Why another smoked malt?  Why not, I say, if you think you can improve it, and bring something great to the brew kettle.  Briess’ Mesquite Smoked malt has done just that.

I’ve compared most available smoked malts, and found the flavor to be almost lack luster.  Granted some of my samples were a bit old- this happens often with imported smoked malt.  The aromatics, and even some of the flavor fades on that long oceanic voyage over to the States.  At the time I loved Briess’ Cherrywood Smoked malt.  It became my go-to smoked malt when building recipes.  It’s subtle, smooth, and provided just the right amount of kick.

With the release of Mesquite Smoked malt, Briess may have the perfect smoked malt for any and every smokey beer you’d like to brew.

What’s Mesquite bringing to the table?  Something completely new in smoked malt- an all-American, native wood smoke that’s both aromatic, with an earthy balance, temptingly sweet, and smooth. That word, “smooth,” gets tossed around a lot when tasting whiskey.  This malt adds the same depth of flavor you get in a fine Islay Scotch.  It sits back, adds a bit of zing on the back end, and adds a depth of flavor found no where else.

What can we do with this new creative brewing weapon?  This past Craft Brewers Conference showed off Dave Richter’s Smoked Cheesehead Maerzen, brewed up by Dave & Widmer Brothers.  It really hits the mark on what this grain can do.  It sits back nice, and add a savory smoke flavor to this malty lager.

I’ve also taken a porter recipe of mine and converted it to a smoked porter for you to try the darker end of the spectrum.

Enjoy!

More information on Mesquite Smoked Malt – Description & Typical Analysis PDF File

Mesquite Oh Smoked Porter

  • Type: Ale
  • Style: American Porter
  • Batch Size: 5 gallons
  • Recipe Type: All Grain
  • Recipe Contributed By: Aaron Hyde

Ingredients

  • 4.5 lbs—2-Row Brewers Malt
  • 3 lb—Mesquite Smoked Malt
  • .5 lb—Aromatic Munich Malt 20L
  • .75 lb—Caramel Malt 80L
  • 1 lb—Chocolate Malt
  • .25 lb—Black Malt
  • .5 oz—Northern Brewer Hops (8% AAU)—60 minutes, full boil
  • 1—Whirlfloc® Tablet—Last 10 minutes of boil
  • 1.5 oz—Northern Brewer Hops (8% AAU)—Last 10 minutes of boil
  • 2 pouches— Wyeast 1968 London ESB® Ale Yeast

Procedures

  • Bring 3.4 gallons of water to 167ºF.
  • Add to mash tun with crushed grains, mix together, and hold at 154ºF for 1 hour.
  • Heat 4.6 gallons of 180ºF sparge water in a kettle.  Add to mash tun and sparge.
  • Collect 6 gallons in kettle and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, add bittering hops, .5oz of Northern Brewer hops.
  • 50 minutes later, add one tablet of Whirlfloc® and 1.5oz Northern Brewer hops.
  • After 10 more minutes, 60 minutes of boiling, turn off heat, and cool to 70ºF.
  • Transfer to primary fermenter.
  • Pitch two packs of yeast.

Fermentation

  • Primary Fermentation: 1 week at 68ºF-72ºF
  • Secondary Fermentation: 2 weeks at 62ºF-70ºF
  • Fermentation Notes: Force carbonate at 1.5-2.3 volumes, or bottle condition with ¾ cup priming sugar for 3-4 weeks.

Stats

  • Original Gravity: 1.049
  • Final Gravity: 1.012
  • ABV: 4.9%
  • IBU: 43

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Smoked Cheesehead Maerzen

  • Type: Lager
  • Style: Maerzen/Oktoberfest
  • Batch Size: 5 gallons
  • Recipe Type: All Grain
  • Recipe Contributed By: Dave Richter

Ingredients

  • 3.75 lbs—Pilsen Malt
  • 3.75 lb—Bonlander® Munich Malt
  • 3.75 lb—Goldpils® Vienna Malt 20L
  • 1 lb—Mesquite Smoked Malt
  • 1 oz—Liberty Hops (4% AAU)—60 minutes, full boil
  • 1 oz—Liberty Hops (4% AAU)—Last 30 minutes of boil
  • 1—Whirlfloc® Tablet—Last 10 minutes of boil
  • 2 pouches— Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager® Yeast

Procedures

  • Bring 4.1 gallons of water to 165ºF.
  • Add to mash tun with crushed grains, mix together, and hold at 152ºF for 1 hour.
  • Heat 4.1 gallons of 180ºF sparge water in a kettle.  Add to mash tun and sparge.
  • Collect 6 gallons in kettle and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, add bittering hops, 1oz of Northern Brewer hops.
  • 30 minutes later add 1oz Liberty hops.
  • After 20 more minutes, add one tablet of Whirlfloc®.
  • In 10 more minutes, after 60 minutes of boiling, turn off heat, and cool to 54ºF.
  • Transfer to primary fermenter.
  • Pitch two packs of yeast.

Fermentation

  • Primary Fermentation: 2 weeks at 52ºF-55ºF
  • Secondary Fermentation: 4 weeks at 50ºF-52ºF
  • Fermentation Notes: Force carbonate at 1.5-2.3 volumes, or bottle condition with ¾ cup priming sugar for 3-4 weeks.

Stats

  • Original Gravity: 1.061
  • Final Gravity: 1.015
  • ABV: 6%
  • IBU: 33