OVHA Chat

Any advice on smoking malts? I've researched the web and have gotten some tips, but I would like to hear from someone that has actually done it.

I still have questions about: What type of wood? What type of malt? Should you wet the grain before smoking? How long should the malt contact the smoke?

Jim Dippel has smoked his own malt before. I think the main problem is keeping it in the paper until you get it rolled.

I think Alder is the wood used in Alaskan smoked porter. Other ones I have read that could be used are Apple, Cherry, and Maple woods.

I 'think' you should smoke it around 150-200 maybe (not sure) with the wood soaked in water and I read one guy who sprayed his malt every half hour or so with a spray bottle.

My copy of Mosher's - Radical Brewing is packed up, but I think there are some instructions in there if I remember.

We were actually talking on Friday about making a smoked porter ... funny you should mention this. If I find out more I will post it.

I was also wanting to venture in the smoked grains avenue. I was holding off until I was smoking some meat so that I wasn't simply trying to smoke only for grain. I've got a Brinkman charcoal smoker with 2 shelves. My plan was to smoke grains on the top shelf, and meat below, or after the meat was done while waiting for the coals to finish burning out.
I don't think wetting the grain is necessary because the smoke sticks to everything. I'm sure you've seen the well used smoker. Wetting the grain may cause some of the residual sugars to come out. There is enough moisture from the meat, and the water/brine bowl in the smoker for humidity.
I think the type of wood or what ever smoke making materials you use is just like brewing in the old days "whatever is available locally." such as peat, alder, etc. I've got some apple, cherry, and hickory wood. The best smoked ribs I've had was smoked with sassafrass.

I wonder how the grain would turn out smoked with hops, or the vines of the hop plant?

Maybe we can have some good beers ready for the upgoming BBQ festivals.

Thanks for the advice. I was actually thinking about using some sassafras that I cut last summer.

If you have any sasafrass handy, I have some apple wood already chunked for smoking that I can give you or trade, maybe some hickory if I go down to the woods to see what the wind blew down.

I smoked 3 1/2 pounds of pilsner malt with some of the sassafras that I cut up. I just used my Brinkman smoker/grill with the water pan between the malt and the fire. I took some metal screen and made a tray to hold the grain. I wetted the grain with a spray bottle and occasionally mixed the grain during the 3 hr. of smoking.

I plan on using it to replace 3 1/2 of the 10 pounds of pale malt used in the Robust Porter recipe that we brewed for Big Brew a couple of years ago.

I have plenty of sassafras laying around. Just let me know how you want it cut up and I'll bring some to the next meeting.

Ummmm smoked porter sounds good. I want to do this at some point. Did you load both trays of the smoker with grain? What was the depth of your grain? Did it turn out like you expected? Would you do something different next time?
If you could bring some sassafrass to the meeting, that would be great. I don't need it cut up any special way. Limb to log size is fine with me. I've got just the basic Brinkman smoker. I just hack up the wood into chunks about the size of charcoal, to baseball sized pieces. When I'm ready to smoke I'll just grab a hand full and soak them in water a while before I put them on the coals in the smoker. Besides, the kids like taking a camping hatchet and making little pieces of wood out of big pieces of wood. They have fun that way, and I'm actually getting them to do work!!!

Randy and I brewed up the smoked porter that we had prepared our grains for last week. Everyone who tried the hydrometer sample agreed that they could taste the smoke. I think it was definitely present but not overwhelming - so I would imagine over time when (if) the beer ages it will become all but undetectable.

Smoking Procedure (not ideal, but it worked apparently)
- Wood : Alder (soaked in water and put in a foil 'boat' over charcoal)
- Batches: 2 ~1.25 # batches on a round pizza pan.
- Time : eh, 45 minutes or so.
- Temp: dunno, but probably way too hot - grains toasted some.

Smoked Somewhat-Imperial Porter Recipe:
11# Maris Otter
2.5# Alder Smoked American 2 Row (from above)
2# Munich
1.25# 40L Crystal
1.25# 80L Crystal
1# Chocolate Malt
.75# Black Patent

1.75oz EKG 60 min
.25 oz EKG 30 min
1 oz Challenger 10 min.

Notes:
O/G: 1.074 (yayuh!)
34 IBU (may have not added enough hops, we'll see)
Mash at about 154 (modified step mash - i.e. I initial missed strike temp :0)
2 pkgs Fermentis S-05 American Ale rehydrated.
* ph5.2, Whirlfloc, White Labs Nutrient, O2
Ferment about 68 'til it's done - secondary (hell no)

I just placed all of the grain into the screen tray on the top, above the water pan; about 3/4" of grain. I mixed the grain about every 20 min. for 3hrs. I used 4 chunks of wood that I soaked for an hour, just tossed onto the coals. The grain has a distinct sweet smoky aroma. Jack made the comment that It was smokier that the commercial versions that he has used. I plan on brewing with it Friday, I'll post some updates.

Brewed the Smoked Robust Porter Friday. (1.073 OG) I detected some smoke going into the fermenter, but it was pretty subdued. I had to install a blow off tube yesterday, but things have calmed down some today. Now we wait....

Smoked Porter duel at 10 paces I kid.

I was thinking, however, we sure know how to pick those light, Spring beers.
Heh.

Thanks for the sassafras Dewayne. This will make a great porter or stout one day to go along with some ribs.