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  • Scotch Ale

    Hi I am going to make a scotch ale @ apx. 20 P. I am very leary of using smoked malt. I have used it on several occasions but not at my new place. It's a little more conservative. I'm thinking about 55 lbs of Durst this would be 6% of the grain bill. I can not find a ppm on the malt. I want to be able to taste it, but I can't tolerate that predominate smoked flavor. It tastes like it's been fermented in a rail road tie square. I woukld think that 6% would be very subtle. Thoughts? Thanks

  • #2
    Why use it at all?
    -Beaux

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    • #3
      Originally posted by beauxman
      Why use it at all?
      -Beaux
      Agreed, don't use it.

      Comment


      • #4
        6% peat-smoked malt is the most one would ever want to use. I used 6% peat in a strong Scotch ale, and I will be scaling it back next time. German-smoked malts are a whole different animal. Used 23% Wyermann smoked malt in a smoked German hefeweizen this summer, and it wasn't nearly as smoky as I expected. My thoughts are 6% German smoked malt malt in a "big" Scotch ale will probably not be very noticeable.....
        Paul Thomas
        Brewer
        Sockeye Brewing
        www.sockeyebrew.com

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        • #5
          Originally posted by pbutlert
          6% peat-smoked malt is the most one would ever want to use. I used 6% peat in a strong Scotch ale, and I will be scaling it back next time. German-smoked malts are a whole different animal. Used 23% Wyermann smoked malt in a smoked German hefeweizen this summer, and it wasn't nearly as smoky as I expected. My thoughts are 6% German smoked malt malt in a "big" Scotch ale will probably not be very noticeable.....

          I agree. All you want is a very subtle hint of smoke for complexity sake. I'd go with the german wood smoked malt at >10%. Peat smoked malt in addition to its intensity, has a VERY medicinal phenolic quality I personally can't deal with.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by beauxman
            Why use it at all?
            -Beaux
            I will third that.

            I like what Ray Daniels has to say about this:

            "In his 1847 text on Scottish brewing and malting, Roberts specifies that malt kilns be fired with "coke, charcoal, clums or wood. This indicates that peat-smoked character would not have been a part of Scotch or Scottish-style ale flavor during the nineteenth century. Given this fact, i cannot help but wonder if the use of peat was an extreme measure adopted during the world wars in the early twentieth century."

            Daniels, Ray. Designing Great Beers.
            Boulder, CO Brewers Publications, 1996-2000.
            Last edited by Jephro; 11-25-2008, 04:38 PM.
            Jeff Byrne

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            • #7
              If using peat malt, approx 1% (or less) of your grain bill gives a nice gentle hint of smoke without giving a phenolic flavor. Maybe you could just pick some up at a homebrew shop instead of ordering a 25kg bag.

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              • #8
                i would go with Weyermann Smoked malt. It is softer than peated malt and has a sweeter smoke flavor to me. 5 to 10% would leave a slight smoke flavor and aroma. Beechwood is better for smoking malt not on the bottom of a tank! Cheers
                COAST Brewing Company

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                • #9
                  ditto

                  save the peat smoked malt for the scotch whiskey makers. The german smoked malts do come through rather nicely in beer. Peat smoke tastes like band-aids!

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                  • #10
                    Yes Thanks all. Peated malt is like adding cresote to beer. So smoked German malt it is @ 6%.

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                    • #11
                      What did peated malt ever do to you? You just need to use it in the right proportion. 1% of the grain bill works great, esp when mixed with other malts to balance its flavor.

                      Cheers,
                      Jason

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                      • #12
                        our porter is 1% peat malt, and the smoke is definately there.

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                        • #13
                          We used 2% peated malt in our scotch ale and it worked out just fine. I wouldn't use any more than 2% though. The peat came forward more as the beer aged and I can see it being very predominant if higher percentages are used.
                          Danny McGovern
                          Brewer
                          Monhegan Brewing Co.
                          Monhegan Island, ME. USA
                          04852

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                          • #14
                            a special specialty

                            I am myself sitting on ca 700 kg of peat smoked malt, which I heritated from the former brewmaster, who made a smoked beer from it. So I try using it, where ever I can and have it in my Stout at low percentage. It is really flavor intense and at in addition of 5 % it dominates the flavor profile and reminds me mostly of tar. That fits nicely into this complex beer since we are located closely to the Fjord.

                            I personelly would not use it in scottish ale and rather try to get a bacon dryness in the beer by roasted barley and the right choice of yeast. Honestly the flavor is quite special and especially woman pick up on it right away. Only mature beer drinkers can truly appreciate it. I feel that the beer mind end up to special. By the way, I use the stuff from Castle Malt, Belgium.
                            Christoph

                            "How much beer is in German intelligence !" - Friedrich Nietzsche

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Øl-sheik
                              try to get a bacon dryness in the beer by roasted barley and the right choice of yeast.
                              Thank you, and welcome to my favourites list

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