I would guess it’s no great surprise to anyone when they find out that smoked beers tend to age well. Most of us have been exposed to all sorts of preserved smoked meats, seafoods, and other products for all our lives – why should smoked beers be any different? And indeed, the differences between smoked foods and smoked beers turn out not to be too different at all - the same preservative forces are at work in both groups. However, the unique closed liquid environment of your typical beer causes some of these forces to be of much greater importance in your brew then in your food.

Scientific literature is filled with study after study investigating the preservative effects of smoke (of course precious little of this science mentions smoke beers), so the mechanism of smoke preservation is very well described. It boils down to smoke having several different effects:

Smoke is Antimicrobial – Smoke is filled with a whole host of compounds that stop bacterial growth in its tracks. On top of that, the various organic acids in smoke give it a very low pH (around 2.5 normally), which also creates a hostile environment for bacterial growth.

Anti-oxidant properties of smoke – Phenol and other phenol-class compounds are very effective anti-oxidants, and will readily react with oxygen. This protects the smoked item by shielding it from the normal staling effects of oxygen exposure. Food science guru Harold McGee actually says it much better the I do: “The phenolic compounds are also effective antioxidants, and slow the development of rancid flavors in smoked meats and fish” – from his incredible tome “On Food and Cooking“

Drying from the smoke process – Various methods of smoking will also have a drying effect on the food being smoked, sucking out enough moisture to cause the food to be inhospitable to bacteria.

Flavor Masking – Although not really a preservative effect per se, smoke produces a intense flavor, and will easily mask low levels of staling flavors.

Of the four, I’m hoping it’s apparent to you that the drying effect of smoking doesn’t have very much impact in smoked beer preservation. The anti-microbial effects of smoke really don’t matter too much either, since a properly crafted and bottled beer shouldn’t need very much protection from bacterial agents. And while flavor masking can definitely have an impact on a beer’s flavor development over time, there is no doubt that the anti-oxidant powers of Phenol and other phenolic compounds have the greatest effect on smoked beer’s aging ability.

Stayed tuned for my next post when I discuss phenolic compounds and their effects on aging brews.

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com