[rjharper]

I tried a smoked American Pale Ale at a really cool little brewery in Oslo earlier this year, and I'd like to try to recreate the style. I'm thinking to dial back the bitterness and finishing hops a little to let the smoke come through, and I'm going to use Nugget and Summit in place of my usual 'C' or new varietal citrus / tropical fruity hops.

I've got Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt in stock.  I don't smell any strong smoke notes coming off it, but maybe its a grower, not a shower. How does this recipe look? I'm undecided on 10-20% smoked malt. Definitely less dry hopping than I'd normally go with but again, I want the smoke to come through and not fight an overly hoppy American pale.

6.5 lbs 2-row (65%)
2 lbs cherrywood smoked malt (20%)
12 oz C60 (7.5%)
12 oz white wheat (7.5%)
0.5 oz Nugget @ 30 mins 19 IBUs
0.5 oz Summit @ 30 mins 21 IBUs
1.0 oz Nugget @ 0 mins
1.0 oz Summit @ 0 mins
Safale US-05
0.5 oz Nugget @ dryhop
0.5 oz Summit @ dryhop

Mash @ 150
OG 1.053

[hopfenundmalz]

I find the Briess cherrywood to be more phenolic than I lke in a beer.

[jeffy]

I'm also not a big fan.  It can be low on smoke due to age, too.  You are correct to have the beer balanced more to sweet than bitter when using smoked malt.
You can smoke your own malt, ya know, using whatever wood you want.  I'm liking pecan a lot these days.

[mabrungard]

I'm liking pecan a lot these days.

Says Mr. Smoke! I'd listen.

For some reason, I'm thinking that the smoked wheat malt from Weyermann might be a nice touch. I've had several Grodzinskis made with it and it just seems like it could compliment an APA. No proof, just a thought.

[rjharper]

Thanks for all the input. I gave the briess cherrywood another sniff, and tasted a few. Maybe it was too cold last time because now I'm definitely picking up the smoke. I'll give the home smoked malt a go next time, but I think for now since I want to knock out the brew tomorrow I'll stick with the briess but dial it back to 10%. I'll look into the smoked wheat too though.

[brewerbrandon]

Has anyone tried using rauchmalt from briess?

[hopfenundmalz]

Has anyone tried using rauchmalt from briess?

They have the Cherry and now a Mesquite smoked malts on their web page. I have not used the mesquite.

The Cherry from Briess is too phenolic for me.

I have used the Beechwood smoked Rauchmalz from Weyermann and it is good if fresh. Fresh can be a problem. That is why I learned to smoke my own malts.

 

[dmfcb750]

20% smoke may be a little high. Smoked and peated malts will produce strong flavors with amounts around 5% of the grist. I used to make a smoked ale at around 8% that I loved but my supplier thought was too smoky. 

[reverseapachemaster]

They have the Cherry and now a Mesquite smoked malts on their web page. I have not used the mesquite.

I haven't used the mesquite malt from Briess but if it is anything like what I have created at home smoking malt with mesquite then a little will go a very long way.

[hopfenundmalz]

They have the Cherry and now a Mesquite smoked malts on their web page. I have not used the mesquite.

I haven't used the mesquite malt from Briess but if it is anything like what I have created at home smoking malt with mesquite then a little will go a very long way.

That matches my feeling on smoking meat with mesquite. A friend usually mixes it with oak.

[HoosierBrew]

They have the Cherry and now a Mesquite smoked malts on their web page. I have not used the mesquite.

I haven't used the mesquite malt from Briess but if it is anything like what I have created at home smoking malt with mesquite then a little will go a very long way.

That matches my feeling on smoking meat with mesquite. A friend usually mixes it with oak.

Yeah, mesquite is pretty assertive. I sometimes mix it, too.  While I like it in Bbq, I'd probably use little or none in beer.

[rjharper]

They have the Cherry and now a Mesquite smoked malts on their web page. I have not used the mesquite.

I haven't used the mesquite malt from Briess but if it is anything like what I have created at home smoking malt with mesquite then a little will go a very long way.

That matches my feeling on smoking meat with mesquite. A friend usually mixes it with oak.

Yeah, mesquite is pretty assertive. I sometimes mix it, too.  While I like it in Bbq, I'd probably use little or none in beer.

I stick with hickory or apple when I'm cooking.

For the recipe I ended up going with 10% smoked malt. Smelled strong in the mash but not so much at the end of the boil. Still, this is round 1 of the recipe, and we'll see where it goes from here.