Answers.Body: <p>To add a bit of detail to the existing answers, the primary method for adding a smoked flavor to beer is by using malts that have been dried over a smoky fire, rather than in a kiln which allows the malt to absorb compounds from the smoke that they then release into the beer during brewing.  Some of the oldest smoked beers still produced are German (Rauchbiers) and the malt is dried over <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauchbier#Bamberg_Rauchbier">beechwood</a>.</p>
  
  <p>Other woods can be used, and you can find malt smoked over oak, cherrywood, and any number of other species.  As mentioned in another answer, peat can be used as well and in fact is for <a href="http://www.stonebrewing.com/porter/">Stone's Smoked Porter</a>.   </p>
  
  <p>Another method for adding a smoky flavor is to use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_smoke">liquid smoke extract</a>. This is made my cooling and condensing smoke with water, and can be used instead of smoked malt.  I'm not aware of commercial brewers who use this method, but it's a way for home brewers who use malt extract instead of dried malt to add smokiness to their beers. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-12T14:48:16.027Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-05-12T14:48:16.027Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Xander
Answers.Body: <p>Smoked malts. 
  Start with a normal malt</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>put malt in a large metal screen</li>
  <li>COLD smoke for a few hours (if you add heat it will also add color to the malt)</li>
  <li>Let sit for a day or so.</li>
  <li>brew beer with it</li>
  <li>enjoy something not many get to taste, yet alone the possibilities of different woods to use for the smoking make it an unused "5th" beer ingredient.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><a href="https://homebrew.stackexchange.com/questions/2867/how-to-smoke-your-malts">How to Smoke Malts</a></p>
  
  <p>Woods to use for smoking</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>cherry</li>
  <li>apple</li>
  <li>maple</li>
  <li>mesquite</li>
  <li>pecan</li>
  <li>other fruitwoods</li>
  <li>alder (alaskan)</li>
  <li>beechwood (Rauchbeir)</li>
  <li>OAK is usually used raw, added as "barrelling" addition not normally used to smoke malts</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>NEVER USE EVERGREEN WOOD FOR SMOKING MALT. - PINEY (HOP TERRITORY)</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style22.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Smoke-Flavored/Wood-Aged Beer</a></p>
  
  <p>Peat malt is bad stuff- only used for scotch and whiskey mashes. DO NOT USE IT IN BEER unless you want to throw it out.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-13T21:59:00.913Z
Answers.Text: Stone would disagree with you on the use of peat malt, and given that their Smoked Porter gets a 90 on BeerAdvocate and a 99 on RateBeer, I think beer drinkers in general disagree with you as well.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Xander
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-14T14:43:15.417Z
Answers.Text: Mostly because they know how to use it. I was warning against heavy handed use of peat, since its strength is much greater than regular smoked malt.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Jeff Wurz
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Answers.LastEditDate: 2017-04-13T12:46:00.997Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Jeff Wurz
Answers.Body: <p>One other potential source of smoke flavors is actually the yeast.  Some yeast produce phenolic compounds during fermentation that produce smoke flavors and aromas.  Scottish yeast strains in particular are known for this.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-22T18:34:16.753Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-05-22T18:34:16.753Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Chris Marasti-Georg
Answers.Body: <p>One source of smokiness unmentioned as of yet is vinvyl-guaiacol production from bacteria metabolism.  </p>
  
  <p>The answers already given are more relevant, however there is one important source that has been unmentioned. Although more common in distilling, lactobacillus and other strains of bacteria can attribute flavor to fermentation products. Different strains induce a different, possibly harmful, effect. Focusing on lactobacillus, which is your common bacteria used in cheese making, lactobacillus can introduce more lactic acid into the beer. This anaerobic bacteria is more active either before fermentation has started (either by contamination or inoculation) and after fermentation has ended. More so after fermentation this bacteria has metabolize the autolysis products of yeast. The acids from this bacteria later form into vinvyl-guaiacol, a flavor compound that lends a spicy and smokey note.  </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-29T13:31:33.250Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-05-29T13:31:33.250Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Gastrograph
Answers.Body: <p>It is certainly possible to make a smoked beer by using a smoked malt at the brewing stage. Excellent information here: <a href="http://byo.com/pilsner/item/306-brewing-smoked-beers-tips-from-the-pros" rel="nofollow">Brewing Smoked Beers: Tips from the Pros.</a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-11T14:44:50.443Z
Answers.Text: Good insight from the Pros. Also, techniques seem variable. I will keep open for more suggestions.
Answers.UserDisplayName: The Answer
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Answers.CreationDate: 2014-05-10T18:12:09.810Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-07-31T04:37:17.717Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2016-07-31T04:37:17.717Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: nickjamesuk
Body: <p>I recently started getting interested in smoked beers. Quite a few years back, Shiner had a seasonal called Smokehouse. I didn't care for it. However, I've recently been intrigued by varieties of smoked saisons, ipas and marzenbiers. What makes a beer smoky? Is the flavor created by casking, adding flavor or part of the brewing process?</p>
  
Tags: <brewing><flavor><saison>
Title: What gives a "smoky" beer a smoked flavor?
UserDisplayName: The Answer
ThreadText: # What gives a "smoky" beer a smoked flavor?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-05-10)
  
  I recently started getting interested in smoked beers. Quite a few years back, Shiner had a seasonal called Smokehouse. I didn't care for it. However, I've recently been intrigued by varieties of smoked saisons, ipas and marzenbiers. What makes a beer smoky? Is the flavor created by casking, adding flavor or part of the brewing process?
  
  **Tags:** brewing, flavor, saison
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 5 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2014-05-12. Score: 11
  
  To add a bit of detail to the existing answers, the primary method for adding a smoked flavor to beer is by using malts that have been dried over a smoky fire, rather than in a kiln which allows the malt to absorb compounds from the smoke that they then release into the beer during brewing. Some of the oldest smoked beers still produced are German (Rauchbiers) and the malt is dried over [beechwood](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauchbier#Bamberg_Rauchbier).
  
  Other woods can be used, and you can find malt smoked over oak, cherrywood, and any number of other species. As mentioned in another answer, peat can be used as well and in fact is for [Stone's Smoked Porter](http://www.stonebrewing.com/porter/).
  
  Another method for adding a smoky flavor is to use [liquid smoke extract](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_smoke). This is made my cooling and condensing smoke with water, and can be used instead of smoked malt. I'm not aware of commercial brewers who use this method, but it's a way for home brewers who use malt extract instead of dried malt to add smokiness to their beers.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2014-05-10. Score: 5
  
  It is certainly possible to make a smoked beer by using a smoked malt at the brewing stage. Excellent information here: [Brewing Smoked Beers: Tips from the Pros.](http://byo.com/pilsner/item/306-brewing-smoked-beers-tips-from-the-pros)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Good insight from the Pros. Also, techniques seem variable. I will keep open for more suggestions.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2014-05-13. Score: 3
  
  Smoked malts.
  Start with a normal malt
  
  * put malt in a large metal screen
  * COLD smoke for a few hours (if you add heat it will also add color to the malt)
  * Let sit for a day or so.
  * brew beer with it
  * enjoy something not many get to taste, yet alone the possibilities of different woods to use for the smoking make it an unused "5th" beer ingredient.
  
  [How to Smoke Malts](https://homebrew.stackexchange.com/questions/2867/how-to-smoke-your-malts)
  
  Woods to use for smoking
  
  * cherry
  * apple
  * maple
  * mesquite
  * pecan
  * other fruitwoods
  * alder (alaskan)
  * beechwood (Rauchbeir)
  * OAK is usually used raw, added as "barrelling" addition not normally used to smoke malts
  
  NEVER USE EVERGREEN WOOD FOR SMOKING MALT. - PINEY (HOP TERRITORY)
  
  [Smoke-Flavored/Wood-Aged Beer](http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style22.php)
  
  Peat malt is bad stuff- only used for scotch and whiskey mashes. DO NOT USE IT IN BEER unless you want to throw it out.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Stone would disagree with you on the use of peat malt, and given that their Smoked Porter gets a 90 on BeerAdvocate and a 99 on RateBeer, I think beer drinkers in general disagree with you as well.  
  > **username_2**: Mostly because they know how to use it. I was warning against heavy handed use of peat, since its strength is much greater than regular smoked malt.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2014-05-22. Score: 1
  
  One other potential source of smoke flavors is actually the yeast. Some yeast produce phenolic compounds during fermentation that produce smoke flavors and aromas. Scottish yeast strains in particular are known for this.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2014-05-29. Score: 1
  
  One source of smokiness unmentioned as of yet is vinvyl-guaiacol production from bacteria metabolism.
  
  The answers already given are more relevant, however there is one important source that has been unmentioned. Although more common in distilling, lactobacillus and other strains of bacteria can attribute flavor to fermentation products. Different strains induce a different, possibly harmful, effect. Focusing on lactobacillus, which is your common bacteria used in cheese making, lactobacillus can introduce more lactic acid into the beer. This anaerobic bacteria is more active either before fermentation has started (either by contamination or inoculation) and after fermentation has ended. More so after fermentation this bacteria has metabolize the autolysis products of yeast. The acids from this bacteria later form into vinvyl-guaiacol, a flavor compound that lends a spicy and smokey note.
  
  
  ---
  
  