Smokey situation/ HELP

[jcounter]

I am in need of a bit of help.

Brewed an Oktoberfest kit but swapped the yeast to a white labs 568, added 4oz of smoke extract (recommend for a 5 gallon batch) did some gravity testing last night and the beer is finished. It has a wonderful saison taste and smell but way too much smoke. Is there anything I can do to combat that or do I just have a erroneous batch? Help!!!

 

[BrewinBromanite]

I've used some peat malt on a few batches, and the smoky character did fade a bit over time, though pretty subtle to begin with. Never used smoke extract in a recipe, but I'd assume it would eventually fade a bit also. Maybe put these away for a few months and taste every so often. Smoke flavor preference is very subjective, and some people's tolerance thresholds are very low. 4 oz seems like a lot to me (though depends on the recipe and of course your tastes). I might start next time with 1 oz, taste it, and add from there until your happy with the flavor/aroma.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

You could also brew up another batch with no or less smoke, and blend the batches before bottling/kegging... I think short of diluting, blending, or just aging and waiting, there won't be much you can do to "fix" too much smoke.

 

[microbusbrewery]

I usually do a couple smoked beers per year but I've never used liquid smoke. I personally wouldn't recommend ever using liquid smoke, but if you had to, four ounces seems like waaay too much. I think even an ounce might be pushing it. IME, smoke character does mellow with time, but at that level, I don't think it will anytime soon. If you haven't bottled yet, brew up another batch without any liquid smoke and blend the two to dilute. Or better yet, buy a commercial oktoberfest and try blending with yours to see if it dilutes it enough.

In the future, I'd recommend using smoked grain for the smoke character (e.g. rauchmalt, cherrywood-smoked malt, mesquite-smoked malt). If you insist on liquid smoke, add a measured dose using an oral syringe in the keg/bottling bucket. Add a little at a time and taste after each addition. Keep in mind, smoke can be a palate killer so it doesn't hurt to have someone else on hand to help taste and make sure you don't accidentally go from subtle complexity to full on campfire.

 

[jcounter]

I think I'll just let it sit for awhile. I thought it seemed like a lot but the bottle said 4oz per 5 gallon batch. After some further research on their site (adventures in home brewing) they say use 1-2oz. I bought everything in store and never thought to read the site.

 

[IslandLizard]

I think I'll just let it sit for awhile. I thought it seemed like a lot but the bottle said 4oz per 5 gallon batch. After some further research on their site (adventures in home brewing) they say use 1-2oz. I bought everything in store and never thought to read the site.

I have a few small bottles of "natural & artificial flavoring" or "extracts" and I rarely use them. Some indeed say for 5 gallons, but in practice I've only used them very sparingly, no more than a ml (or 2 or 3) per 5 gallons, carefully tested by doping a 1/2 pint of beer with a single drop at a time, just to give it that hint of flavor, mostly to reinforce something. When found the right balance, I still only use half of what I measured, and only after a second opinion by an unspoiled (and unaware) palate.

I basically hate "flavored beer," and sadly I've found some craft brewers "cheating" with those flavorings a bit too often.

To remedy your overdosage, let it sit for a few months and try again. Or quicker yet, bubble CO2 through it then repurge the headspace to rid some. Repeat.

Some of your friends may love it the way it is, as mentioned before, many flavorings are a personal preference. Throw a kill the smoky keg party and see who is really brave. You can also blend it back with another batch or 2 to reduce the intensity.

 

[jcounter]

I'm going to move to bottling in two weeks and see what happens. I guess I'll just chalk this one up to experience. No more smoke flavorings haha.

 

[55x11]

I am in need of a bit of help.

Brewed an Oktoberfest kit but swapped the yeast to a white labs 568, added 4oz of smoke extract (recommend for a 5 gallon batch) did some gravity testing last night and the beer is finished. It has a wonderful saison taste and smell but way too much smoke. Is there anything I can do to combat that or do I just have a erroneous batch? Help!!!

I agree with others - aging for a few months (is this for October?) will allow smokiness to decay somewhat. This is true for most spices and fruit in my experience. They can often go from overbearing to just strong to mellow in a month or two.

 

[kh54s10]

I would think that with a little age the smoke flavor will fade.

It is also likely to be a lot different between the finished fermentation and the finished bottle conditioning. Try one when bottle conditioned, then occasionally until the smoke has faded. If it doesn't, have the "drink the smoke" party.

I have notice my smoked (malt) beers are stronger before bottling.

Not smoke, but I did a Russian Imperial Stout with 4 ounces of oak chips. On bottling day the gravity sample was like "drinking a tree". Conditioned it had a kind of heavy but nice oak flavor. At a year later it is still oakey, but more balanced and very nice.

 

[jcounter]

It's really for no time in particular. I used a Belgian saison yeast with an Oktoberfest kit just for fun. I'll leave it in the primary for another two weeks, bringing it to 4 total. I'll bottle and leave for 5 weeks.