French Malt Liquor

[sudsmonkey]

One of my customers gave me 2 bottles of Fischer Malt Liquor the other day. Couldn't wait to get home and try it. Got the bottle reasonably cool and poured a glass. Smelled like a boilermaker. Tasted like a boilermaker. Had a strong bourbon flavor. I looked them up online and found that the mystery flavor/smell came from smoked malt. This is my first smoked malt experience.
I must say that I'm not a fan. Before I add it under vanilla on my list of things not to brew with, is there another example of a smoked beer I can try? I'd like to be able to chalk this one up as just a bad beer.

 

[Dude]

Try an Alaskan Smoked Porter or even Stone smoked Porter if you can get it.

I don't know for sure, but I'd almost say Stone Smoked Porter is peat malt, not rauch malt.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I've had lots of Fischer beer (small collection of their bottles too), but don't ever remember tasting smoke malt. We must have been a different styles of their brew. Try a Blanche (white) or Amber.

As for the "Malt Liquor" label, all beers over 5% in the US have to be labeled that way.

I don't agree with Dude's recommendation (nothing personal, but smoke is smoke). His recommendation was for "Smoked" Porters. If you don't like Porters to start with then it doesn't matter if there's smoke in it or not.

 

[sudsmonkey]

This one was an Amber. I like Porters, and know that part of their flavor comes from roasted malt. Roasted, smoked..... Wouldn't seem like much difference. Their website didn't list any other ingredients, like hops. I'm sure there must have been some, but I couldn't taste them over the bourbon flavor. I generally dig a strongly hopped ale. Maybe the Fischer Amber just isn't my bag.

 

[Dude]

Roasted, smoked..... Wouldn't seem like much difference. .

Oh, big difference.

Huge difference just between a wood smoked malt and a peat smoked malt as well.

 

[SwAMi75]

I don't agree with Dude's recommendation (nothing personal, but smoke is smoke). His recommendation was for "Smoked" Porters. If you don't like Porters to start with then it doesn't matter if there's smoke in it or not.

What are you talking about? SM never said anything about porters. He was looking for other smoked beers to try. Dude recommended a couple.

And if you think peated malt is the same as rauch malt, you go do a couple batches with 5lbs of each and tell me what you think.

 

[homebrewer_99]

What are you talking about? SM never said anything about porters. He was looking for other smoked beers to try. Dude recommended a couple. And if you think peated malt is the same as rauch malt, you go do a couple batches with 5lbs of each and tell me what you think.

I re-read both of his posts and he didn't mention looking for other smoked beers. As I understood it he was only making comments about them.

True, SM didn't mention Porters, Dude did. I was only trying to say that whether the Porter is smoked or not if you don't like Porters it wouldn't matter.

SM mentioned that his research ended up finding smoked malt in his Fischer (which he later mentioned was an Amber). I said I don't remember an Amber with smoked malt.

I know better than to use 5 lbs of either of those malts, peat or rauch malt.

We all have our preferences, but since I lived in Bamberg, Germany for 5 years and it's the home of the Schlenklera, I prefer smoked flavor over peat, which is used more in Scottish beer anyway.

 

[SwAMi75]

I re-read both of his posts and he didn't mention looking for other smoked beers.

(emphasis my own)

Before I add it under vanilla on my list of things not to brew with, is there another example of a smoked beer I can try?

Try an Alaskan Smoked Porter or even Stone smoked Porter if you can get it.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Mea culpa...forgive me...for I was drunk...

 

[SwAMi75]

Mea culpa...forgive me...for I was drunk...

It happens.

 

[SwAMi75]

Oh yeah, sudsmonkey: A good example of a beer that uses some peated malt is Skullsplitter. It lives up to it's name, and it's rough on the wallet, but man it's good.

 

[sudsmonkey]

Glad you guys got that worked out. If it helps any, I tried smoked salmon and liked that. Not sure if it was rauch salmon or peat-smoked. Had a PBR with it. Seemed to go well.

And they say not everybody loves a smartass !

 

[homebrewer_99]

Yeah, never get in the middle of 2 Irishmen debating beer...