Recipe

Smocadh (Bamberg-style rauchbier)

Smocadh (Bamberg-style rauchbier)

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.068  FG = 1.014
IBU = 24  SRM = 18  ABV = 7.1%

Ingredients
7.3 lbs. (3.3 kg) Weyermann Beech Smoked Barley malt
3 lbs. (1.3 kg) Munich malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Dingemans Special B® malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) Weyermann Caramunich® Type II malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) aromatic malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) dextrin malt
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) Simpsons Golden Naked Oats
0.5 lb. (0.23 kg) lactose 
6 AAU Chinook hops (30 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12% alpha acids)
4 AAU Centennial hops (15 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 8% alpha acids)
3.5 AAU Challenger hops (5 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 7% alpha acids)
1 Whirlfloc tablet (15 min.)
1.5 tsp. Wyeast yeast nutrient (15 min.) 
Omega Lutra® Kveik (OYL-071) or your favorite kveik yeast strain
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by step
Shoot for a mash pH of 5.4 and use a balanced water profile. Mash in at 150 °F (66 °C) and hold for 30 minutes. Sparge and draw off 7.5 gallons (28 L) to the boil kettle. 

Boil for 30 minutes, adding the hops at the beginning of the boil. Add Whirlfloc and yeast nutrient in the last 15 minutes of the boil. Cool the remaining wort down to at least 100 °F (38 °C) and transfer to the fermenter. Pitch yeast and ferment anywhere around 90 °F (32 °C). When fermentation is complete, bottle condition or keg and force carbonate.

Issue: July-August 2024

This rauchbier recipe is courtesy of my brewing partner, Fernando López Angulo. The smoked malt adds a smoky complexity without overpowering the other flavors. While Fernando uses a smoke gun and a variety of tinctures and oils to dial in his smoke profile, this recipe is a good starting point. If you are new to brewing smoked beer, experimentation may be needed to dial in the smoke level for your particular palate. Due to the large percentage of smoked malt, this recipe does not translate well to extract-based brewing.