Un-smoking a beer....

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spittybug

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Ouch. It seems that the recipe I followed for an Old Chub clone (Scottish ale) has resulted in a WAAAAAY too smokey beer. Pretty undrinkable. .8 lbs German smoked malt in a total grain bill of 31.6 lbs (2.5%). It is not very pleasant. The beer is an animal, pitching it over an established Nottingham cake took it down to 1.007, very dry, thus depriving of the sweetness to cut the smokeyness I think. It's a big beer at 9.5% but with no boozy taste whatsoever. The body and the head are very good and there are no other discernible off flavors.

So, suggestions on how to 'fix' this? Lactose after the fact? Dilute with a 1.030 something or another? Carbon filter? Aging on soaked wood chips?

I don't want to chuck 10 gallons and end up going to hell.....probably full of smokey beer down there. :)
 
I think your best bet is to blend with a similar (non-smoked) beer. I've never seen or heard of any way to remove the smoke once it's there.

Brew on :mug:
 
I don't have an answer other than blending. However, let's say you make a good beer and then blend it with your smoke fest you just end up with a slightly less crappy beer. If you don't like the beer tip it down the drain. Not to mention oxidation issues with blending. Life's too short to drink crap beer. Maybe make smaller batches in the future for the experimental brews.
 
If you have any other beer, like a light ale, do a blending trial and see how much you have to dilute the Scottish ale to reduce the smokey flavor.
Then brew another batch of the Old Chub (without the smoked malt) and blend them together.
Oxidation, unless severe, won't really hurt the 9.5% ABV ale; a "sherry" note may actually be an improvement.
If you have a lot of bottles, you can always bottle it up and then 'blend in the glass" with some other beer when you drink it. Or if you have the kegs and room in the keezer, just keep it on tap and put a shot of it in whatever other beer you have when you feel like it.
I'd try mixing a cider with it, or using it in the crockpot when cooking a pork shoulder for pulled pork.
 
You must have had some very fresh smoked malt, because I'm surprised its that overwhelming being such a small percentage.

I've done a few smoked beers lately, it seems like the smoke flavor tends to mellow after aging.

However, I will agree with others that once its there, its there. Might be more drinkable if back sweetened with lactose at that, but who knows to what extent!?

Maybe @Schlenkerla can help!? I'm pretty sure he has extensive knowledge in all things smoked...
 
Un-used smoked malt loses its smokiness pretty quickly. But once in the beer, I don't think it mellows. I've made a few. I'm also surprised that such little amount of smoked malt had such an affect on such a big beer. If you don't want to drink it, I'd suggest dumping before digging the hole deeper (like mixing it with another beer).
 
I've found that smokiness does mellow out. I'd bottle it and stick it in the cupboard for a few months and see what happens as opposed to dumping. I'm surprised you find 2.5% overpowering though, my last one had 60% smoked malt and wasn't overpowering at all.
 
I have never used that smoked malt but some are harsher than others. I have used a couple of pounds of cherrywood smoked malt and could have had it smokier. I used one pound of oak smoked wheat and .1 pounds of peat smoked malt in another and the peat smoked malt gave it a lot of smoke at only .1 pound. I read about the peat smoked malt and that a very little goes a long way others not so much. I have also used Mesquite smoked malt and a couple of pounds is not too much. (5 gallon batches)

My experience is that the smoke does not go away. But I drank those beers fairly quickly.
 
I too was very surprised at the level of smoke. It's the first time I've used the pre-smoked grains; I've made my own before by just putting some of the grain in my smoker and letting it absorb the smoke/meat aroma. This is definitely harsher and smells it too.

Looking through the suggestions, I think I will do some experimenting before folding my hand. It costs me nothing at this point to try and sweeten it or to blend it and see if there is a solution. Who knows, maybe it will mellow with time. I can keep it in the kegs but I will probably need to keep it outside the keezer, so basically at room temperature. Lesson learned. Thanks for the advice.

Edit: In hindsight, I wonder if there was anything I could have done that would have amped up the smokey taste. I think there might have been..... We added 1 lb of brown sugar to the boil. When cleaning up, I noticed the element had burned some of it and had a crusting on it. The cooled wort did not taste off however, there was no appreciable smell to it and it looked fine. I wonder if we created enough nasties by burning some of the sugar? Perhaps.....
 
Only .8 lbs German Rauchmalz in 31.6 lbs? That's LOW. I use 2# in a 5 gal batch.
I brought back a keg of Rauchbier from the Schlenkerla in Bamberg for a friend's retirement party and everyone called it "Bacon Beer".

I've only ever made one Scottish Ale and used Peat malt. It made it taste more like whiskey.

I'd dilute it with an paler beer you have. Start off with a 50/50 mix and see how you like it. From there you can adjust one way or the other.

Good luck.
 
Just tasted again. And tried blending..... I'm now of the belief that it is more of an acrid/bitter/burnt taste than simply smokey. I think the brown sugar on the element is the culprit. I don't think this one is salvageable. While only the second beer for me to throw away in many years of brewing, I hate doing it. Feels like failure........I'm not worthy oh beer gods!!
 
I'm betting money that your objectionable taste is from burnt sugar from the kettle.

Edit: This is my thought before your second burnt confirmation post. Not meaning to over state the obvious.

Let's a assume it's not at this point. The small about of smoked you used unless it's peat smoke is not over the top in its application. In fact it would be noticeable in the pour and first sips, fading with time as you drink your beer. Ones taste buds desensitizes to smoke as your pallet adjusts to it, but it's never really gone. It's the same thing with hops not to the extent that smoked fades sip to sip, beer to beer.

Aging smoked beer helps, while it doesn't fade the smoke flavor it softens other things; greeness of the beer, yeast ester, hop aroma, and any aromatics in the malt. Aging beer on co2 if it's force carbed can have a carbonic bite, that carbonic astringent character will fade within a few weeks. The smoke character can change slightly with time but don't expect it drop out of your beer.

I would do nothing with the beer but age it, it's big, give it time. Possibly six months at that ABV. You might try it serving it cooler, pick a glass with a narrow opening like some nice stem wear. Have it with food or while tending the grill/smoker. I would have one of these smoked foods, any BBQ, spicey grilled Mexican or Hot stir fried Thai. Same with snacks, Chipotle salsa, smoked salmon, smoked kippers with onions and mayo on crackers, or smoked cheese, smoked almonds, and smoked sausage with fresh pineapple. The possibilities are endless.

Some defects in beer can fade with time. I once lost steel mesh screen in a carboy only to have dissolve completely making a metallic beer. Was going to dump it in six months, cracked the first bottle, started to pour but stopped and put it into a glass. It was miraculous, no metallic taste what so ever. This was only a two gallon batch thankfully.

My guess burnt sugar is your problem with a smoke taste from that late addition. Then add your smoked malt to that taste.

Again, do nothing, let it age. Maybe you will be lucky. Bottle it in a month or so if you want that keg emptied.

Next time, add your sugar prior to boil. If you have it hot on the burner, move it off the burner, add and stir well, use your long brew spoon to check for obstructions in the bottom of the kettle, if so stir more until dissolved.

I hope waiting it out is what's needed.
 
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Appreciate the suggestions.... To clarify, this is an electric element in a boil keggle. 5500w, one of the non-scalding types. I think we must have just added it too quickly and some settled on the element. We shall see if time helps.....
 
Appreciate the suggestions.... To clarify, this is an electric element in a boil keggle. 5500w, one of the non-scalding types. I think we must have just added it too quickly and some settled on the element. We shall see if time helps.....

I guess next time, add it with the lauter.

Taste this in two weeks to a month and report back your thoughts.

If you didn't say earlier, how old is it now?
 
Appreciate the suggestions.... To clarify, this is an electric element in a boil keggle. 5500w, one of the non-scalding types. I think we must have just added it too quickly and some settled on the element. We shall see if time helps.....

I've burned a hole through a hop sack with a 5500W ULWD element. Sack was LOADED with hop pellets and hanging down, right on the element.

So, if something settles on the element, scorching is definitely a possibility.
 
I've burned a hole through a hop sack with a 5500W ULWD element. Sack was LOADED with hop pellets and hanging down, right on the element.

So, if something settles on the element, scorching is definitely a possibility.
Funny you say that, I did that with a hop sack full of 7Cs, Falconers Flight. I was so pissed at myself. It was hard to drink super bitter and astringent. I also learned that hop is not great for late additions. At least not how I did it. LOL
 
Element scorch flavors don’t really fade as far as I know.

I scorched once, tasted more burnt than smoked.

Ended up dumping 15 gallons post fermentation. To try and drink it would have made me crazy, the off flavor was too pronounced and would have been a constant reminder to my mistake of pausing pre boil, and letting all the trub settle on my element.

Ripped the bandaid off and dumped it.

I would suggest turning the element off while adding sugar, stirring it in well prior to repowering.
 
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