Smoky Ale for PBR Uncle

Radcp

Member
Trial Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Messages
42
Reaction score
24
Points
8
Location
Seacoast New Hampshire
I am traveling to visit family in March and wanted to bring my new found hobby home with me to share with my family. My uncles, cousins, & grandfather are PBR drinkers for life, and I'm hoping to give them a little bit of a change. I didn't go too far out because they don't drink stouts or porters or IPA or saison or lambic or ...you get the picture.

2.5 Gallon
1 Gallon Boil

Steep:
0.75lb Smoked Cherrywood @ 150f 25 min

3lb Extra Light DME

Hops:
0.75oz Galena 60min
0.25oz Centennial 45 min (couldn't help myself)

Yeast:
US-05 hydrated 30 minutes prior 86f

I also added "Clear Ferm" from White Labs- first time for me and is part of my attempt to deliver clear beer to the masses.

OG: 1.052
 
I commend your efforts.
The few times I tried smoked malt, I didn't like it. It didn't come through like I was hoping or thought it would. (I do like a good rauchbier though) idk if the PBR crowd would go for it

If there's any way you can cold crash, it'll help clear things too
 
My last smoked beer has been the first one I liked - a colleague smoked 10 pounds of Root Shoot Pale Ale malt for me, I did a SMASH (well, I bittered with Magnum) Blonde Ale with it and it turned out great. Next round I'm adding some Vienna malt and a bit more smoke but the applewood-cold-smoked Pale malt made a really good beer, a kiss of smoke. Maple syrup in secondary rounded it out nicely!
 
I can tell you that Cherrywood Smoked Malt is amazingly light and pleasant. I used a pound of in a 6 gallon Smoky Dry Stout recipe that had used 5 ounces of Peat Smoked Malt in for several iterations. I really had to look for the smoke flavor with the Cherrywood while the Peated was right there. I think your recipe sounds good great.
 
This is my first try with cherrywood, I did a batch with mesquite smoked malt a couple months back and it was on the edge of being over powering. This time I pared down to the 3/4 lb and didn't steep as long, plus the Galena piney taste should help to mute the smoke to an after flavor and not have it front and center.

I commend your efforts.
The few times I tried smoked malt, I didn't like it. It didn't come through like I was hoping or thought it would. (I do like a good rauchbier though) idk if the PBR crowd would go for it

If there's any way you can cold crash, it'll help clear things too

This time of year I could set it in the garage before I bottle, good idea.

I can tell you that Cherrywood Smoked Malt is amazingly light and pleasant. I used a pound of in a 6 gallon Smoky Dry Stout recipe that had used 5 ounces of Peat Smoked Malt in for several iterations. I really had to look for the smoke flavor with the Cherrywood while the Peated was right there. I think your recipe sounds good great.

Im hesitant to try the peat, but with your amounts doesnt seem like it would be over powering----What yeast did you use for a Smoky Dry Stout?
 
With an ounce per gallon or less the peat is definitely there, but not overpowering. It was very popular with most all who tried it. I used Nottingham for earlier iterations and then WLP001 for the last one. I preferred Nottingham. I would never use the peated in a lighter beer.
 
My last smoked beer has been the first one I liked - a colleague smoked 10 pounds of Root Shoot Pale Ale malt for me, I did a SMASH (well, I bittered with Magnum) Blonde Ale with it and it turned out great. Next round I'm adding some Vienna malt and a bit more smoke but the applewood-cold-smoked Pale malt made a really good beer, a kiss of smoke. Maple syrup in secondary rounded it out nicely!

Maple syrup! i don't know what to imagine but very intrigued....
 
Maple syrup! i don't know what to imagine but very intrigued....
Think bacon. Not overwhelmingly so, but enough to make you think it could have sizzled on a skillet.... Bonus: No fat to fight with!
 
I took a sample today and get 1.008 so thinking I have a few more days before I cold crash and bottle. One thing that was different about this batch was that the sample was quite bubbly in the cylinder. I am wondering if it will be necessary to add priming sugar to my bottles or should I skip this step to avoid bursting bottles?

*I plan on trying the maple syrup in a few

Of course I drank the sample and the cherrywood smoked malt is so smooth and suddle I would recommend this to anyone trying it for the first time.
 
I took a sample today and get 1.008 so thinking I have a few more days before I cold crash and bottle. One thing that was different about this batch was that the sample was quite bubbly in the cylinder. I am wondering if it will be necessary to add priming sugar to my bottles or should I skip this step to avoid bursting bottles?
FG of 1.008 is probably done, but no need to rush it. Make sure it's done before you bottle. As for CO2 suspended in the beer, that will dissipate when you transfer for bottling. Yes, you need to add priming sugar...the only way to have it carb up in the bottles is to have further fermentation take place.
 
This beer came out pretty darn good. The cherry wood is a very soft front flavor and the only thing I would change is to add a little more galena to increase bitterness. I think the cherrywood flavor makes it seem sweeter than I had hoped; I also get a hint of some yeast but I am tasting a little early in the bottle conditioning time frame so I think that may dissipate by early March for the tasting :)

Also I am not sold on the "clear ferm", its still a bit cloudy. Personally I dont care but expected more from the product. Cold crashing was thwarted by the weather and it only got down to 40f before bottling.
 
Sounds like it'll be a very "accessible" beer for your non-craft-beer relatives. ;)
 

Back
Top