# Weyermann V Bestmalz Smoked



## jimi (5/7/12)

Im being very cautious about my first attempt at a rauch. Im thinking of using the weyermann rauch bier recipe which calls for 62% smoked malt ( weyermann ) but I have the bestmalz variety which seems to be known as being far more smokey. Anyone with experience of both care to suggest how much I should scale the smoked malt back to compensate?


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## jimi (5/7/12)

jimi said:


> Im being very cautious about my first attempt at a rauch. Im thinking of using the weyermann rauch bier recipe which calls for 62% smoked malt ( weyermann ) but I have the bestmalz variety which seems to be known as being far more smokey. Anyone with experience of both care to suggest how much I should scale the smoked malt back to compensate?


http://www.weyermann.de/can/hr.asp?go=deta...2&sprache=2 link to weyermann recipe


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## bum (5/7/12)

I've got some Best but won't get to use it for the first time til next week so I can't exactly help. I can say, however, that the malt itself smells much smokier than the Weyermann example. To be honest, I've done a smoked porter with Weyermann at about 50% and it wasn't even close to approaching Rauchbier levels. If you were using Weyermann I'd suggest 62% might be on the soft side. I haven't used the Best smoked yet but my gut feeling would be to not wind it back too far if you're chasing the cured meat thing that a rauch can have.

[EDIT: typo]


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## Nick JD (5/7/12)

I've never used Bestmalz but I did a 100% Weyermann Rauch once and it tasted like fizzy bacon soup. 

Best to be cautious. I'd suggect <50% smoked first time round - see if it's for you.


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## bum (5/7/12)

Nick JD said:


> I've never used Bestmalz but I did a 100% Weyermann Rauch once


For what it is worth (i.e. nothing until I actually brew it), my next brewday will be a 99% smoked malt batch made with the Best. Been thinking about this grainbill for ages (supposed Schlenkerla Urbock recipe) for ages but after a few uses simply haven't had faith in the Weyermann to risk it. Happy to try it out the gate with the Best based on the smell of the malt alone.


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## Murcluf (5/7/12)

I have used Best Rauch Malt twice this this year, and was so impressed buy it i have just bought a bag of it. All I can say is it is an awesome malt to brew with, currently used around 50% in both recipes. Looking at doing a Rauch Wiezen or Rauch Helles next in the smoked department. I'd asked the same question of the person who put me onto smoked malt, which one was better and he said it Best is far superior.


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## jimi (5/7/12)

Nick - 50 % or less is what I'm thinking as well, may even wind it back to 45. The recipe is only 'mild' strength with a OG of 1040 so I don't want to take the punch out of a light beer either.
Bum - id love to hear how your 99 % turns out


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## bum (5/7/12)

jimi said:


> Nick - 50 % or less is what I'm thinking as well, may even wind it back to 45. The recipe is only 'mild' strength with a OG of 1040 so I don't want to take the punch out of a light beer either.


I should point out I hadn't seen the recipe when I was writing my initial post and was discussing smoke character only rather than balance for that specific recipe.



jimi said:


> Bum - id love to hear how your 99 % turns out


I'm sure I'll discuss it somewhere. It'll either be awesome or awful - nothing in between. Either way it would be my duty to alert people to the risk/reward.

I know the idea seems pretty absurd but legend has it that Schlenkerla Urbock is 99% smoked and 1% something for colour so if this beer turns out half as good as that one I'll be well happy. I'm just sick of wondering about it, to be honest. We'll see what happens.

I know Schlenkerla smoke their own malt so I can't ever nail a clone but my feeling based on previous experience is that the Weyermann couldn't deliver something approaching the right character at that rate. It is a fine malt but I wouldn't basically make a SMASH with it.

Sorry for the derail, jimi.


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## pk.sax (6/7/12)

Had this beer in question yesterday. Was stoked to even see it on the list.

I didn't pick it as very smokey, say, compared to a smoked cheese it was prolly about half as smokey or less. Delicious though.


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## mje1980 (6/7/12)

The BEST pilz malt is very good too, especially considering the price.


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## stakka82 (6/7/12)

How does the Best light munich compare to JW light munich? I'll need to purchase some soon and they're the same price from G and G in smaller quantities and I've only used JW before, and been happy with the results.


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## brettprevans (6/7/12)

knew this was a smoke screen for Munich conversation... 

Real happy with best smoked. Kills wey IMO, which is surprising.


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## Wolfman (6/7/12)

Drinking a smoked ale at the moment. Mmmmmmmmm tripple smoked ham!


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## DJR (6/7/12)

stakka82 said:


> How does the Best light munich compare to JW light munich? I'll need to purchase some soon and they're the same price from G and G in smaller quantities and I've only used JW before, and been happy with the results.



The best munich is v.good. Definitely comparable to Weyermann who make very good Vienna/Munich malts


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## MHB (6/7/12)

Just to make it even more interesting you can now get Weyermann Oak Smoked Wheat, really looking forward to the first taste of beer made with this.
Of the two I find I prefer the Weyermann Smoked over the Best, I think is subtler the Best is a lot more in your face but big doesnt necessarily equal better.
Worth trying the Nessie by Eggenberg, uses nearly 100% Peated Distilling malt, if you are into really smoky beer.
Mark


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## Weizguy (6/7/12)

I have made the "legendary" recipe for Schlenkerla Rauch clone from the Protz and Wheeler "European beer" recipe.
It uses 99% smoked (rauch) malt and some Carafa for colour (IIRC).

Using Weyermann smoked malt at 99%, and W2206 (Bavarian lager yeast) at true lager temp, the beer was too smoky for the style, as I was advised by beer judges at a number of competitions, even when the beer was aged up to 3 years.

The Schlenkerla malt, smoked by the brewery, is smoked less and therefore produces a different beer using 99% smoked malt.

I am currently fermenting a Rauchbier using the Weyermann Rauchbier extract, again using the Bavarian lager yeast. Will advise when I have tasting results.

*Edit: - Not to mention the Weyermann Oak-Smoked wheat, which I shall be using soon to create a smoked Weizenbock. Special!!!*

Beerz
Les


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## eamonnfoley (6/7/12)

Or you could smoke your own like Brauerei Spezial in Bamberg does..............Regarding the malt, I dont think you can make it too smokey. Just Pay attention to brewing a clean, well fermented beer (temp control etc), and go the heavy hand with the rauchmalt! I suspect ester and higher alcohol phenols dont mix well with the smoke phenols.

Hausrauchmalt is on my to do list.............


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## Nick JD (6/7/12)

Didn't someone here smoke their own malt and a judge described it as like drinking a bushfire? :lol: 

Also, slightly OT - sometimes <5% smoked in a beer gives a subtle hint that works more like a flavour enhancer than an actual smoked taste. I find 5% smoked malt and Fuggles/Willamette are great together.


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## jimi (6/7/12)

Nick JD said:


> Didn't someone here smoke their own malt and a judge described it as like drinking a bushfire? :lol:
> 
> Also, slightly OT - sometimes <5% smoked in a beer gives a subtle hint that works more like a flavour enhancer than an actual smoked taste. I find 5% smoked malt and Fuggles/Willamette are great together.



I really like the sound of that Nick.

Bum et al - I'm sure in my searching around I saw weyerman had a smoked extract which they claimed was 99% smoked, so the idea can't be too out there - just going to depend on the maltser / smoker.


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## DJR (6/7/12)

Tony did that bushfire smoked malt

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...?showtopic=5723


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## jimi (6/7/12)

jimi said:


> I really like the sound of that Nick.
> 
> Bum et al - I'm sure in my searching around I saw weyerman had a smoked extract which they claimed was 99% smoked, so the idea can't be too out there - just going to depend on the maltser / smoker.



Following up on my own point, the following link shows the weyermann extract with 98% smoked
http://www.weyermann.de/usa/produkte.asp?P...&sprache=10


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## tiprya (6/7/12)

Nick JD said:


> Also, slightly OT - sometimes <5% smoked in a beer gives a subtle hint that works more like a flavour enhancer than an actual smoked taste. I find 5% smoked malt and Fuggles/Willamette are great together.



I have found this as well, even up to 10% you don't really get smoky flavour coming through, but it enhances the other flavours, kind of like salt in a meal.


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## jphowman (7/7/12)

MHB said:


> Just to make it even more interesting you can now get Weyermann Oak Smoked Wheat, really looking forward to the first taste of beer made with this.
> Of the two I find I prefer the Weyermann Smoked over the Best, I think is subtler the Best is a lot more in your face but big doesn't necessarily equal better.
> Worth trying the "Nessie" by Eggenberg, uses nearly 100% Peated Distilling malt, if you are into really smoky beer.
> Mark




While I'm still dipping my toe into smoked beers (I'm not sure yet whether I love them or hate them, but like Bum's 99% it is going to wind up one of. No middle ground) I'm pretty sure I'm going to struggle with oak smoked beers.
I picked up a bottle of the Schlenkerla oak smoked Doppelbock a few weeks back and it tasted exactly like carbonated Miso soup. Interesting, but became too much by half-way through the glass.


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## bum (7/7/12)

I didn't get miso but I didn't enjoy the doppelbock nearly as much as their marzen or urbock. Was a lot more camp fire than cured meat type smoke, bordering on ashy for my money. Like you, I'm fairly confident I won't be brewing with the new Weyermann oak variety any time soon.


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## bum (12/7/12)

bum said:


> ...99% smoked and 1% something for colour...
> 
> I know Schlenkerla smoke their own malt so I can't ever nail a clone but my feeling based on previous experience is that the Weyermann couldn't deliver something approaching the right character at that rate. It is a fine malt but I wouldn't basically make a SMASH with it.


I brewed this today. It is obviously far too early to pass judgement but I will say that at the moment the smoke character is more like smoked almonds than the cured meat flavour I'm chasing. I hope fermentation alters that some. At present it doesn't seem significantly more likely to deliver the right character than the Weyermann so I will temper the statement above. The Best does seem to have a more full-on smokiness though - hard to say having never followed the same recipe with the Weyermann.


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## Nick JD (12/7/12)

100% Wey smoked tastes like the smell when you open a bacon hock packet.


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## bum (12/7/12)

I have zero faith in your flavour descriptors, Rexona-man.


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## Nick JD (12/7/12)

bum said:


> I have zero faith in your flavour descriptors, Rexona-man.



You Sir, have no olfactory sense! Amarillo and Rexona Sport deoderant are the very same thing!


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## Goose (12/7/12)

Nick JD said:


> Didn't someone here smoke their own malt and a judge described it as like drinking a bushfire? :lol:
> 
> Also, slightly OT - sometimes <5% smoked in a beer gives a subtle hint that works more like a flavour enhancer than an actual smoked taste. I find 5% smoked malt and Fuggles/Willamette are great together.




I've tried 10% with great results but it is an acquired taste.... as for smoking it yourself works a treat, like this:


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