Beer Forum

Im going to brew a smoked hefe. Since this is the first time im adding smoked malt to a hefe im wondering if replacing all the two row will be too much or enough?

I want just a touch of smoke in it.
What do you guys think, how much should i add?

Basic recipe
60% Wheat
40% 2 row

Thomas Fransson wrote:Im going to brew a smoked hefe. Since this is the first time im adding smoked malt to a hefe im wondering if replacing all the two row will be too much or enough?

I want just a touch of smoke in it.
What do you guys think, how much should i add?

Basic recipe
60% Wheat
40% 2 row

First time out, I would go easy on the smoked malt. Maybe replace half your two row. . .?

Try 15 to 20 percent, maybe 20 would be perfect for recognizable but not too much. Also it depends on the freshness of the smoked malt. And use Weyermann!

Thanks guys!
15-20% gives me a good gut feeling.

Just bought 5 lbs of weyermans smoked malt, it's da shit!

Im also doing a pilot run of a smoked weizen, mine will be:

40% smoked weyerman malt
10% pils malt
50% wheat malt

1.053 OG

19 ibu using german saphir in 3 additions( 90min, 60min, 15min)

I wonder if a decoction will extract more of the smoked flavor? Just a thought. I had schlenkeria fastenbier on draft this afternoon and it kicked ass, bit of inspiration. Tell us how 20% smoked malt turns out.

Just reading brewing with wheat

Re: Spezial

[Josef] Schneider [no relation to Georg] brews a wheat beer 8 or 9 times a year for Brauerei Spezial. Schneider simply uses smoked malt that Spezial, one of the two breweries in bamberg to still smoke its own malt, provides. Schneider replaces the 12% portion of Munich malt in his Weizenbier with 12% smoked malt, otherwise brewing the beer the same way

He goes on further to also comment on Schlenkerla's Smoke Weizen

Heller Brau uses 50% barley malt it smokes itself and 50% unsmoked wheat in Rauchweizen. The beer gets all its color from smoked malt. "When we did the first batch we were surprised at the color to be that close to Schneider [Weisse Original] color," Trum said. Otherwise it's produced much as other wheat beers in the region, fermentation starting at 64 and rising to 72 over the course of 3 days. It spends a couple days settling and is bottled with speise.

PS: buy Stan's book. I don't even like wheat beer and it's a great read full of information (just like Brew Like a Monk)

Yeah, that book has actually inspired me to brew a Bavarian Weizen! I have brewed for 8 years and never brewed that style. Now I can't think of a better and more inspiring summer beer with a quick turnaround time.

The inspiration for my attempt came about a year ago when Hans-Peter Drexler (Schneider Weisse)
He was guest brewing at my "local" brewpub. All thou they used their own Jack Daniels smoked malt.
First and only time i've had a smoked hefe but the flavor got stuck in my head, such an obvious combination when you taste it.

I have Stans Brewing with wheat, but when i read 50% that sounded a bit too much for my tastebuds.
Just want a light touch of it in the finnish far from the smoke levels in schlenkerla, but that on the other hand 100% smoked malt from what i remember. Long time since i read "Smoked Beer"

But a good point thou, hmm I might have to up the smoked malt a bit more...


My first recipe draft:
OG: 1.053
IBU: 14 (Tinseth)
52% Wheat
27% 2 row
21% Smoked

1/3 oz Pearle @ 60 min (8.8 IBU)
1 oz Pearle @ 05 min (5,3 IBU)

Yeast: wyeast 3638 Bavarian Wheat
Ferm temp: start at 62F and leting it go at the end.

Looking forward to hear about your results.
Im probably brewing this one either on friday or early next week.

Cheers!