Suggestions for a smoked beer

[Calder]

I have a few different smoked grains; about 12 ozs Peat Smoked, and 3 lbs each of Beechwood and Cherrywood Smoked malts. I've used all 3 in different versions of Smoked Porters and they have turned out great.

I'm looking for some kind of smokey ale, with hints of whiskey. Thoughts were:

- Use some of the Peat smoked malt in a pale Ale (OG 1.060). About 4 ozs in 5 gallons.
- Mash low, and maybe use 10% sugar to dry it out (got to think about the sugar.
- English yeast (I'm running Essex right now, but have others on hand)
- Goldings hops, about 35 IBUs, with a little flavor, no aroma hops.
- Maybe add some Oak.
- Add sone Whiskey at bottling, about 500ml in 5 gallons. Would add about 1% to the abv. Might do a third with Whiskey, a third with Bourbon, and a third with Brandy.

Good/Bad? Any thoughts?

Any suggestions?

 

[WarBac]

What about a little liquid smoke? I'm thining about making a Rauhcbier with it. Hey if it works for jerky it must work for beer.

 

[corkybstewart]

What about a little liquid smoke? I'm thining about making a Rauhcbier with it. Hey if it works for jerky it must work for beer.

Liquid Smoke should be illegal. Smoked malt is all you need or want in your beer. What's that crap made of anyway, ground coal?

OP, personally I would skip the sugar and mash higher to give this some body. My experience with smoked beers is that thin smoky beers pretty much suck, but your preferences may be different. A trace of whiskey might be very nice, and I would consider adding some rye malt to this.

 

[JLem]

Overall sounds like a good plan. I'd definitely add the oak and probably skip the sugar, especially if you add the whiskey, which will boost the ABV and thin it out a little, so the sugar might push it too far. 500ml of whiskey seems like a lot - you might want to try dosing a sample of the beer to see where the right level is and then scale it up.

 

[ploppythesausage]

I'd leave out the peat and use all of the beech and cherry. Actually, I'd throw the peat in there too (but I like peat and it should go well with whiskyed-oak). I wouldn't dry it out too much either - Schelenkerla's rauchbiers are so nice and malty beneath the smoke. I find that after half a glass the smokiness lessens anyway and like some residual sweetness helps balance it. Emelisse do a really good example too.

 

[Calder]

What about a little liquid smoke? I'm thining about making a Rauhcbier with it. Hey if it works for jerky it must work for beer.

I have the grains, why would I want to use liquid smoke. Sounds awful.

I'd definitely add the oak and probably skip the sugar, especially if you add the whiskey, which will boost the ABV and thin it out a little, so the sugar might push it too far. 500ml of whiskey seems like a lot - you might want to try dosing a sample of the beer to see where the right level is and then scale it up.

Agree, Oak definitely. I'm estimating about 10 ml per bottle, it is what I have used before, but, in the name of science, I'm willing to experiment to see what would be optimum.

I'm still debating the sugar. Do I want this thinner, and easy to drink, or heavier for sipping.

I'd leave out the peat and use all of the beech and cherry. Actually, I'd throw the peat in there too (but I like peat and it should go well with whiskyed-oak). I wouldn't dry it out too much either - Schelenkerla's rauchbiers are so nice and malty beneath the smoke. I find that after half a glass the smokiness lessens anyway and like some residual sweetness helps balance it.

You say not to use Peat, and then to use it. I think a small amount of peat would be right. I don't want it over the top, but do want it noticeable. I think 4 ozs in 5 gallons would be about right.

I think the Peat smoke would go well with the Whiskey. If I use either of the others, I'd use about 3 lbs to get a similar effect. Anyone any experience on what smoke would go best with Whiskey, Bourbon, and Brandy?

 

[Jebu1788]

I think the Peat smoke would go well with the Whiskey. If I use either of the others, I'd use about 3 lbs to get a similar effect. Anyone any experience on what smoke would go best with Whiskey, Bourbon, and Brandy?

What type of whiskey were you thinking of using? Bourbon is whiskey too... Scotch of course comes to mind when you're using peat smoked malt, as it too is peated.

I've had great success soaking 1-2oz of oak chips in 8oz or so of bourbon, then adding it all to secondary. The bourbon came through quite strong. This has been for imperial stouts and a cherry-wood smoked porter though, so for a lighter beer, it may be overpowering.

What is the base recipe you're thinking of? I would think that perhaps trying a recipe on the darker end of a pale ale, your 4oz of peat smoked malt, and adding to secondary 1oz of oak soaked with 4oz of a decent scotch could have great potential... But experiment around with it!

 

[passedpawn]

I made a smoked lager with both beechwood and cherrywood smoked malts, came out great. Might be a place to start. See my Recipes pulldown ←

Good luck. Hope to see this one in the Recipe Database once you've perfected it.

 

[ploppythesausage]

I said not to use peat initially because not too many people like it. But midway through typing I realised that I do like it, and if I had it to hand I would use it. Not all Scottish whiskys are made with peat-smoked malt however. Even some peated whiskys, such as Bruichladdich Rocks, do not use peat smoked malt, but still have that pungent earthy peatedness from the water used. It is interesting to try, I found I am now able to differentiate between the taste of smoke and the taste of peat. Whar would be interesting to try would be a non-peat smoked whisky, but one dried by smoking over wood like rauchmalz.

 

[ploppythesausage]

How did you get on with this? I'm gonna do me a smoked beer next. Going for 4kg Smoked malt, 500g special B, 500g Chocolate, fresh coffee steeped for 24 hours before bottling, possibly whisky soaked oak, prime with maple syrup, perhaps a wee touch of sugar to dry it out a smidge - contemplating some orval dregs in there too to brett it up in the bottle.

 

[corkybstewart]

Damn, ploppy there as whole lot going on in that beer. 500g of Special B is a lot more than even I put in a beer. I have a hard time imagining the raisin and smoke flavors getting along by themselves, much less with coffee, whiskey, maple and brett. I have a lot of different spices in my cabinet, and I will use them all for one dish or another, but if I add all of them to the same dish I'll have a bucket of schist.

 

[Boy]

The smoked porters I have made had 50% Cherry smoked malt and were amazing. I think a kettle caramelization for the smokey caramel flavors and instead of whiskey add an Islay Scotch with oak would be amazing.

 

[BigRob90]

Made a porter with oak chips that were soaked for a week in Makers Mark whiskey. Turned out great. add .5lbs-1lbs of peat smoked malt and I bet it'd taste wonderful.

 

[ploppythesausage]

I've heard special B and rauchmalt going well together (supposedly 'emulates' traditional brown malt). I used 500g in a belgian browny-dubbely-thingy and it was nice, think some smoke would balance the sweetness nicely. The Shlenkerla doppelbock (or is th urbock, the green xmas one) has a nice residual sweetness to it that i really like. Also, smoked malt goes well in a porter or a stout, as does oak and/or whisky/whiskey. Brett is a component found in older porters, but I'll probably miss this out. Going to avoid roasted malt as it might be too harsh with the smoke.

 

[corkybstewart]

My smoked porter is about 30% home smoked 2 row pale, and has .75 pounds of black patent and .75 pounds of chocolate malt. It has very nice roasted flavor that goes very well with the smoke.
I'll try some Special B with my next smoked beer to see how well they go together.

 

[mjohnson]

Check this out - An german oak smoked malt. Sounds interesting. I kind of want to try it.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/connect/2012/04/notes-on-a-brewday-weyermann-g/

 

[corkybstewart]

That sounds excellent. I can oak smoke some wheat next weekend and brew on my next days off.
I did 2 batches of smoked 2 row pale last year, one with pecan wood and one with apple. The pecan beer was much smoother. but it's hard to compare apples with apples, it's hard to regulate the amount of smoke absorbed by the two batches of rauchmalt.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Oak smoked wheat can be particularly harsh early on. It will mellow nicely.