Smoked Pale Ale

[keirtristan]

Found an old post or two on this but no real info.

I am wanting to make a smoked Pale Ale after I tried one in London. I am wondering how much smoked grain to add. I have two 1.5kg bags of malt extract from the razorback IPA kit, 250g of crystal malt, 250g wheat and 250g medium spray malt.

I can get a 500g cherry wood smoked malt on line but no idea how much to use.

Any ideas? Anyone tried this?

 

[Marcarm]

Greg Hughes book has a recipe for smoked beer. He states to use 700g of smoked malt in the grist, not sure if that translates the same into your extract recipe.

 

[keirtristan]

Do you know what else he added Marcarm? On the website I can get it from it suggests maximum percentage of the grain bill but I don't know how extract translates.

I am experimenting but would at least like it to be almost drinkable. Ha.

 

[HebridesRob]

I'm interested in this too, as I would like to make beer using peat smoked malt (like whisky producers use).

I've put a little bit of thought into it and I don't think you could come up with a definitive recipe because it's unlikely that smoked malt would be a standardised product. I think you have to either start with a brew that has a fairly small amount of smoked malt, and scale up the amount over successive brews or you kind of do it all at once by trying something like this...
http://www.brewgeeks.com/try-ingredients-before-brewday.html

Another method I thought of was to make one small brew with the smoked malt and add measured quantities a little at a time to a glass of non-smoky beer until you're happy with the taste. Then a bit of maths should give you a good starting point.

If you make it work let me know.... haha!

 

[keirtristan]

I had read that peated malt was a but hardcore on the smokiness so should be used carefully. A smoked malt might be more forgiving.

There seem to be plenty of recipes for a smoked porter but they are more robust as a beer. Too much smoke in a pale could kill it. That said, it's experimental. I might just add it all to the partial mash and see what it does. I'm not trying to sell it.

Well let you know.

 

[nac_brew]

Do you know what else he added Marcarm? On the website I can get it from it suggests maximum percentage of the grain bill but I don't know how extract translates.

I am experimenting but would at least like it to be almost drinkable. Ha.

Hope this helps, I have Greg's book and really like it, in on on the second brew but went straight from not brewing anything to AG and this book helped me a lot.

 

[keirtristan]

Hope this helps, I have Greg's book and really like it, in on on the second brew but went straight from not brewing anything to AG and this book helped me a lot.

I had a look at that. New to it all but from what I could find a full 500g would make up no more than my suggested recipe which for a pale might be right.

Will try it and if not smokey enough, next one will smokier.

 

[keirtristan]

Hope this helps, I have Greg's book and really like it, in on on the second brew but went straight from not brewing anything to AG and this book helped me a lot.

I had a look at that. New to it all but from what I could find a full 500g would make up no more than my suggested recipe which for a pale might be right.

Will try it and if not smokey enough, next one will smokier.

Hope this helps, I have Greg's book and really like it, in on on the second brew but went straight from not brewing anything to AG and this book helped me a lot.

 

[Marcarm]

Sorry I missed your reply but see another member has kindly helped out.

I'm sure what you make will be drinkable, it may not be exactly how you envisage it but a lot of the fun of this hobby is experimenting and seeing what you can improve on for the next brew.