Tag: j. w. lees
The Session #26 – Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em
by Paul Arthur on Apr.03, 2009, under ale, barleywine, barrel aged beer, beer, lager, rauchbier, single malt, smoked beer, spirit, whisky
The Mission: “You’ve got three weeks, is what I’m saying: go find a smoked beer.” Direct and to the point.
Probably the most well-known example of a smoked beer is the German rauchbier, where a portion of the malt used is dried over a beechwood fire. The other widely available smoked malt is peated malt, while various craft brewers have smoked their own malt over anything from apple wood to alder wood (okay, so that’s not all that far).
A less traditional method, while not something I’ve heard of being used, would be to directly smoke the beer itself.
The second beer I’ll be covering is an example of second-hand smoke. I’m sure everyone’s heard of barrel-aged beer, but how many of you have considered that it introduces two possible sources for a smoky flavour? First, whisky barrels are usually charred before use, which can carry over into any beer aged in them. Second, what if the barrel came from a heavily peat-smoked whisky like Bruichladdich or Lagavulin? Even a less smoky whisky such as Highland Park introduces some smoke character.
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