Booth: Wolf's Ridge Brewing

Who does the beech wood smoke for you? How much variability is there in smoking the malt? What do you think makes this beer unique/stand out among other rauchbiers?

 

Hey thanks for the thoughtful questions. To date, every batch of Buchenrauch until this one used 100% Weyermann malt. They're a large specialty maltster in Germany and the bag of beechwood smoked malt literally says "Buchenrauch" on it, which is where we pulled the beer name from.

The base recipe has been essentially 75+% beechwood smoked, 10+% oak smoked wheat, and then a little CaraBohemian and Carafa for a slight caramel flavor and for color. This year we took some steady feedback from competitions and decided to amp up the smoke a little. To do that we needed more freshly smoked malt, so we turned to Sugarcreek Malt in Indiana. A portion of this batch was pecan smoked pilsner malt and also few bags of their local beechwood smoked malt.

Variability can be huge with smoking in general, especially with smaller batch varieties. However the Weyermann malt is always smooth and pleasant, though it can be relatively old compared to more commonly used malts. The older the malt is, the less smoky the beer will be. The malt from Sugarcreek was smoked fresh for us a mere 2 weeks before use. Those malts added additional smoke intensity and enhanced the savory aspect of this beer.

Our goal has always been to try to emulate Aecht Schlenkerla Marzen with Buchenrauch, hence intense smoke and deeper color than some others you may find. We wish the beer to be drinkable but still unique enough to stand up to any competition. The addition of the pecan smoked malt certainly sets this one apart this year. We're excited to hear feedback on this batch.

We're actually sold out of Buchenrauch right now so I need to brew more soon. The next batch will likely take some of the changes we made here and blend them a little more with the older recipe, which has a touch more smoothness that I want to bring back to Buchenrauch's profile.

Cheers!

 

Would this be the same batch that was on tap at your taproom in mid-July? If so, I am even more hyped; if not, I can't wait to sample the differences from the fresher smoke and pecan.

Also, thank you guys for being one of two Ohio breweries I'm always up for an impromptu road trip to visit!

 

Definitely not a fan of beech smoke and unfortunately this smoked lager doesn't do it for me. I just feel like the beech smoke bites a little more than Oak Smoke and more smoky than cherry smoke. But that's just my palette.

 

It should be the same batch, though there's a chance they were still pouring the previous batch at that time.

 

Incredible Rauchbier! Matias Trum would be proud!

 

Nice Omega hat!! I work for Omega. What yeast are you using?

 

I agree with Todd, its intense...not sure its a good thing.

 

Amazing flavors here! Ever thought about producing a red oak smoked tri-tip lager?

 

I love this smoke!!! What kinds of food should I eat with this?

 

Would you ever age this beer on the beech wood?

 

I love using a good Rauchbier in my chili!!

 

I'd definitely pair cigars with this bier!!!

 

In Bamberg, the traditional match is fried carp.

 

Wood-fired smoked hot dogs is what comes through. I didn't expect much from this beer, but this is surprisingly very good. I'd put this in every meat market I could partner with. This would pair perfectly with almost any smoked meat. I love this beer!

 

Visited family in Ohio a little over a week ago and went to the tap house for the first time. I wasn't aware of your brewery, but my dad liked a stout of yours. Wow, was I impressed! I was planning on sampling more of your beer, but I had a pint of your Oktoberfest and never wavered. Compared it against three of the bigger and most popular Ohio craft breweries' versions. No contest, Wolf Ridge was the best.

 

Love the aggressive smoke on the Buchenrauch, even thought it’s a tad “meaty.” But it finishes with a bit of off-flavor phenolics, similar to a burnt Band Aid. And leaves a cloyingly dry aftertaste

 

What do you think are the keys to a solid smoked beer?

 

Top two in Ohio without question, indeed.