Rauchbier: The Style that Never Stopped Smoking
October 11, 2022
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Rauchbier: The Style that Never Stopped Smoking
It all began long ago when a local German brewery caught on fire and the brewmaster had no other choice than to use the malts that were leftover, resulting in a smoke-flavored beer.
Ok, so maybe that story is true somewhere along the timeline of brewing, but it is not the origin story of the rauchbier – a beer reminiscent of a cool fall night sitting next to a smoky campfire.
What is a rauchbier?
While the origin story is a bit smokey (pun intended), a rauchbier is easily defined as a German-style lager brewed with smoked malt. Or rauch malt, which, roughly translated from its German origins, means smoke.
According to the BJCP a rauchbier is categorized under the “Amber Malty European Lager” category and defined as being “a beechwood-smoked, malty, amber German lager.” It goes on to say, “The expected Märzen profile of toasty-rich malt, restrained bitterness, clean fermentation, and a relatively dry finish is enhanced by a noticeable to intense smoke character.”
In general, the goal of a rauchbier – or any beer with smoky intentions – is to use ingredients that highlight the smoky attributes while complementing all aspects of the beer itself. Nothing should overpower the other, regardless of how smoky flavored you want the beer to be.
Where did the rauchbier come from?
As for the origin of rauchbier, back in the beginnings of time long before recorded history, all beers had a smoky flavor to them due to the natural kilning processes of fire using wood, coal, and straw. These gave off a good deal of smoke, which was immediately taken in by the grains being kilned. Many beers were actually quite undrinkable because of this. And all beers naturally took on a smoky characteristic.
Then came the Industrial Revolution and the advent of the steam engine in the mid 1700s, which ultimately led to major advances in the flavorings of malt. The invention of the drum roaster, by Daniel Wheeler soon after the start of the Industrial Revolution, paved the way to precise kilning. No longer did the fire directly touch the malt, giving maltsters ultimate control over temperature and time while kilning. For the first time, there was control of the colors and flavors of the finished malt.
Ironically, today, a handful of brewers now specialize in smoky beers using malted barley dried over an open flame. It’s an acquired taste yet brings us back to our roots.
And in the town of Bamberg in Franconia, Germany – where rauchbier has been immersed in the culture for centuries – there are nine breweries that never stopped kilning over an open flame. They had been designing their beers around the smoky attributes of the malt since the beginning of beer when it was the only way to do so. Kilning with wood had become a finely tuned process, and they saw no reason to change it. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Malteurop Malts
The overall consensus with many brewers of yesteryear and today is that the smokiness of a good rauchbier should complement the flavors of the beer, not overtake it.
And coming from a malt perspective, it’s the malts that craft this historic beer giving it its smoky flavors which complement the clean profile of a well-made lager.
To learn more about the malts offered through Malteurop, click here, or contact your local Malteurop Craft Sales Manager today.
Keep On Smoking!
Rauchbiers are no longer the smoky beers of yesteryear due to lack of kilning technology and know-how. Today, rauchbiers utilize simple ingredients that complement each other, creating a clean beer with complex notes of smokey attributes, highlighting all that is good about a historical beer that is here to stay. Keep on smoking!
https://learn.kegerator.com/rauchbier/
https://beerandbrewing.com/smoking-is-cool-the-unique-allure-of-rauchbier