Rauchbier, smoke beer recipe preparation. Some of you might know I do love a good Rauchbier, my favourites are normally from the Schlenkerla range, which usually include beech or oak smoked malts, my preference is usually towards the beech side of things. However a few years back I started playing with different smoked woods, loads of them out there all adding their own unique flavours.
My thought process was a standard beer recipe might contain a number of malts to add to the overall complexity of the final beer, so why be boring and stick with just the commercially available smoked malts, why not smoke your own.
So the journey started, firstly could I smoke malt to rival the commercial examples = Tick, yes I think I can. Would the resulting beer be as good as commercial examples = Tick, yes it could.
What would happen if instead of standard beech or oak you introduced additional smoked flavours, should you smoke whole grain or mill, how long to smoke it for, how much should you use? Down the rabbit hole again for a couple of years, the biggest problem I have found that it takes ages to brew a good smoked beer, especially if smoking your own malt. First the smoke and then the mature of the grain takes several months. The brew a day of course but the lagering process another 4 or 5 months, so it can take 8 or 9 months from start to glass. I will normally stagger 4 or 5 smoked brews over the year at 2 or 3 week intervals.
I have what I consider a near perfect smoking wood recipe but with my fondness of rabbit holes thought I might add an additional 5th smoke element to the party.
Will probably see if I can smoke the grain this weekend ready for a possible campsite brew in the spring of next year ready to drink Sept /October 22.
Just getting the woods ready tonight.
- IMG_0068.JPG (2.5 MiB) Viewed 21582 times
Hair of the dog, bacon, butty.
Hops, cider pips & hello.
Name the Movie + song :)
has anyone ever brewed one? I am still chasing.......
