Smoked
Beer
Or
How
I
Learned
to
Stop
Worrying
and
Love
the
Reek
Lee
Shephard
09
July
2015
The
Origin
Story
&
What
to
Expect
from
Smoked
beers
What
is
Smoked
Beer?
Why
does
it
taste
like
that?
History
of
kilning
malt
Historically,
almost
all
malt
was
unavoidably
smoked
during
kilning
How
does
it
taste
like
that?
Smoke
avors
the
malt
during
kilning
aNer
malOng
is
done.
(can
avor
nished
malt
as
well)
Why
would
anyone
sOll
do
that?
Cuz
it
tastes
goooooood!
(to
some)
TasOng
Smoked
Beer
Balance
and
the
Base
Style
A
good
smoked
beer
should
be
both
a
good
example
of
the
base
style
and
a
good
expression
of
the
smoke
character
(low
or
high
intensity)
The
smoke
avor
should
be
clean
and
pleasant,
not
rife
with
creosote,
ashy
notes,
or
burnt
characterisOcs
The
smoke
and
beer
avors
should
balance
and
work
well
together,
not
clash.
What
are
the
Common
Smoked
Beers?
Classic
Bamberg
Rauchbier
(Franconia)
Usually
thought
of
as
a
Marzen
or
Bock
Also
made
are
many
regional
styles
like
Weizen,
Dunkel,
Schwarzbier,
Pils.
Nowadays,
Smoked
Anything
Porter,
stout,
Sco_sh
ales,
gueuze,
mild
I
have
not
tried
a
smoked
triple
IPA
yet
Need
Some
Other
Historically
Smoked
Beer
Styles?
Gratzer
100%
Oak
Smoked
Wheat
malt
(tradiOonally)
Daniels
&
Larson:
3
lbs
Oak
Smoked
Wheat
Malt
+
3
lbs
Pils
Malt
(Or
could
improvise
with:
50%
Bamberg
Rauch
Malt
+
50%
Wheat
Malt,
not
so
tradiOonal)
1.028
OG,
1.012
FG,
3.7%
ABV,
30
IBU,
158F
mash
temp,
Ale
yeast
Other
Historical
Styles
(See
2015
BJCP
Style
Guide)
Lichtenhainer
A
sour,
smoked,
lower-gravity
historical
German
wheat
beer.
Complex
yet
refreshing
character
due
to
high
akenuaOon
and
carbonaOon,
along
with
low
bikerness
and
moderate
sourness.
Piwo
Grodziskie
A
low-gravity,
highly-carbonated,
lightbodied
ale
combining
an
oak-smoked
avor
with
a
clean
hop
bikerness.
Highly
sessionable.
Smoked
Beer
Recipes
A
Few
Tips
Make
a
good
version
of
the
base
beer,
and
subsOtute
some
smoked
malt
into
it.
Balance
is
key!!!
Pre-taste
a
smoked
malt
tea
and
gure
out
the
%
smoked
malt
to
use.
Beware
clashes
(with
phenolic
yeasts
and
maybe
with
big
hop
avor).
Making
Smoked
Beer:
VarieOes
of
Smoked
Malt
German:
The
Bamberg
Rauchmalt
(Weyermann)
Beech
wood
smoked,
mild
enough
to
use
up
to
100%
Sco_sh:
The
Peat
Smoked
Malt
(Simpsons,
others?)
A
few
ounces
of
The
Peat
Reek
used
to
do,
but
seems
to
be
toned
down
now.
May
be
able
to
use
more.
Cherry
wood
smoked
malt
(Briess)
more
strong
stu
or
Smoke
your
own!
(you
are
a
home
brewer
aNer
all).
Smoking
Your
Own
(Ge_ng
Technical)
Smoking
Your
Own
Malt
What
Kind
of
wood
to
use?
Any
wood
good
for
food
smoking
should
work
Hardwoods
Good
to
Use:
Especially
fruit/nut
trees,
oak,
hickory,
maple,
alder,
beech
SoNwoods
(conifers)
Avoid
these:
Nasty
terpene
avors
Juniper
might
be
OK
though.
ONen
10-20%
of
a
home-smoked
malt
is
all
you
will
need
in
your
recipe.
Smoking
Malt
Bringing
The
Heat
Wrong
Heat
Sources
Smoldering
re
Bad:
makes
Creosote,
not
pleasant.
Very
Hot
re
bad
makes
lots
of
toxic
PAHs
Also,
remove
bark
from
wood
chunks
before
use
What
heat
source
is
just
right?
Clean
burning
wood
coals/re
Banked
coals
to
put
your
wood
chips/chunks
onto
Electric
heaOng
elements
properly
used.
Can
also
cold
smoke
with
separate
chamber
for
smoke
generaOon
(like
a
side
box
smoker).
Smoking
Malt
No
Chlorine!
Can
make
Chlorophenols
(Nasssty
avors!!)
Use
Campden
tablets
or
Potassium
Metabisulte
to
treat
ALL
water
to
remove
chlorine
&
chloramine.
This
applies
to
brewing/sparging
water,
to
water
used
to
wet
the
malt
during
smoking,
and
any
other
water
that
touches
these
beers.
Use
a
screen.
Use
two
Screens:
To
keep
out
tar,
ash,
&
soot
(which
carry
PAHs,
&
other
nasty
avors).
Also
baes/spreads
out
the
smoke.
16+
gage
mesh
stainless
or
copper
is
best,
Use
2
layers.
Wet
the
malt:
Smoke
sOcks
best
to
water,
not
to
dry
(malt)
surfaces
Must
dry
the
malt
aNerwards.
180-200F/a
few
hours
to
overnight
in
an
oven
with
the
door
cracked
open.
Dont
start
a
re
though!
Smoking
Malt
Hot
smoking
Will
also
toast/roast
your
malt.
May
get
an
amber/
brown
malt
of
low/no
diastaOc
acOvity
Cold
Smoking
Will
need
to
dry
the
malt
aNerwards,
want
it
bone
dry
Storing
the
Smoked
Malt
ANer
drying
the
malt,
is
best
to
store
it
a
month
before
use
to
let
some
nasOer
aromaOcs
evaporate.
Lose
~20%
of
smoke
avor
per
year.
Can
smoke
in
a
cold
smoker
set
up
(separate
chambers
for
re
and
malt)
or
Smoking
Malt
Bullet
Smoker
Method
Soak
1.75
lbs
wood
chips
in
3
cups
de-chlorinated
water
for
at
least
a
few
hours,
overnight
if
using
wood
chunks.
Put
a
layer
of
16-24#
stainless
or
copper
mesh
on
lower
rack.
Make
a
bowl
for
5
lbs
of
malt
for
upper
rack,
will
be
3
deep
in
an
18
diameter
smoker.
Cover
enOre
upper
rack!
Soak
5
lbs
malt
in
3
cups
de-chlorinated
water
15
minutes
before
smoking
it.
Shake
to
mix,
add
to
mesh
basket.
Start
electrical
heaOng
element
and
smoke
~
2
hours,
unOl
all
chips
are
gone.
Do
not
open
during
this
Ome.
Dry
malt
in
oven
200F
for
a
few
hours
unOl
bone
dry
dont
start
a
re!
Store
malt
a
month
before
use
to
let
volaOles
evaporate.
This
will
toast
as
well
as
smoke
you
malt.
Smoking
Malt
Quick
and
Simple
in
the
Weber
Make
4
cups
of
ash
covered
charcoal
briqueke
coals,
bank
to
one
side
of
grill.
Briey
moisten
1
lb
wood
chips
with
2
cups
de-chlorinated
water.
Cover
grill
rack
with
15-20
mesh
copper
or
stainless
mesh.
Add
5
lbs
malt
to
a
large
basket
made
of
the
same
mesh,
opposite
the
coals.
Mist
grain
with
water
and
mix
well.
Cover
top
of
basket
with
mesh.
Add
chips
onto
coals
and
cover
grill,
both
vents
wide
open.
Smoke
10
minutes,
sOr
the
malt,
smoke
another
20
minutes.
Dry
the
malt
in
oven
200F
for
a
few
hours
unOl
bone
dry,
dont
start
a
re!
This
will
also
toast
the
malt.
Store
1
month
before
use.
And
Now
Its
Your
SOQ
(Enter
Beer,
Bring
Beer)
Bring
Your
Smoked
Beers!
SOQ
will
be
judged
in
September
Winners
will
be
announced
in
October
Please
bring
some
of
your
smoked
beer
and
your
recipe
to
the
October
meeOng
to
share
around!
We
want
to
try!
References:
Smoked
Beers
by
Ray
Daniels
and
Geo
Larson
-
#
18
in
the
Classic
Beer
Styles
series
from
Brewers
PublicaOons
(Brewers
Assoc.)
