do make this any higher in alcohol or scotch like. Scotch is way more than just high alcohol and the goal here was a quaffable peated ale.

I brewed a slightly altered version of this and it came out werry vell If you enjoy Laphroaig, I wouldent hesitate to brew this one !
I used lightly peated malt, next time I will use 10% heavy peated malt !
Ill just flash my label also
For you non danes, it translates something like:

PeatHag
bog wife's brew

Brewed on Peat, bog water and stale herbs.
drink it only if you have the strength for it.

OMG, that totally rocks DangMan!!!

I have my own update on this year's batch(es). I brewed two after my first one, believe it or not, was not peaty enough for me. I used Simpson peated malt. After determining something was up (too mild) I found via research that Simpson's is a low phenol (5-10 ppm phenol) peated malt. Why it was good in previous batches, I just don't know. Regardless, I then hunted down Baird's Heavy peated distilling malt at 35-45 ppm phenol.

The resulting brew was much more what I wanted.

Now here is something interesting I found. After kegging, the the subsequent FG measurement tasting, I gave a token rinse to my hydrometer cylinder and took a sip....the that strong, ashy flavor that so many people note was there, in spades. I hold that something about having SO MUCH peated malt in the brew changes it's character in such a way that it's actually more approachable and balanced.

Have you made a 100% 40 ppm beer That is realy hard core

My PeatHag is made with 100% 5ppm peated malt. But I am experimenting with more smoke, so I have bought some 40ppm malt, and I am planning on using
90% 5ppm and
10% 40 ppm next time !
Other things im trying to do is using Columbus hops and lovering the abv to around 6 !

I think you will be surprised that there will not be a huge difference with 10% of the 40 ppm. Once you hit these levels, different things happen to the taste profile that is not exactly linear.

I'll agree my 40 ppm is hard core, but it's not 8x as peaty if you catch my meaning. Maybe 2-3.

Im looking foreward to tasting it ill make sure to tell you what I think about it

I made a Scottish Ale using 3lbs of peat smoked barley. I too was told it would taste like an ashtray and that I was foolish for doing it. In the end, it was one of the best beers I ever made. The peat smoked flavor was evident and up front, but it blended perfectly with the crystal malts and the hops to create a truly delicious beer. All my friends think its delicious and I've had to hide it to keep them from drinking it all up on me.

100% peat malt, holy crap step away from the grain mill and no one gets hurt.

my marris otter/peat/fuggle ale only uses 4oz

That's wild!! Are their different types of peated malt? Peated malt was got us to start selling specialty grains by the ounce. The first time we ground a full pound for a customer it made the grain area smell like a huge electrical fire, burning insulation and whatnot.

How high was the PPM on that ?

SHBSJon said:

That's wild!! Are their different types of peated malt? Peated malt was got us to start selling specialty grains by the ounce. The first time we ground a full pound for a customer it made the grain area smell like a huge electrical fire, burning insulation and whatnot.

Click to expand...

Thread resurrection!

I was curious about what others thought of peated malt, and found nothing but haters before I found this thread.

I used 12oz for about 11% in an amber, and my only complaint is that it seems to work with the Munich malt to get almost cloyingly malty. I didn't have any complaints about the smoke or peat flavor itself. Of course, I enjoy a good smoky Scotch, so my palate is probably shot.

Don't allow the nay-sayers to turn you off.

I made a Peated Ale using 3-4lbs of peated malt. Everyone told me I was making a liquid ashtray. It would be undrinkable, they said. It turned out to be wonderful. The peated flavor was very pronounced, but it wasn't nasty tasting at all. I actually have several friends that wanted me to make more of it. I tried to make it again, but this time I cut the peated malt back to 1lb. It was terrible.

It's as if just a touch is ok and then there is this huge range where it's too much, then you reach a point where it's good again and is it's own thing.

Bravo for your bravery and keep us informed on how it turns out.

Edit:
Wait. This is an old thread.

How did it turn out?