Smoking malt?

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

Ion also makes a turntable and cassette device like that. I got a pile of VHS tapes, cassettes and albums. . .

[BenRod]

I've been very interested in smoking some of my own malt and trying for a rauchier, but was thinking of using a hickory. I may now opt for a beechwood instead if I can locate any.

BTW, I think the band-aid flavor may have come from the mesquite used. Mesquite has a bit more astringency than some other hardwoods, and probably caused the off-flavor. I may be way off-base, but I know that, in cooking with it, you can run into similar problems with too much mesquite. Most guys I know who smoke food use a blend of mesquite and another hardwood to dull that astringency.

This has been pretty good info, and ought to help me out some. Thanks, guys.

~Ben

[blipiddybrew]

According to the Smoked Beers Classic Beer Style Series book by Ray Daniels and Geoffrey Larson, mesquite has high phenolic character and suggests that if you use it, bavarian hefeweiss would be the style to smoke. It also mentions that hickory is similar to beech in that it is like ham or bacon, but can be harsher on the phenols as well.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

BTW, I think the band-aid flavor may have come from the mesquite used. Mesquite has a bit more astringency than some other hardwoods, and probably caused the off-flavor. I may be way off-base, but I know that, in cooking with it, you can run into similar problems with too much mesquite. Most guys I know who smoke food use a blend of mesquite and another hardwood to dull that astringency.

I think you are right. I noticed the flavor was very similar to the smoke flavor. Everyone kept telling me it was sanitation, but the brews before and after, even the one where I forgot to sanitize the counterflow chiller, didn't come out like that.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

According to the Smoked Beers Classic Beer Style Series book by Ray Daniels and Geoffrey Larson, mesquite has high phenolic character and suggests that if you use it, bavarian hefeweiss would be the style to smoke. It also mentions that hickory is similar to beech in that it is like ham or bacon, but can be harsher on the phenols as well.

My copy just got off backorder and arrived Saturday. Haven't had a chance to crack the cover yet. I had heard that hickory smoked grain should be avoided mainly because it reminds you of bacon or ham. (I think it was Graham Sanders. It could have been on the Jamil Show, too. Too many beers since I listened to those particular shows.

[rhino777]

+1 Dirk. I'm using that setup to convert some concert video bootlegs which will obviously never come out on dvd.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

+1 Dirk. I'm using that setup to convert some concert video bootlegs which will obviously never come out on dvd.

I "inherited" a set of tapes from the 1995 Craft Brewers Conference in Austin, and am in the process of converting to MP3s.

[Mylo]

I've been very interested in smoking some of my own malt and trying for a rauchier, but was thinking of using a hickory. I may now opt for a beechwood instead if I can locate any.

Try your local hardwood supply company, or hardwood mill. Their beechwood will be cabinet grade - but you might be able to find some that hasn't been processed as much (rough cut) and/or it might be seconds - full of knots and other defects that make it shitty for cabinets - and great for smoking malt. The best case would be if you can find a local mill - because they will have all kinds of off cuts that they just chip up, anyway.


Mylo