A Rauchbier cheat idea and query .

Discussion on brewing beer from malt extract, hops, and yeast.
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Nosferatu
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A Rauchbier cheat idea and query .

Post by Nosferatu » Wed Dec 14, 2016 12:27 pm

Morning all . Decided to do a brew yesterday and thought I'd have a crack at something a bit different in the form of a Rauchbier / smoked beer . As I don't have any smoked malt I've tried what I think might be quite a sneaky little cheat. Having used cups of tea successfully in turbo cider I hoyed some lapsang souchong teabags into my wort at the end of my boil and let them steep for 10 min , there was a definite hint of a smoky aroma so hopefully that'll still be there after fermentation.Might even consider "dry hopping"with a few bags a few days before bottling. Anyone else done anything similar ie using flavoured tea in a brew , how did it turn out ?
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Re: A Rauchbier cheat idea and query .

Post by Rookie » Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:53 pm

Nosferatu wrote:Morning all . Decided to do a brew yesterday and thought I'd have a crack at something a bit different in the form of a Rauchbier / smoked beer . As I don't have any smoked malt I've tried what I think might be quite a sneaky little cheat. Having used cups of tea successfully in turbo cider I hoyed some lapsang souchong teabags into my wort at the end of my boil and let them steep for 10 min , there was a definite hint of a smoky aroma so hopefully that'll still be there after fermentation.Might even consider "dry hopping"with a few bags a few days before bottling. Anyone else done anything similar ie using flavoured tea in a brew , how did it turn out ?
A few years ago I brewed a smoked porter with some rauchmalt that was a bit long in the tooth and the smokiness was just not there. I made some lapsang souchsong tea and added it at bottling. It turned out okay, but next smoked porter I brew I will get fresh rauchmalt.
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Re: A Rauchbier cheat idea and query .

Post by Nosferatu » Wed Dec 14, 2016 8:39 pm

Thanks Rookie , seems like a late addition of some more tea won't hurt at all then .
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Re: A Rauchbier cheat idea and query .

Post by Laripu » Wed Mar 08, 2017 1:41 pm

Smoked tea might be the best way to go.

Years and years ago I made a smoked porter. One of the ingredients was a pound of malt that I'd smoked at 350°F for 30 minutes.

It was never smooth the way I like a porter to be. There was always an edge of smoke. Other people liked it, but it was never my ... hmmm ... pint of ale. (I don't really love Schlenkerla rauchbier, for example.)

Maybe smoked tea gives more subtle flavour. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
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Re: A Rauchbier cheat idea and query .

Post by Nosferatu » Thu Apr 13, 2017 4:38 am

Pleased to say the lapsang souchong worked quite well . On the whole the beer tuned out ok but was a little bit "thin" as I'd mistaken a bag of brew enhancer for DME so it didn't quite have the body I was looking for. Will definitely have another go at this experiment .
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