Hullo folks, until recently suppliers around these hear parts (melbourne australia) have catered mainly to extract brewing with little selection in the way of grains for doing one's own mash. But last week I discovered a new supplier who, though they are all the way over the other side of the city, provide a vertitable cornicopia of nature's delights in their variety of grains.

All of a sudden I'm able to use things such as Rye grain and grains which have been kilned over a peat fire. These are typically used in making rye whisky and scotch respectively, but I was wondering whether anybody had used them to make beer before and what styles they would be best suited to. I was thnking of something robust like a stout or red irish ale or heavy english bitter. Any input or ideas?

Sorry, Joseph...I don't have any experience here. I would, however, question the peat smoked malt in a beer. Delicious in Scotch, but beer? Who knows, maybe you'll hit something on the head!

Some commercial examples of Scotch Ales have a bit of(read-Very Little) peat smoked malt in them. Never used the stuff myself, but I'd imagine it could be fun if used exceedingly sparingly.
As for using Rye, do a google search for 'Roggenbier Recipe' (German Rye Beer), and you should find plenty of information.

I think you guys are probably right about the smoked malt, it could taste weird and overpowering, so I think I might only use a couple of ounces. And before i even do that I might see if I can get my hands on a taste of undistilled smoked whisky wash, which shouldn't be too hard to find because some of the small distilleries around here use peat like in Scotland and Ireland.

Peat smoked malt in a Scotch ale isn't bad if it is not done too heavy handed.

Then again a nice smoked porter like Alaskan makes is quite nice. I like but it is not something you want to drink all of the time. In their case the use of alder smoked malt is not at all subtle and sort of smacks you up side the face.

At any rate, your plan to use just a little of this malt the first time is probably best. You need to get a feel for using peat smoked malt because other than blending beers there really is not way to undo a beer that has been "over smoked".

In terms of rye malt I don't have any personal experience with it but I have heard horror stories from a friend who tried making a nearly 100% rye malt ale. Rye is similar to wheat in that it does not have husks. Without husks the grain bed can become a goopy mess with major stuck sparges.

Generally, that amount of rye malt most people use doesn't comprise more that about 10-20% of the total fermentables. As a result,the stuck sparge scenario is nearly as bad as my friend's experience. However, when using rye malt you might want to throw in some rice or oak husks to help form a nice filter bed.

You might not have any problems without the husks but stuck sparges are no fun and all and can add hours on to your brewing session.

When you make a beer with the smoked malt and/or the rye malt please let us know how it comes out.

- Scott

Thanx for the info Stihler.

After making inquiries I've actually tasted some partially smoked whisky wash. I forget the exact ratio of smoked to unsmoked grain, but there was about 1kg (2.2 pounds) of smoked malt in every 5 gal of wash - and this was way too smokey for a beer. I think maybe half a pound or a quarter would be enough smoked malt to flavour 5 gallons of Ale.

A guy who works at the brew store also told me that a local craft brewery just had its new smoked Ale rejected by a pub that usually promotes its beers on the grounds it was undrinkable. So oversmoked must be bad.

I'm still doing partial mashes on the stove top. The nylon mesh bag method. So I don't think I'll have the stuck sparge problem with a Rye beer. I know the move to all-grain would in fact be much better and less time consuming than the partial mash, but I'm only 22 and as yet do not have my own shed to set up in

I thought I'd revisit this due to my current experience. At the local liquor shop, I came across Grand Teton Brewing's Cellar Reserve Scottish Ale. Now, I should point out that I'm not a fan of Scottish Ale's in general (too sweet), but in reading the description, I noticed it included peat-smoked malt. I thought of you, Joseph. So, I forked over the $11.50 for this bottle of premium beer.

Here's my thoughts (not in the form of a formal beer review):

I've never had a beer with peat-smoked malt in it, so these are my "first impressions". I think the peat-smoked malt adds something to this style, although a more subtle addition would have been more drinkable. I don't consider that a detriment since this is obviously meant to be a premium sipping beer. The beer is VERY heavy on the palate, but that is to style. The peat-smoke compliments the roast barley in a very pleasant way.

Generally, I would say that the peat-smoked malt would be most easily integrated into strong stout. To pull it off in any other style would require a light hand and a fair amount of experimenting. If you decide to try it, please let us know about the results.

Always happy to "sacrifice"!

Thankyou for your self sacrificing reconnaissance drinking Curlyfat! I've become slightly apprehensive about attempting premium sipping beers and heavier more flavoursome styles, because unlike IPAs they are near impossible to get rid of amoungst friends if they don't turn out well. But I know I'm going to have to put one on soon so its ready for Winter over here, and with the first day of Autumn temps have finally cooled down enough to brew.

Wild, I'd be interested to see your recipe for the Irish Red Rye. Unless, of course, its a closely guarded secret!

Cheers for that! I was thinking of using fuggles and goldings hops. But other than that I probably wont be making too many changes, especially as I allready have some crystal grain about somewhere that needs to be used. thanx again,

J.

Thanx again for that recipe Wild.

I've just started taste testing a few of the bottles and its turned out very well. In fact once I get some better equipment for more efficient mashing etc., I'll probably do another batch with a few alterations to the hops straight away.

Cheers,

Joseph