Roast 'em, Toast 'em, Smoke 'em If you Got 'em

[Schlenkerla]

I kegged my Oak Smoked Wheat Beer. Gratzer or Grodziski It smelled very hammy. I forgot to taste it, but I'll try it tonight!

 

[Schlenkerla]

This beer is flat but fvcking awesome.

It's very hammy. Literally tastes like a ham.


Might call it, "Moon Over My Hamy" LOL

Kin to Moon Over Miami.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Drinking the oak smoked pale ale. Quite tasty.

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

Looks delicious. How does the oak smoke taste compared to other woods you’ve used?

 

[Schlenkerla]

Looks delicious. How does the oak smoke taste compared to other woods you’ve used?

For this beer it's little more up front since its was made at 100% smoked malt. Half pilsner and half wheat. Two hours at 200F. The beer smell and after taste reminds me of smoked ham. No other beer I have made reminds me of meat more than this beer. My maple brown ale had a bacon-esk flavor/smell to it though. It was mostly maple with some cherry and apple added smoked for at least 4 hours 200F then later at 400F for another 2 hours.

So far I have used mostly apple, some maple, a little cherry, now oak and beech. Beech is only one I have smoked grain but yet to have brewed with it. I have 10 lbs of it, that might just might have to make into a Marzen. Close to 100% smoke. I'm just going to use 1lb my home made black malt. So I have no opinion on beech yet.

I shared this beer with a local microbrewery just this week. The head brewer loved it. There's a little bias to this. We were talking about this beer for awhile. Since we both come from Polish families. The beer style is Prussian a Gratzer (German) or Grodziske (Polish). It's a nearly extinct beer style. His comments was that it's a very drinkable summer beer with lots of Smoke flavor. The smoke is very noticeable but not off putting to the drinker.

A few patrons that didn't really know the style thought it should be a celebratory beer. Their first comment was "Wow" or shock. They weren't expecting the prominent smoked flavor despite me telling them it's a smoke beer. I didn't know how to take it at first. Then they said, "You probably can't make enough of this!". They mentioned that it should be sold at Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. Easter especially since ham is traditionally the meat of choice for that holiday.

That's exactly my thoughts. Ham is becoming my new favorite smoked meat. I can see why this is used in bock. This might have to made for Easter from now on as my grand mother and mother always served ham.

Cheers! [emoji481] [emoji481] [emoji481]

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

Your post inspired me to draw up a glass of my rauchbier Eiche clone. I agree that it tastes a lot like smoked ham.

I still have about 8 pounds of oak smoke malt to use. My next adventure may include smoking malt with mesquite. I have acres and acres of mesquite and oak that I can cut, so those will probably be the two I stick with the most.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Your post inspired me to draw up a glass of my rauchbier Eiche clone. I agree that it tastes a lot like smoked ham.

I still have about 8 pounds of oak smoke malt to use. My next adventure may include smoking malt with mesquite. I have acres and acres of mesquite and oak that I can cut, so those will probably be the two I stick with the most.

What beer types do you typically like to drink? It's easy to make an English or German beer with your leftover malt.

Milds, Browns, Porter, Stout, Marzen, Weizen, Dunkelweizen, and Alt just to name three of each.

I'd make some oaky session beer for the summer.

Mesquite is supposedly good in wheat beers.

 

[Chorgey]

Marzen is definitely my style of choice. I really enjoy the maltiness. Not much of a hop head but I won’t turn one down.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Marzen is definitely my style of choice. I really enjoy the maltiness. Not much of a hop head but I won’t turn one down.

Do you like making rauch beers or are you just commenting on the style you like to drink?

 

[Chorgey]

My apologies. I never made a Rauch beer (yet) but its something that I would like to try. I absentmindedly just chimed in with my preference

 

[Schlenkerla]

My apologies. I never made a Rauch beer (yet) but its something that I would like to try. I absentmindedly just chimed in with my preference

No apologies necessary. I wasn't sure if you're into rauchbier. If you love smoking foods you'd love having a classic rauch beer to go with the activity.

It's easy, if you brew all grain. You can buy smoked malt add a pound to a simple Marzen recipe. If you're a extract brewer you can steep a pound with your specialty grains. You just steep for 60 minutes.

You can do so with nearly any beer style. Malty styles seem the best integration if you're not used to smoke in your beer.

[emoji481] [emoji481] [emoji481]

 

[Schlenkerla]

Checked on the smoked malt today. The smell has intensified over the past week and there is a certain sweet scent from the beech that is developing. The grain is dry and I plan on brewing this upcoming weekend. Getting starters prepped this week so there are no issues.

Also confirmed with my liquor store they will be getting a case of the Fastenbier.

Did you ever make your rauchbier? If so, how did it turn out?

 

[RevKev]

Finally tried it.. Wow....... But it needs a pairing to shine. I'm all outta cheese and don't have the facilities to BBQ

 

[Schlenkerla]

Finally tried it.. Wow....... But it needs a pairing to shine. I'm all outta cheese and don't have the facilities to BBQView attachment 578290

That's what I said earlier. I don't need food with it to drink one. That's how you warm up to it, cause the smoke is pretty intense for noobs.

Bbq Pork, Thai, or grilled Mexican

 

[Schlenkerla]

Just bought another smoker....LOL

$699 at Costco!!!!!

 

[Schlenkerla]

Just loaded the cabinet smoker with 5lbs of grain and ton of spent pistachio shells.

It smells pretty danged good.

 

[Schlenkerla]

The smell is not distinctly nutty but maybe its from the last bit of wood. That was Pecan. Pecan doesn't smell nutty either.

Pistachio is supposed to have nutty smoked taste.

 

[Schlenkerla]

The pistachio smoked grain smells great. The dried malt is going into the oast to mellow. I'm using this in a red ale.

Need to make my summer rauchbier with beech. 10 lbs of beech smoked malt, 2 oz of black malt, hopped with hallertauer, pitching WB-06.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I got a ton of peanut shells saved.....

Yes, I actually saved peanut shells for smoking barley.

That's the next batch of smoked barley.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I have a cabinet smoker (electric with temp control, total garbage, I dont use it) that I modified to use with a small hibachi. I made a hood with steel pipe that sits on the hibachi and funnels smoke into the cabinet. It only needs a few coals to produce billows of smoke, and it stays pretty cool, doubt if temps go above 80f.

I plan on using beech or oak, depending on what home depot has tomorrow. Beech is my preference for the marzen I have planned, but oak will be fine too. My father dropped off a 5 gallon pail of plum chunks earlier this week after I told him I was planning on smoking malt. He dropped a large plum tree in his back yard, it did produce good plums but the hail in May 17 shredded it (other trees were ok, lol wtf) They look great, but I want to stick with beech for this first run.

View attachment 554470

That bambergermeister looks great too. Black malt . . . mmm makes me want a smoked stout with some roasted barley and plum smoked malt . . . fruity with some roast and smoke.

Getting close to using the plum?

 

[Schlenkerla]

Smoking more grain with peanut shells tonight.

 

[triethylborane]

Getting close to using the plum?

Well, yes, but not for brewing. I dont drink beer anymore, but Ive brewed a few times with my parents . . . they like beer lol. They dont like rauchbier (sucks for them) so it is unlikely that I will brew one for them. Another unfortunate reality is that I had my smoked malt stored in my basement, but a clogged french drain during a savage hail storm this summer put a small amount of water into my basement . . . but dripped over the sacks that were holding the smoked malt. Well, better the smoked malt than my G-scale LGB collection.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Well, yes, but not for brewing. I dont drink beer anymore, but Ive brewed a few times with my parents . . . they like beer lol. They dont like rauchbier (sucks for them) so it is unlikely that I will brew one for them. Another unfortunate reality is that I had my smoked malt stored in my basement, but a clogged french drain during a savage hail storm this summer put a small amount of water into my basement . . . but dripped over the sacks that were holding the smoked malt. Well, better the smoked malt than my G-scale LGB collection.

That's a shame... [emoji26]

BTW nobody likes a quitter. LOL

 

[Schlenkerla]

Nobody preparing for fall rauchbiers?

 

[isomerization]

Nobody preparing for fall rauchbiers?

I have one fermenting right now, recipe below:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/692994/rauchbier

I’ve only had a few poor quality samples before, so I started low on the smoked malt (Weyermann). Looking forward to tasting before lagering.

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

My rauchbier Eiche has been carbed since April. I’ve been drinking it sparingly as it’s really, really strong and is a sipping beer. It’s really too heavy of a beer to drink over summer. I can see why it’s a Christmas time beer from the brewery. But man, oh, man, this thing has aged beautifully. Every time I draw a pint, it’s better than the last. I hunk next time I brew this, I’ll do around May or June and lager until December. This thing is absolutely glorious with some time.

 

[Schlenkerla]

My rauchbier Eiche has been carbed since April. I’ve been drinking it sparingly as it’s really, really strong and is a sipping beer. It’s really too heavy of a beer to drink over summer. I can see why it’s a Christmas time beer from the brewery. But man, oh, man, this thing has aged beautifully. Every time I draw a pint, it’s better than the last. I hunk next time I brew this, I’ll do around May or June and lager until December. This thing is absolutely glorious with some time.

Need another picture! [emoji1]

 

[Schlenkerla]

My rauchbier Eiche has been carbed since April. I’ve been drinking it sparingly as it’s really, really strong and is a sipping beer. It’s really too heavy of a beer to drink over summer. I can see why it’s a Christmas time beer from the brewery. But man, oh, man, this thing has aged beautifully. Every time I draw a pint, it’s better than the last. I hunk next time I brew this, I’ll do around May or June and lager until December. This thing is absolutely glorious with some time.

I've been thinking of making a Xmas rauchbier. That might be the beer to make, it's about time to make one. I have to use ale yeast though. I could make a doppelmock or a Scotch Ale with wood smoke.

 

[Schlenkerla]

My rauchbier Eiche has been carbed since April. I’ve been drinking it sparingly as it’s really, really strong and is a sipping beer. It’s really too heavy of a beer to drink over summer. I can see why it’s a Christmas time beer from the brewery. But man, oh, man, this thing has aged beautifully. Every time I draw a pint, it’s better than the last. I hunk next time I brew this, I’ll do around May or June and lager until December. This thing is absolutely glorious with some time.

Did you oak smoke like 17lbs of grain? I assume you used about 1/2 of it. Have you used it on anything else?

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

Yep. I smoke 17 pounds with post oak wood. I was originally going to use it all in the beer but only used half. I still have the other half. I haven’t used it in anything yet.