smoked ale?

[BurgerBrew]

i have tried to search these forums and the internets, but to the best of my knowledge, i could not find the answer. apologies if i gave up too soon and it's a common question...

a brief explanation: bossman is starting up a bbq soon and wants me to brew a 5 gal batch with a smoky flavor for a party with friends. he wants a beer that will appeal to the "masses" of his party, so that rules out smoked porters or stouts. He wanted something light, like a lager, or pilsner, but i do not have the capability of lagering at proper temperatures, so i thought i would take a anchor steam clone, reduce the hops slightly, and add some smoked malts.

this is the clone that i found:
6.6 lbs. Gold Liquid Malt Extract
3/4 lb. 60oL. Crystal Malt (cracked)
1/2 lb. British Pale Malt (cracked)
1 1/2 oz. Northern Brewer Hops (boil)
1 oz. Cascade Hops
1 pkg. White Labs WLP810 San Francisco Lager Yeast

i was going to reduce the boiling hops to 1oz and maybe even reduce the the cascade finishing hops to 1/2 oz and add 1/4 lb of smoked malt to the grains to be steeped at 155 for 45-60 mins.

we are going for a very subtle smoky flavor. nothing over the top or too present.

any thoughts? anyone done a smoked ale?
thanks in advance!~

 

[Stanleyjw]

I've brewed a smoked porter and then added chipolte peppers to it. I really enjoyed it, but I've learned that smoked beers don't really appeal to masses as you're seeking. My wife said it tasted like a campfire in your mouth but others really liked how different it was. I would say that if you have the time, maybe brew a mall test batch and see how it turns out. If not then go for it and see what happens. If they don't like it then tell them to brew their own beer!

Happy Brewing!

 

[passedpawn]

I've done an Irish Red Ale with a bit of smoked peat malt and it was great. I added just enough peat to make it interesting, but not smokey.

 

[BurgerBrew]

thanks for the replies! and i like the idea telling them to brew their own if they don't like it! thanks @stanleyjw!

@passedpawn, how much smoked peat malt did you use? i've heard that smoked peat is pretty powerful stuff.

 

[passedpawn]

@passedpawn, how much smoked peat malt did you use? i've heard that smoked peat is pretty powerful stuff.

I've made the IRA 3 times: 5g without any smoke, 11g with 2 ounces peat, and 11g with 8 ounces.

8 ounces does seem like a lot. In fact, it was quite smokey the first week in the keg, and I thought I had ruined it. But a week later it was fantastic. Even my neighbor, who wouldn't drink a smokebeer, loved it.

That smoked peat can be tricky. Good luck.

BTW, I do have a smokebeer (lager) in my Recipe pulldown there under my avatar. You could make that with S-05 dry yeast and it would be fine. Might be too smokey for some, but I thought it was great.

 

[BurgerBrew]

@passedpawn, thanks for the advice and the recipe! the recipe looks great, but perhaps a lil too smokey for uneducated pallets. i don't think i'll have enough time to do an experimental batch, so i'll probably do a full batch of something subtly smokey and if i like it, go a little heavier on the next one! thanks again!

 

[SC_Ryan]

It's not a yellow beer but I added a little smoked malt to a Scottish ale and it turned out fantastic. The smokey and the sweetness really balanced against each other. It also had a very low bitterness so it was even popular with the non beer drinkers. Might be something to consider.