Rauchbier - how have I gone this long without knowing about this stuff?

[ajbram]

While looking for something different to try making for the holidays, I stumbled across Rauchbiers. I must admit, I had my doubts, and I wasn't 100% sold on any of the recipes I saw, so I created one that capitalized on a couple things - Maple sugar season in Eastern Ontario, and a friend who had recently cut down a cherry tree in his back yard. We smoked a couple pounds of malt over a very slow cherrywood fire, added some dark, unrefined maple syrup to the boil, and primed with the same syrup. By Xmas, it was tasty, and as of last night, it was absolutely delicious. It's 5.7%ABV. The smoke is subtle, but definitely there. There is also a nice rich maple note (not sweet though), and some distinct cherrywood to the finish. It's super smooth and easy to drink. A picture is below in case you were wondering what it looks like (photo doesn't do justice to the clarity). How the hell did I miss out on this for so many years?

 

[Erroneous]

The major commercial example from Germany is quite heavy handed with the smoke flavor. A lot of times people associate it with bacon flavor. I happen to like it in limited quantities. Your rauchbier sounds like it has more finesse which I think would turn more people on to rauchbier. Good job, wish I could try some!

 

[badhabit]

I too will admit to being a rouch fan. I like mine lacking of any in your face smoke flavor so always use rouch rather than peat smoked. Yours sounds great. I have never smoked my own malt but you have given me inspiration to try it. Now that you have found the true joy of rouch you will need to start working on the roggens. I enjoy them even more than the rouch but find that they remind me of the smoky germans. They are a little more challanging to brew if you use a lot of rye malt because it gets stuck in the sparge so easy. I use a great deal of rye in mine. Don't confuse them with rye PA's.

 

[kombat]

Wow, now I feel a little silly. I have never heard of Rauchbier until your post, but upon reading the Wikipedia page, I realized I've actually already had some! I recognize the bottle pictured on the Wikipedia page - that's the exact beer I drank. But I thought it was just a regular Marzen when I bought it. I remember being overwhelmed by the unexpected smoky flavour. It was good, but I didn't realize it was a whole category of beer - I thought this particular brewery just made a smoky Marzen. You've enlightened me!

 

[TrickyMike]

I'm with most of you guys in liking a much more subtle smoke flavor.
The local British Beer Company put Jack's Abby "Smoke and Dagger" on a Nitro tap. It's absolutely fantastic. Not really a session beer, but damn is it good.

 

[ajbram]

The major commercial example from Germany is quite heavy handed with the smoke flavor. A lot of times people associate it with bacon flavor. I happen to like it in limited quantities. Your rauchbier sounds like it has more finesse which I think would turn more people on to rauchbier. Good job, wish I could try some!

I'm with most of you guys in liking a much more subtle smoke flavor.
The local British Beer Company put Jack's Abby "Smoke and Dagger" on a Nitro tap. It's absolutely fantastic. Not really a session beer, but damn is it good.

Thanks for the compliments guys. I was going for something a little more subtle that what I had read in the forums and elsewhere. I didn't like the sounds of "bacon-y" beer, and that's how a lot of people had described their impression of rauchbier. I was going for something that wasn't like a bonfire in my mouth. I was reminiscing about the maple syrup that my friend's dad makes for us every winter and how it has just a hint of hardwood smoke complexity... that and how a whiff of fruitwood smoke on a cold day just screams Canadian winter to me... I thought this would make a great winter brew and it has surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend smoking your own grains as I feel it gives you a bit more control over the balance between smokiness, roastiness, and OG. I'll work on getting the recipe up!

 

[ktblunden]

I got a smoker for Christmas and I'm definitely planning on smoking some malt to make a Rauchbier or a smoked porter.

 

[strambo]

Your beer sounds really good. Your description of it doesn't sound like a more typical Rauch though, they tend to be very smoke-heavy.

I have a smoker also, I should try the same subtle smoking of my own malt. Please post the recipe! :rockin:

 

[C_F]

Despite years of enjoying different beers I've just recently discovered Rauchbier and find it wonderful. Perfect for a one or two brew night.

Being a very new brewer I instantly thought how to go about brewing one and did a tick of research. I'm certainly not ready for that yet but
you sir may be getting an I.M. from me in a year or so for insight. Look forward to hearing about any other attempts you make as this one
sounds delicious.

 

[patthebrewer]

Careful they can be addictive. the classic example Aecht Schlenkerla is just awesome in its glorious smoky poetry. My regular oktoberfest beer now is a rauch-bock ( Think Smoky Malty delicousness) that I start in March every year. Most of those that I share with are usually put off by the smoky flavor but those that like it LOVE IT!!! Alot of times those that are put off at first.....will do one of these" Wait a minute let me try that again..."

 

[libeerty]

I love the idea of a Smoketoberfest. Offshore Ale's Octoberfest is smoky and one of my favorite versions. What's your recipe if you don't mind me asking?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Now that you have found the true joy of rouch you will need to start working on the roggens. I enjoy them even more than the rouch but find that they remind me of the smoky germans. They are a little more challanging to brew if you use a lot of rye malt because it gets stuck in the sparge so easy. I use a great deal of rye in mine. Don't confuse them with rye PA's.

Do you make a smoked roggenbier? I had no clue they have a smoked version of the style.

I use rye quite a bit in pales and saison, but made my first roggenbier this summer. But mine was pretty traditional, 50% rye, 50% pils, hopped with saaz and fermented with a hefeweizen yeast...

 

[ReaderRabbit]

I was debating what to make with the last use of my lager yeast cake and a rauch sounds like a great idea, I've been meaning to try this style.

 

[ajbram]

I suppose mine isn't technically a traditional rauchbier in that it's not a lager. I fermented with Wyeast 2065 Kolsch yeast at about 58F and bottle conditioned at about 54 for several weeks. Result is a pseudo-lager in that there are very low ester notes and a nice clean bitterness to it.

 

[patthebrewer]

Pm sent.

 

[CDGoin]

As long as it doesn't taste like the bacon beer that is the one that Sam Adams makes.

I actually had a friend throw up after drinking the Sam Adams version.. and I barely didn't the worst beer ever.

 

[patthebrewer]

I actually had a friend throw up after drinking the Sam Adams version..

WoW!!! Thats a pretty strong reaction...not sure if I ever had anyone respond to a flavor of beer like that before ......did you ask them if they liked it??

What QUANTITY of the stuff did they drink before spewing...

 

[librewer]

One of my favorite pairings of all time.... Rauchbier with home-made meatloaf and mac-n-cheese. Throw in a little home-made hot sauce with the mac... MMMmmmmm!

 

[microbusbrewery]

I love them too. I think it's one of those styles that people tend to love or hate...not a lot inbetween. I tend to prefer a a lot of smoke character, but I usually try to tone it down a bit so that others will enjoy it too. I have one lagering right now that I made with a combination of Briess cherry-wood smoked malt and some pilsner malt home-smoked over hickory. Word to the wise, the Briess malt is smooth but very intensely smokey. It's not harsh like peat smoked malt, but in my experience it contributes a lot more smokey character than traditional beechwood-smoked rauchmalt. If it's the first time using it, I'd recommend it be no more than 10% of your total malt bill. And be sure to treat your brew water to remove chlorine/chloramines or you're almost guaranteed to end up with band-aid beer.

BTW, another really good commercial example is Eisenbahn Defumada Smoked Lager.

 

[CDGoin]

WoW!!! Thats a pretty strong reaction...not sure if I ever had anyone respond to a flavor of beer like that before ......did you ask them if they liked it??

What QUANTITY of the stuff did they drink before spewing...

Actually they had just gotten there and hadn't had anything to drink.. it was so bad it evocted a gag reflex..

and sad thing was I hated it too.. but 2 bottles came in the Sam Adams fall collection so as a gag I gave it to him. Boy did he gag..

He described it as "Bacon beer".. and I agreed. It tasted like a flat budwieser that someone had stuck 3 day old bacon in for flavoring..

 

[PhelanKA7]

I suppose mine isn't technically a traditional rauchbier in that it's not a lager. I fermented with Wyeast 2065 Kolsch yeast at about 58F and bottle conditioned at about 54 for several weeks. Result is a pseudo-lager in that there are very low ester notes and a nice clean bitterness to it.

That's what I'm planning to do as well for my first foray into smoke beer. However I plan on also adding habanero

 

[badhabit]

Do you make a smoked roggenbier? I had no clue they have a smoked version of the style.

I use rye quite a bit in pales and saison, but made my first roggenbier this summer. But mine was pretty traditional, 50% rye, 50% pils, hopped with saaz and fermented with a hefeweizen yeast...

I've never mixed the two but have often thought of it. I am afraid that no matter how careful I was I would loose too much of the roggen flavor, it is so subtle. I use 70% roggen in my favorite Roggenbrau and an Alt yeast WLP 036 to enhance the malt profile and to keep the ester to an absolute minimum.

 

[gizmodog51]

northern brewer sells a smoked peat porter.

great beer! i brewed the grain/extract before going A.G.

hooked my neighbor into brewing because he loved this beer so much.

GD

 

[ajbram]

It tasted like a flat budwieser that someone had stuck 3 day old bacon in for flavoring..

The sad thing is that several people at Sam Adams, who occasionally manage to make some pretty decent beers, thought this tasted good enough to sell.... I'm usually my own harshest critic when it comes to beer. I won't get someone else to try something that I think is substandard, let alone sell it to them. So that means people at SA had to like it....

 

[ajbram]

Sorry Everyone... I lost track of this thread and forgot to post the recipe. I intend on brewing it again in a couple weeks to be ready for xmas, so here it is...

*******ized Rauchbier Prototype

Original Gravity: 1.055 Final Gravity: 1.014 ABV (standard): 5.38%
IBU (tinseth): 26.87 SRM (morey): 12.21

Fermentables
Amount Fermentable PPG °L Bill %
6.5 lb Pale 2-Row 37 1.8 55.3%
2 lb Smoked Malt 37 5 21.3% - This was pale malt smoked over a cherrywood fire
1 lb Caramel / Crystal 60L 34 60 8.5%
0.75 lb Munich - Dark 20L 33 20 6.4%
0.5 lb Maple Syrup 30 35 4.3%
0.5 lb Flaked Oats 33 2.2 4.3%

Hops
Amount Variety Time AA Type Use
1.5 oz Saaz 60 min 3.5 Pellet Boil
0.5 oz Domestic Hallertau 20 min 3.9 Pellet Boil
0.5 oz Saaz 15 min 3.5 Pellet Boil
0.5 oz Domestic Hallertau 0 min 3.9 Pellet Boil

Amount Description Type Temp Time
1.25 qt Infusion 152 F 60 min
batch Sparge 170 F 10 min

Yeast
Wyeast - Kölsh 2565 Smack Pack

Fermented at about 58F


I should note that we got some of the grains we were smoking a little hot and burned them. It ended up a little under 2lb after we scooped them out.