Rauchbier Critique

I think, at first glance, that your recipe seems okay - as long as you're using beech-smoked malt (i.e. weyermann rauchmalz) and not Briess (cherry) Smoked Malt. The latter is more intense and 5 lb would be too much for most people in a 5 gal batch.

Never used the California Common before, so can't comment on that. But another option is kolsch yeast. If you can keep it ~ 55 F, it will ferment very cleanly and drop clear after a couple weeks of cold storage.

Also, you'd probably do just as well without the late hop additions.

 

Well, based on my limited experience with CA Common yeast I would say it would be a great choice.

I made a "Black Steam" beer this winter, you can find the recipe here: http://kettleandcellar.blogspot.com/2012/05/rosemarys-baby-and-black-steam.html
(it was fairly similar in terms of OG and mash temp, but it had a pound of de-husked carafa)

I let it ferment at ambiant temp in the coolest room in the house, which was in the low 60's and left it in primary for 3.5 weeks before bottling- no secondary.

The result is pretty awsome. The beer has a very distinct "woody" taste that reminds me a lot of Anchor Steam (but I always attributed to the Northern Brewer hops in Anchor- turns out a lot of it is from the yeast). I think as my beer stands, it would benefit from some smoked malt as it would really compliment the flavors from the yeast and the slight roastiness from the carafa. The yeast has a great crisp quality to it... truly lager-like.

I guess the other obvious choices would be German Ale yeast, Kolsh yeast, or Scotish Ale yeast. I can't offer any feedback on the Scotish or German strains, but I have used WY2565 Kolsh yeast and would recomend against it in this beer as I think the reported "white wine fruitiness" is very accurate and would be wierd next to richer, smoky flavors.

So yeah, I reckon CA Common yeast fermented in the high 50s to low 60 would be an excelent choice here.

Good luck dute!

 

I personally would try Kolsch yeast. Maybe you have experience there and don't want to use it, but I had amazing results with my first Kolsch recently. Fermented for 15 days at 56*F, transferred to secondary and held for a week at room temp, then bottled. I have been drinking non-lagered bottles for a week now and the beer is clear as can be and is arguably the best beer I have ever brewed.

The point - if you are on the fence, I'd say not to be afraid of using Kolsch yeast.

 

Hmm, looks like Spider and I are in a show-down.

I chalenge you to a fake-lager off!

 

You're on bird-man!

 

Lol NP. I have never used the Cal Common myself so that may well be better an equally good option. Good luck. I want to make a Rauchbier myself this year, but I feel like it is a style that requires a lot of finesse and a careful hand when dealing with smoked malt.

 

Don't fear the smoke! If using beech-smoked malt, it's hard to overdo it. Cherry-smoked and peated are different animals, but the Bamberg stuff is mellow and pleasant even approaching 100% of the grist, imo.

More than anything else, the best advice I can offer is always keep the hop bitterness lower than you think you should. It's really easy to go overboard without trying. Bitterness + smoke = bad.

 

I used to say that too. Brewed a Graetzer this past fall, with home oak wood smoked wheat malt (100%) and bittered to 44 IBUs. It was a great beer. Recipe was out of Mosher's Radical Brewing.