Rauchbier

Classification: rauchbier, smoked beer, all-grain

Source: Russell L. Oertel (russo@risc.sps.mot.com), r.c.b., 7/16/93

Very good, at least if you can believe me and several of my friends. The smoke flavor is just right - definitely noticeable, but not overpowering. Also, this beer is quite cloudy, but I didn't brew it to look at, so as long as it tastes good...

Ingredients:

10 lbs. Belgian Pils malt
1 lb. smoked pale malt
.5 lb. 30L crystal malt
3/4 oz. Buillion hops (boiling)
3/4 oz. Hallertau hops (boiling)
3/4 oz. Hallertau hops (added at end of boil)
Whitbread dry ale yeast
3/4 cup corn sugar for priming

Procedure:

First, I smoked my malt on a barbeque grill. I built a frame out of wood and attached aluminum window screen to it. I then started a some coals and, when they were ready, put them in the grill with a few handfuls of wet hickory chi ps. I smoked 1 lb. of pale ale malt for 45 minutes - 1 hour and yes it did get rather toasted by the heat, but I don't see that as a problem. I took the gr ain off the grill before it got roasted dark because I figured that would give it more of a porter-like flavor that I was not looking for.

My notes do not include a mashing schedule, but since my temperature control in my mashing setup isn't very good, it probably wouldn't do much good.

I used a very old package of Whitbread dry yeast as I had trouble with my Wyeast starter. It worked out OK but I would suggest using Wyeast 1007 German Ale as I had originally intended.

Specifics:

O.G.: 1.055
F.G.: 1.015