Surprisingly I found very few recipes for this style. It's a Berliner Weisse with smoked malts. Reports are pretty varied on the correct % of smoked malt to use, the most detailed tasting note on this specific style has 60% weyermann beech-smoked malt in the grain bill. Basically he subbed it in for the Pilsen. His tasting notes mention it's not very smoky at all, I don't have any experience with smoked malt but it seems like 60% would make it incredibly smoky. I'd rather err on the side of caution with this so here's a recipe I'm going to make for my next batch. 5 gallons: 3 lbs US Wheat (50%) 2 lbs Smoked Malt (17%) 1 lb Pilsen (33%) Sour mash for 5 days under heat lamp with lacto (unmilled grains) .5 Tett @ 15min 20 minute boil US-05 I had a beer in this style at Rapp and absolutely loved it. I sent them a message about it, worth a shot to ask the source.
Smoked malts have a wide range of phenolics, from very mild (Weyermann beechwood) to very strong (Briess Cherrywood). Freshness also seems to be a significant factor.
Extremely strong and phenolic is peat smoked. OP - there is a world of difference in fresh Weyermann to some that has been setting around the LHBS. The smoke dissipates with time, if you smell smoke from the bag of weyeermann at the LHBS, that smoke has left the grain and will not be in the beer. There is probably a recipe in Mosher's book Radical Brewing.
Actually the smoke is leaving when you smell it, when you really don't get any in the aroma it has dissipated. Years back I bough some from a LHBS that was stored in a bin, and that had very little aroma, and the beer was only a slightly smoked Maertzen. The Briess cherry smoked has a foil lined bag, so it keeps the smoke aroma better.
Wait...now I'm confused. If you smell smoke on the smoked malts then it's already losing it and it's past it's prime? And if you don't smell smoke then it's already long gone? So how can you tell if the smoked malt is fresh?
Dude, you smoke your own malt to make sure it is fresh. Been doing it for years after getting smoked malt with no smoke!
I'd love to give it a try in maybe a smoked stout.. I hate smoked beers.. and get this.. I love smoking anything I can eat, and I grew up in Bamberg...
Well Rapp messaged me back. They suggested using my favorite Berliner recipe, and substituting 40% of the non-wheat malt with smoked malt. So that would be: 3 lbs US Wheat (50%) 1.2 lbs Smoked Malt (20%) 1.8 lb Pilsen (30%) Very cool of them to respond, got nothing but respect for Rapp.
But not TOO fresh...I think it's supposed to rest for a week or so if you are smoking it yourself, no?
