Rauchbier yeast

[MmmBeer]

makin a smoked beer. yeast suggestions?

[Derekt2]

Originally posted by MmmBeer
makin a smoked beer. yeast suggestions?

Ale or lager. Are you using a lot of smoked malt or not? Is it Beechwood smoked or Peated? Details man!

BTW, your avatar rocks. On another board I use King Diamond.

[chazwicke]

mmmmmmm Rauch!

[danno]

use a German lager yeast, and don't use peated malt. just smoked malt...

[Mad Scientist]

Misfits rule.

COuld I make a motion for mesquite smoked malt?

[chazwicke]

Sly Fox makes an outstanding Rauch. Best I've had outside of Bamberg. They use smoked malt imported from Bamberg.

I believe that that malt is smoked over beechwood. Not sure though.

Years ago when I used to brew I made a rauch. cheated by using a little liquid smoke. It was OK. Nothing on the level of real rauchs.

[HogieWan]

bamburg rauchs are all beechwood, traditionally

[MmmBeer]

sorry for tha delay....
Mostly rauch malt (30%) with a little peated (10%) gonna be an ale.
why you guys not like peated?

[steveh]

Peated malt is used mostly in Scottish ales - and a little goes a long way, to the point that the BJCP has created an "other" title under the Smoked Beer category, though separate from Rauch.

Since you've decided to go with the ale yeast, maybe you ought to think about modifying your recipe & expectations toward a Scottish - both tasty styles, and the ale yeast and warmer fermentation will yield a more estery character and lean toward the Scottish.

S.

[chazwicke]

While I'm an ale guy, I think you should make it a real rauch and not the Scottish Ale. I like that style but not as much as a traditional rauch. A well made Rauch can be truly sublime.

[danno]

it's not that we don't like peated, in fact I love a peated scottish ale. but, you asked about a rauch. and, 10% peated malt is not a little, it's a lot. as Steve said, a little goes a long ways... (and vice-versa, 30% rauch isn't really a lot. a true Rauch uses 100% smoked malt...)

[MmmBeer]

i get it. I ordered more rauch and i'm putting the peated off to the side for a future (scottish) brew. Real beer has once again led me down the path of enlightenment. thanks guys! I'll let you know how it comes out.

[Trogger]

I thought a true rauch was actually a lager...

[MmmBeer]

Yes they are indeed traditionally lagers (Schlenkerla) but lately some brewers have been toying with the recipe and making ales (see Rogue Smoke Ale) This is more what I am going for.

[brewmonkey]

A nice ale yeast can do wonders for the beer but a lager strain will keep the flavor/aroma clean so that the smoke comes through. I might suggest a California Common strain or something like WLP002 which is low in esters/aroma when fermented to the low side.

[BitterRat]

Originally posted by steveh
Peated malt is used mostly in Scottish ales - and a little goes a long way, to the point that the BJCP has created an "other" title under the Smoked Beer category, though separate from Rauch.

Since you've decided to go with the ale yeast, maybe you ought to think about modifying your recipe & expectations toward a Scottish - both tasty styles, and the ale yeast and warmer fermentation will yield a more estery character and lean toward the Scottish.

S.
First off, there is only one Scottish ale that uses peat malt, it's the brew from the Orkney Islands ( I forget the name), traditionally, peat malt is not used in Scottish ale, it has been made popular by craft brewers in the U.S. who have tried to take a short cut in achieving the impression of smokiness that you may find in real scotch/scottish ale. That flavor is from the combination of the yeast and a minimal amount of roasted barley.
Rauch malt is used to produce the rauch beers of bamberg. Schlenkerla uses malt specifically made to their standards by weyermann. What we get here from weyermann is not to the standards set by schlenkerla, although it makes a great beer. If you want to make a rauch beer, I would recommend usinng 100% rauch malt and Octoberfest strain of yeast. If you can't get lager temps, then the steam yeasts make a decent lager/like brew.

[shirteesdotnet]

MMMmmmm! Ive got a Rauchbier going right now! Just bottled my Maibock. This rauchbier wort looks interesting!

[shirteesdotnet]

Ive got a question about this rauchbier... or any beer for that matter...

when steeping the grains... i have mine in mesh bags... is it better to have 3# in one bag, or maybe two seperate bags? I just want to get all that flavor.

[Mad Scientist]

Is there a commerial rauch beer that I can get hold of?

[mookow]

Originally posted by Boerne Brew
Is there a commerial rauch beer that I can get hold of?

Schlenkerla makes Marzen, Weizen, and Ur-Bock style rauchbiers and they seem to be the most commercially available.