Decoction Mashing

This video is from last September. Mathis Heller-Trum talks about malting and kilning the grain over the beechwood fire. He doesn't give away any secrets.

 

I actually used commercially smoked malts until after our trip to Bamberg in mid-2019... I always enjoyed these beers A LOT (big reason why Bamberg was an absolute must-stop when in Germany), but drinking my share around the city for those few days motivated me to produce a better one at home. And the key to that flavor was smoking my own malt, I have found out. My first beer doing so was a big step forward in the character I was after. Since I have a few smokers and often smoking cheeses, meats, etc... It was easy to throw the malt on the smoker for a few hours!

I have just done single infusions for my Rauchbier up to this point. Also have used a variety of different lager (or even Kolsch 'hybrid' yeast). I tend to experiment with this style quite a bit with %, type of malt and all that.

I don't know if I have a favorite malt as I am always mixing it up depending on my desired outcome. I love a smoked helles, so in those beers in the past I will have 40-60% smoked pils malt (weyermann original or barke). My latest on tap currently is a Marzen-style, which had 60% smoked dark munich (Weyermann II), with a balance of Pilsner and Carafa/Caramunich. It's actually not super strong though, with the 60% smoked malt percentage it's smokey but not to the level of Schlenkerla in this case. But it does have a pretty nice meaty character to it.

My next Rauchbier will be a Helles of sorts, but with a hefty 80% smoked Pils, which I smoke for about 4-hours. Balance will be 20% Munich I and acidulated. I really love the flavor showcase of the smoke with lighter base beer. Never comes across medicinal or anything like some can.

 

Carafa II at Vorlauf, or Sinamar, would be my guess.