How much Rauch malt?

[tegeberg]

Hi guys (and girls)

I will be brewing up an imperial stout with a grain bill in the likes of this (13 l batch)

80% 4.500 kg American Two-row Pale
7% 0.400 Roasted Barley
5% 0.300 Special B - 118L
5% 0.300 Chocolate Malt
3% 0.150 Caramunich Malt 60

I would like to age it for a bit and give it a subtle, yet clear and noticable smoky profile by substituting some of the base malt with rauch malt. My question is, for a beer like this, how much of the 4.5 kg would you substitute to get the desired result? Not overly smoky, but I want it to be there.

 

[bolts]

That's a tough one with a stout and aging. I use ~17% in a smoked helles that gives it a nice smoke presence but nowhere near a rauchbier. I also seem to perceive lightly smoked beers that have aged as 'sweet' vs subtle smoke. I've made a few big, dark beers (HoTD Adam Clone and Matt inspired beer) with ~5% smoked malt and the smoke is very subtle.

I'd avoid Alder -- all I can think of is Salmon Beer. The standard Weyerman is good (Beechwood), they also have a Smoked Oak Wheat malt. You should also be able to find Cherry Wood smoked malt. Just make sure it's fresh as it tends to fade with time. Don't use peat smoked malt.

I'd be tempted to try somewhere around 8 - 12% Cherrywood Smoked Malt in place of the 2 row.

 

[ao125]

I'm not sure about smoked malts, but when I was smoking pork a few weeks ago, I noticed that the mesquite smoke had a much sweeter smell than the hickory I had been using.

Check it:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/produ...12932&osCsid=a8e2bb2ff64eb0dd8479482a0aed11bf

This is 2-row malt that has been smoked with mesquite. It will contribute a smoky flavor and aroma to beer. Use up to 2 lb per 5 gallon batch depending on taste.
4-7 L

Also, check out Geoff Larson and Ray Daniels' book "Smoked Beers."
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381764/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[ao125]

http://www.beerinator.com/community/index.php?topic=3492.0

Here's the wet smoking chips and wet malt method that Geoff uses with his Brinkmann.

Wet 1.75 pounds of wood chips with 3 cups distilled water. Let the wood fully absorb the water. Make sure chips are uniformly moist. This is so you don't get flames from the wood, just smoldering chips.

Place the damp chips in the smoker in the bottom chamber made for them.

Place a fine metal screen (15 to 24 mesh) on the lowest rack to catch ash.

Place another mesh screen on the top rack to hold the malt.

5 lbs pale malt and 3 cups distilled water in a container and wet the malt evenly. Do this 15 min before starting the smoker.

Spread the malt evenly on the screen and smoke until the chips are fully consumed. This should take about 2 hours.

The top should be left off the smoker while you do this, so you don't cook the malt too much.

Set malt in a less than 200 F oven, slightly open, until the grain dries. Be careful of fire!

The book recommends using malt made with this method at about 5-10% of the grist.

 

[bolts]

I'm not sure about smoked malts, but when I was smoking pork a few weeks ago, I noticed that the mesquite smoke had a much sweeter smell than the hickory I had been using.

I have an aversion to strong smoked flavors that also show up in food (Alder, Cedar, Mesquite, Applewood) -- as they tend to make me think of salmon, bbq or bacon. Certainly nothing wrong with them however.

 

[ao125]

I'd personally love to figure out what kind of smoked malt went into Weyerbacher 15.
http://weyerbacher.com/blog/2010/06/fifteen/

I have a couple bottles of it hanging around in my aging closet... well, okay... two 4-packs... but that -ish is tasty!

 

[ao125]

80% 4.500 kg American Two-row Pale
7% 0.400 Roasted Barley
5% 0.300 Special B - 118L
5% 0.300 Chocolate Malt
3% 0.150 Caramunich Malt 60

So maybe like
0.91 KG (@2#) Smoked 2-row / Rauch Malt
3.60 KG (@8#) Regular 2-row

 

[tegeberg]

Thanks guys!

Any more input? I have seen imperial stout recipes where it is basically 100% rauch malt but I really do not want this to be a smoke heavy beer. Just a mild presence in a strong, dark beer.

 

[ao125]

I'd probably do something like this:

63% 10# 0oz American 2-row
13% 2# 0oz Smoked American 2-row
9% 1# 7oz Black Barley (Stout)
4% 0# 11oz Cara-Pils / Dextrine
4% 0# 11oz Wheat Malt
4% 0# 11oz Munich Malt
1% 0# 2oz Roasted Barley
1% 0# 2oz Crystal-80L

That should get you to @1.086 SG

That's just me though. Do whatever you want

 

[ao125]

This might give a rough idea what different smokes will do:
http://bbq.about.com/cs/cookingtips/a/aa051097_2.htm