This was the most recent June beer brewed at Fieldpointe South. The inspiration for this number came from church of all places. The “mostly retired” former pastor commissioned (not during the sermon) the Fieldpointe leadership to consider this rauchbier for future Fall consumption. Turns out that both of us are avid fans of the Aecht Schlenkerla rauchbier of Bamberg, Germany. (Editor Note: Just got lost viewing the links and thinking of all the wonderful smoke beer. Did learn that July 23 is “Smokebeer Preservation Day.” {see link at the end}) Currently have a few bottles of this in the keezer.
“The connoisseur drinks it slowly with relish, but steadily and purposefully. He knows, that the second “Seidla” (half-liter) tastes better than the first, and the third even better than the second. He drinks during the morning pint and during the afternoon break. He drinks it in the evenings, drinks it alone and with company, especially with company, as “Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier” makes one talkative and exuberant. It brings together the local with the stranger, as it is common in Franconia to share your table with others.”
With the persuasion part out of the way (the easy part), came the recipe formulation. As luck would have it, the mythical King of Beer – Gambrinus, provided such a recipe through our good friend and owner / proprietor of Littleport Brewing of Racine, WI. Mark provided Fieldpointe with a recipe formulated to resemble the above mentioned inspiration. Both Littleport and Filedpointe brewed this beer for a future side-by-side-by-side comparison. (The real deal, Littleport & Fieldpointe.)
The key ingredient is the genuine beechwood smoked malt as used in Germany. Don’t use peat or other acrid tasting smoked malt. Word has it that all smoked beers taste a bit harsh at first but mellow after a couple months of cold conditioning. This should work out just right for Fall enjoyment.
Brewing the beer was conducted under the scrutinizing eye of Supervisor Mark. On hand for moral support was Jeremy of C.F.W. Malther – who came bearing gifts! (That crowler of Goat Rock Bock was fantastic!)
The usual formalities were followed: BM Bar, open Dorothy Doors, food and fellowship. Speaking of food – the Supervisor provided pulled pork nachos at some point.
Looks like there might have been some of Fieldpointe’s finest served as well.
All went well and Bamberg Rauchbier is in the fermenter / keezer at 52° F doing its thing.
Want to try your hand at this? Here you go:
Grains
- 4.5# – Pilsner Malt
- 4# – Beechwood Smoked Malt
- 1.5# – Munich Malt
- 0.5# – German CaraMunich II Malt
- 0.5# – Chocolate Malt
Hops
- 1 oz – Ariana @ 60 minutes
- 0.5 oz – Hallertauer Mitelfruher @ 15 minutes
- 0.25 oz – Tettnanger @ 15 minutes
Yeast
- Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager
Projected Analysis
- OG – 1.056
- FG – 1.014
- ABV – 5.5%
- Color – 22 SRM
- Bitterness – 33 IBU
