The notion of smoked beer, or rauchbier as the Germans call it, has been around since brewing beer began. In fact, until the invention of the drum-style kiln in 1818, the malt used in brewing was cured with fires made of wood, coal, coke, straw or peat. And while brewers tried hard to direct the smoke away from the green malt during the cure, it undoubtedly was absorbed to some degree.

While smoked malt may seem most at home in a dark style of beer, like porter or stout (and it works wonders in such beers), it’s also a popular additive to lighter German styles, like märzen, helles, bock and weissbier, and even melds well with many popular Belgian-style brews. If you are looking for some commercially-available samples of the style, among American craft brands you might want to try the Stone Smoked Porter, Rogue Smoke Ale and, if you can get your hands on a bottle, the elusive Alaskan Smoked Porter (the most decorated beer in the history of the Great American Beer Festival).

One of the most prominent malt suppliers in Germany, Weyermann Specialty Malts of Bamberg, provides their authentic rauchmalz to most homebrewing-related retail outlets. However, many homebrewers themselves have begun to experiment with smoking their own malt. Many take a base malt which has already been cured – like pilsner, pale ale, Vienna, and Munich malts – and toast it themselves in the oven for a little depth and smokiness.

If you do err on the side of commercially produced malts (or even if you choose to smoke your own), bear in mind that, since rauchmalz is a base malt, it needs to be mashed. So if you are an extract brewer, a mini or side mash will be necessary if you plan to remain true-to-style.

If you’re looking for a stronger, more robust smoked character than rauchmalz can provide – one which will stand up enough in a darker style like a robust Porter – peated malt is another option; one which is usually available at your local homebrew supply shop. However, unlike German rauchmalz, t he smoky, phenol, character of peated malt is extremely robust and much rougher. Thus, it should be used with great restraint and is best only in ales where a smoky background character is preferred. With peated malt, a good rule of thumb is to start with only 2% of your grain bill and only increase from there as you get comfortable with the flavor and style. However, with levels that low, mashing peated malt is not necessary and it can be steeped with the rest of your specialty grains.

Whether you smoke your own malt at home, or buy commercially-available rauchmalz or peated malts, playing around with smoky flavors and aromas in many different styles of homebrew is a fun adventure every homebrewer should play with. Cheers!

Related Posts

• Brewing With Chocolate
• Recipe Review – Hell Gate Porter
• Perfect Peach Experiment
• Beyond Beer: Brewing Cider, Mead, Wine & Sake
• An Interview with Baxter Brewing Company