Hello everyone! I’ll be diving into the world of smoked beers this week. I’ll be examining the science behind the preservation power of smoke, posting the results of a few tastings of some famous smokey brews, and doling out a few recommendations for purchasing some brews of your own.

I thought a nice way to kick things off would be with this email I received from Mike in Berkeley:

I just recently discovered your site as I have started a cellar of my own at home. Thanks for the informative posts. So far I have a number of barleywines, old ales, imperial stouts, wild ales, strong Belgians, etc.

Last night I bought two Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzens. Have you tried this? Great Rauchbier. About 5% abv, which seems low for cellaring. However, I have heard that some of these smoky beers can be cellared, with the main example cited being the Alaskan Smoked Porter, which I also have in the cellar, and is one of my favorite beers. I would like to keep them for a while, but don’t know what to expect as there is not much info on aging these. What do you think?

Thanks and keep up the good work!

Thanks Mike! I haven’t had that particular Rauchbier, but I’d bet that It’ll be a great performer in your cellar. Rauchbier’s are typically brewed at about 5% strength or so and have always had a great reputation for their aging qualities, so I don’t believe the relatively low 5% ABV will be an issue here. I’d be willing to bet they’ll be even better with a few years under their belt. I have heard the Alaskan Smoked Porter starts to take on even sweeter and fruitier tastes as the years pass, which I would guess makes for a better compliment to the smoke as the beer ages.

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com