BJCP · Category 32 · 2 styles
Smoked Beer
Beers with smoky character, usually from smoked malt. 32A takes a classic style and adds smoke, and 32B covers non-classic bases, combinations with other ingredients and smoke from unusual woods.
The 2 Smoked Beer styles
The numbers at a glance
| BJCP style | ABV | Bitterness | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Style Smoked Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
| Specialty Smoked Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
How to tell the styles apart
Smoke is the common thread, but everything else changes. Classic Style Smoked Beer (32A) starts from a style already in the guidelines, such as a porter, a bock or a schwarzbier, and adds smoke, usually with beechwood-smoked malt. It's judged as that base, with smoke that complements it and can range from low to high intensity.
Specialty Smoked Beer (32B) covers three cases: bases that aren't classic styles, smoke combined with fruit, spices or other additions, and malts smoked with unusual woods, such as fruitwoods. Bamberg Rauchbier doesn't belong in this family, because it has its own spot among the amber German lagers (6B).
Brew it yourself
Which one to brew first
Start with a Classic Style Smoked Beer (32A) on a porter base. Dark malts and roast pair naturally with smoke and hide a slight excess, which a pale base can't do. Plus, since it's a classic style, you have a clear reference for how it should taste. Specialty Smoked Beer (32B), especially if you smoke your own malt, is best left for when you know the intensity of commercial smoked malt well.
Common mistakes
- Working out the amount of smoked malt from someone else's recipe. Smoke intensity varies a lot between batches and maltsters; chew a few raw kernels before deciding.
- Using a base with lots of aroma hops. Smoke and citrusy hops clash and give you a muddled beer; choose malty bases with moderate bitterness.
- Using peat-smoked malt as if it were beechwood-smoked. Just a few grams are enough to make the beer taste like medicine or tar.
- Smoking malt at home with resinous woods like pine. They leave harsh, resiny flavors; beech and fruitwoods give a cleaner smoke.
How to serve them
8-12 °C (46-54 °F), a little warmer if the base is strong. A pint glass or mug for lighter bases and a balloon glass for more intense ones. Smoke calls for bold food: barbecued ribs, sausages, ham, smoked cheeses like Idiazábal, smoked salmon and bean stews with sausage.
Frequently asked questions
Which styles make up the Smoked Beer category?
According to the BJCP 2021 guidelines, 2: Classic Style Smoked Beer, Specialty Smoked Beer.
Classification and statistics: BJCP category 32 (Smoked Beer), 2021 edition.