Brewing a smoked porter at home

Porter is a forgiving base for smoke

A robust porter already carries chocolate, light roast and caramel. Smoke sits naturally on top of those flavours, much as it does in barbecue sauce. The base targets are familiar: original gravity 1.050 to 1.065, about 5 to 6.5% ABV, 25 to 45 IBU and a dark brown to black colour. Final gravity around 1.012 to 1.016 keeps enough body to carry the smoke.

If you have not brewed a plain porter yet, start there. Our guide to a robust porter on a small stove gives you a base you can then smoke in a second batch, which tells you exactly what the smoked malt adds.

Beechwood smoked malt, not peated malt

There are two common smoked malts and they behave completely differently.

• Beechwood smoked malt (German rauchmalt) is pale malt kilned over beech fires. The smoke is soft, woody and a little like smoked ham. It has full enzyme power, so it can make up a large share of the grist. Bamberg's rauchbier uses it at up to 100%.
• Peated malt is made for whisky. Its phenols are sharp, medicinal and intense. Even 2 to 3% can dominate a beer.

For a smoked porter, beechwood is the reliable choice. Our guide to smoked beer and rauchbier covers the other smoked malts, including oak and cherry wood, if you want to experiment later.

How much smoked malt to use

Smoke intensity varies from batch to batch of malt and fades as malt ages, so percentages are a starting point. For a first attempt:

• 20% beechwood smoked malt for smoke you notice but that stays in the background
• 30 to 40% for clearly smoky but still balanced
• Above 50% for smoke lovers only

Chew a few grains of the smoked malt before you weigh it out. If the smoke is sharp and strong, drop the percentage. If you can barely taste it, the malt may be old and you can push it higher. We find this quick taste saves more batches than any recipe calculator.

A 20 litre recipe

For 20 litres at about 1.056:

• 2.6 kg pale ale malt (51%)
• 1.3 kg beechwood smoked malt (25%)
• 0.45 kg medium crystal malt (9%)
• 0.35 kg chocolate malt (7%)
• 0.25 kg Munich malt (5%)
• 0.15 kg black malt (3%)
• Mash at 66 °C for 60 minutes

Bitter to about 30 IBU, roughly 30 g of an 8% alpha hop at 60 minutes, with no late hops. Hop aroma and smoke compete. The black malt adds colour and a dry edge, so keep it small; too much roast plus smoke reads as burnt.

Fermentation keeps the smoke clean

Use a clean English or American ale strain. Fermentation esters can clash with smoke and make the beer taste muddled. Pitch at 17 to 18 °C, hold it there for four days and then let it rise to 20 °C to finish. In Indian summers, the room may be 10 °C warmer than that, so a water bath or a fridge with a controller matters. Our guide to fermentation temperature control at home covers simple options.

Phenolic yeast strains, such as Belgian or German wheat yeasts, add their own clove-like phenols. Combined with smoke they can taste medicinal. Avoid them here.

Smoke fades, so plan the timing

Smoke character is strongest when the beer is young and softens over months. A smoked porter that tastes a touch too smoky at two weeks is often perfect at two months. Carbonate to about 2.2 volumes and serve at 10 to 12 °C, where the smoke and chocolate both show.

It also pairs well with food. Tandoori chicken, smoked baingan bharta and grilled paneer all pick up the smoke. Store bottles cool and dark, because heat speeds up staling and flattens the chocolate first.

Smoke versus phenolic faults

Not every smoky note is smoke malt. Chlorophenols from chlorinated water taste like antiseptic or plasters. Wild yeast can add phenolic notes. If your smoked porter tastes medicinal and you used beechwood malt, look at your water treatment first. A Campden tablet in the brewing water removes chlorine and chloramine. Telling a deliberate smoke note from a phenolic fault is one of the harder sensory calls in brewing. It is easier with side by side training.

Taste the smoked malt before you weigh it

Buy 500 g of beechwood smoked malt and steep 50 g of crushed grain in a cup of hot water for 20 minutes. Taste the liquid next to a cup made from pale malt. That tells you how strong your bag is before you decide on the percentage.

Common questions

Can I use peated malt in a smoked porter?

Only in tiny amounts, around 1 to 2%. Peated malt is made for whisky and tastes medicinal in beer at higher levels. Beechwood smoked malt is the safer choice.

How much smoked malt should go into a porter?

Start around 20 to 25% beechwood smoked malt. Taste the malt first, since smoke strength varies between batches.

Does the smoke fade over time?

Yes. Smoke is strongest in young beer and softens over a couple of months.