33 replies to this topic

[Stout_fan]

I home smoked some 2-row with hickory. Thank god it was a test batch and not a full 5 gallons. The most awful beer I have ever made hands down It was way too smokey to even finish a bottle. had to toss it...only batch I've ever thrown out.

Just a note to others who might have done this (like me). You can always brew a second version of the beer sans smoke and then blend them to get the smoke level you want. Matt C, sorry but what you did, that's just alcohol abuse.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Just a note to others who might have done this (like me). You can always brew a second version of the beer sans smoke and then blend them to get the smoke level you want. Matt C, sorry but what you did, that's just alcohol abuse.

I'm not so sure - hickory seems completely wrong for this kind of application.

[Stout_fan]

I cut my Hickory bomb with a wimped out stout (first on on the new system).Everybody who tried it liked it.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I cut my Hickory bomb with a wimped out stout (first on on the new system).Everybody who tried it liked it.

so you DID use hickory. wow - bold move there.

[3rd party JKor]

I brew a smoked ale with 60% rauchmalt that, at it's peak, is in the smokiness range (maybe a bit less) of the Schlenkerla Marzen, which I think is the smokiest of the three.In fact, I've got 5 gallons in the primary right now.

You mind posting the recipe?

[3rd party JKor]

It's for the tourists? Why? They don't like good beer in Bamburg? What are they drinking? Bud?

[HarvInSTL]

Briess has a new cherry wood smoked malt out.

And it is amazing! First time I tasted some of this malt all I could think of was smoked bacon.

[Salsgebom]

It's for the tourists? Why? They don't like good beer in Bamburg? What are they drinking? Bud?

I think that in the modern world where everyone now has the option to buy light lagers, strong flavored beers are only for true beer lovers. In the UK and US they drink Bud, in Belgium they drink Stella, at least Germans stay true to drinking from their neighborhood brewery but they choose helles. There's always a percentage who choose the Wee Heavy, the Belg Strongs, the Doppelbocks and Edelstoffs, but it's mostly old guys and beer nerds. When I sat down and drank a delicious Urbock at Schlenkerla, everyone around me was speaking English.

[Stout_fan]

so you DID use hickory. wow - bold move there.

hehe,yea, first and LAST time.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

hehe,yea, first and LAST time.

yeah - despite being very popular for smoking things I only use hickory for smoking ribs (and bacon if I ever do that). Even when I do use it I mix it with some other smokewood (apple or pear).

[3rd party JKor]

I used hickory to smoke some ribs over the summer. It was insanely overpowering. If I did that again I probably would use about 1/10th of what I used, and I didn't even use that much. I'd literally use 6-7 chips.

[strangebrewer]

I'd been kicking around the idea of a smoke beer for some time now and this thread has me thinking again. I'm debating between brewing it as a lager or good ol WY056/US05/WLP001 at around 62°F. It seems most pale smoked beers are lagers, anybody see any good reason to choose a lager yeast over a neutral ale yeast?That Briess Cherry wood smoked malt has me very interested. I'm thinking 20% of the grist would get me a nice slightly more than subtle smoke in a pale. This could be a fun one.

[3rd party JKor]

I think a smoked ale would be fine. Fermenting it with 001 below 65 would certainly keep it pretty clean. I'd go for it.

[Fatman]

Here's my recipe. The malt schedule is based off my pale ale recipe (which is loosely based on a SNPA clone). The Black Patent was mainly just for color - I thought a smoked ale would look good dark.

American Two-Row 	  3.0 lb  28.0% Black Patent 	          0.2 lb   1.9% British Crystal 50-60L 	  1.0 lb   9.3% Cara-Pils Dextrine 	  0.5 lb   4.7% Weyerman Smoked           6.0 lb  56.1%Magnum Pellet	0.85 oz  11.6% A.A.   60min

Mash at 152 35 IBUO.G. 1.0531 pack of US-56(forgot to measure F.G last year)It turned out great, one of my best beers (though that may not be saying much) with a smokiness maybe just below that of Schlenkerla's MarzenI made it again this year with a 1.4 L starter of WLP001. I transferred to secondary this last Sunday, but the sample seemed to be lacking the smokiness of last year, though it could reappear when I carb it up. I think the culprit was the extra yeast - the F.G. was 1.010, so the yeast may have scrubbed out the extra flavor - I think yeast can do that.