Our recipe for Black Smoked Lager recipe (Rauch Schwarzbier) :
- Color : Dark brown to black
- Alcohol content : 4.6%.
- Quantity : 20L
- Bitterness : Mild
- Brewing time : 6h
- Difficulty : High
Ingredients
- 3.1kg of Malt Fumé
- 1.2kg of Malt Munich I
- 200g of Malt Carafa III
- 20g of Saaz leaf hops
- 30g of Saaz leaf hops
- 3 yeast packets of Saflager W34/70 ou Lallemand Diamond Lager
- Total water volume : 32L (Preferably Chloride > Sulfate = 2)
Brew our Black Smoked Lager recipe step by step
Step 1
Heat 16 liters of water to 68-70°C and pour in the crushed grains.
Stir well, and don’t hesitate to crush any lumps against the sides of the tank. Continue until you reach a temperature of 62°C. Hold for 30 minutes. Increase the temperature to 68°C for 15 minutes. Finally, raise the temperature to 72°C for a further 15 minutes.
This unusual multi-step in this temperature range will actually provide ideal enzymatic activity for the yeast.
In parallel with this step, heat 16 liters of water to 77°C.
Step 2
Mash out for 10 minutes at 75°C.
Step 3
Once step 2 is complete, move on to rinsing and filtration.
Step 4
Then heat the wort for a 60-minute boil.
Add the first dose of Saaz as soon as the timer starts.
Add the last 30 grams half an hour later.
If you’re cooling with a coil, don’t forget to sterilize it in the wort during the boiling process. After boiling, send in the cold water.
Step 5
Cool the wort to the lowest possible temperature, transfer to a fermenter and place in your fermentation fridge to drop to 9°C. Initial density should be around 1.044.
Once this temperature has been reached, add your yeast and leave to ferment for 5 days.
Once your 5 days are up, slowly raise the temperature to 12°C and hold until you reach the final specific gravity, which should be 1.010. This should take one to two weeks.
Finally, once this time has elapsed, chill your beer to 4°C (over 2/3 days, don’t overdo it) and keep it there for a good month before lagering. If your equipment allows, you can even go as low as 1°C for an even cleaner result.
It may be possible to transfer to another fermentation bucket for this stage, but it’s not compulsory.
Step 6
Add 6g per L of sugar at bottling and leave to referment at room temperature for a few weeks.
Over View
This beer is a fusion of two traditional German styles: Rauchbier and Schwarzbier. The former is a smoked beer and the latter a light, easy-drinking black lager.
This smoked black lager recipe features balanced roasted flavors that highlight smoky wood aromas. Both aspects are enhanced by the delicate floral and spicy aromas of noble hops.
Cold fermentation gives a clean texture and brings out the pleasant complexity that smoked malt brings to traditional dark lagers.
This beer will be very pleasant in winter by the fireplace, but it will also be perfect to accompany your summer barbecues !
