Smoked Beers

I love me some Alaskan Smoked Porter.....mmmmm goood!

 

The base for the Rauchbiers are Maerzens, and many in American are Porters or Stouts. The ones I have homebrewed have a cara-Munich for Rauchbiers or Crystal malts for Porters/Stouts to add a caramel flavor.

The actual malt smoking is done at fairly ow temperature to preserve the enzymes, so the malt can be mashed successfully.

 

Smoke can accentuate sweetness but smoked malt itself is not particularly sweeter than non-smoked malt. Usually you find smoke beers in some style that has a decent amount of malt that will add sweetness (e.g. crystal/cara malts, munich, wheat malt). If you have ever had a smoked saison or blond ale you'll find the beer isn't nearly as sweet as a smoked porter or bock but it also won't feel or taste as dry as the same beer absent the smoked malt.

Some of that may also be your own perception. You may be use to consuming foods with smoked flavor that are sweet (e.g. BBQ) and expect that same combination. Smoke can also add the illusion of body to a beer which you may also associate with a sweeter beer.

 

Smoked is one of my favorite styles!!

Yeah, if it's a smoked marzen or bock, which is pretty common for the German made Rauchbiers, it will have some of the sweet characteristics of the style. Although, I've had many smoked beers that weren't sweet at all.

Recently I tried a Rauchbier called Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock and it is the best smoked beer I've had. It didn't taste sweet at all. but still, I could taste a faint hint of sweet malts used for the style but for the most part, it tasted like smoked bacon and sausage. It's like Bar B-Q in a bottle. Just a great beer!

And of course you will get the smoked porters also, which porters can have a sweet taste. However, to me, a great smoked beer is not sweet at all, it's just smokey/campfire/meaty goodness.

 

I have only had Alaskan Smoked Porter, and Lucid Ora (which I believe is smoked). I would love to try a rauchbier!

 

Looking at Schlenkerla Märzen, that beer has a stammwürze or original gravity, in degrees plato, of 13.5% with an abv of 5.1%. German Oktoberfest beers are required to have a stammwürze of 13.5% minimum, yet they ferment those beers to be 5.9-6% abv. From what I understand of beer brewing as an layperson, this would mean that Schlenkerla Märzen has alot more residual sugar compared to those Oktoberfest beers, which are more attenuated. Of course the dark roasted malts and the smokiness will negate some of that sweetness compared to a pale Oktoberfest märzen, or even an amber Märzen, but it might result in a sweet tasting beer. I can't speak for any American porter or stout based smoked beers, though I'd wager that the ones you percieve to be sweet have a relatively high original gravity and a relatively low abv. Maybe there's a general tendency of having a higher original gravity for smoked beers with a relatively low abv? This makes me think of the pre-lager beer era beers which were brewed in Sweden which had higher original gravities yet lower abvs compared to lager beers and pilsner beers. Maybe there was an attempt to compensate for the smoke by brewing a "stronger" beer, worth strenght wise?

I should say though that I don't percieve of Schlenkerla Märzen as being sweet tasting, I think it is very balanced between the smoke, the underlying maltiness and the bitterness.

 

Stone smoked porter with vanilla beans was pretty good definately had a goid smoky flavor I didnt grab much of vanilla flavor though

 

base malt essentialy. One of my favorite styles, when they are done right they are amazing, however when they aren't they can be attrocious...

 

Yay smoke beers discussion! So many people dismiss the style.

 

Shiner Smokehouse was fairly dry, a light colored lager with malt smoked over mesquite wood.

 

Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout was enjoyable.

Nice smoke flavor that wasn't too intense.

 

I urge you to try Sam Adams Cinder Bock is you haven't yet. It's one of my favorite smoked beers.

 

Never seen that around the DC area.

 

BM me if you wanted to try it.

 

Whaaa? I've never seen that either (not in MD or DC) but you can bet I'll be looking now! Ack, according to SA website the nearest store carrying it is in Abingdon.

 

I bring it up any chance I get because it is my fave Sam Adams beer and one of my fave beers - period. It's just completely unique.

 

I wonder why? A lot of craft drinkers like strong tasting IPA, why not strong tasting smoke beers?

Ohhh well... leaves more beer for me... lol!

 

All of the Schlenkerlas are fantastic, as is Alaskan Smoked Porter. They are all still my favorites, although it is really nice to see new ones popping up here and there. Hopefully this will grow into a more popular type of beer (and prompt Weyerbacher to bring back their superb Fireside Ale )

Lately Captain Lawrence's Smoked Porter has made its way into my regular lineup, though. Very solid beer, there- more chocolatey and rich than Alaskan, although not as elegantly constructed, but still very tasty in its own way.

 

tried to smoke beer... couldn't get it lit