BJCP 32B · Smoked Beer
Specialty Smoked Beer
A smoked beer on a non-classic base, or with fruit, spices or other additions, or with unusual smoking woods.
This is a specialty category, so it has no numbers of its own. Gravity, bitterness, color and alcohol are those of the base style you choose, plus whatever the special ingredient or process adds.
What Specialty Smoked Beer is like
A smoked beer that doesn't fit in 32A, either because the base isn't a classic style, because it has other ingredients or because the smoke comes from unusual woods. The smoke and everything else should form a balanced whole.
Appearance
That of the base, influenced by the other ingredients.
Aroma
Recognizable smoke alongside the base and the other additions. The type of wood may come through, like the sweet aroma of apple or cherry wood.
Flavor
Smoke, base and extra ingredients in harmony. No acrid or medicinal notes.
Mouthfeel
Depends on the base and the additions.
Where Specialty Smoked Beer comes from
It's a modern category for craft beer's creativity with smoke, which gets combined with fruit, spices, chiles or woods other than the traditional ones.
Ingredients
Any base, malt smoked with the chosen wood and, where relevant, fruit, spices, herbs or other ingredients.
Brew it yourself
How to brew Specialty Smoked Beer at home
You can smoke your own malt at home with fruitwoods, but do small test batches, because the results vary a lot. Adjust the other ingredients so they don't compete with the smoke. You have to state the base, the type of smoke and the additions; judges look for everything to be recognizable and for the smoke not to be harsh.
Food pairing
Barbecued ribs, chili con carne and dark chocolate.
Glassware: Teku glass, a tasting glass that works with almost any style.
Frequently asked questions
What food pairs well with Specialty Smoked Beer?
Barbecued ribs, chili con carne and dark chocolate.
Which styles are similar?
If you like it, also try Classic Style Smoked Beer, Rauchbier and Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer.
If you like Specialty Smoked Beer, try these
Classification and statistics: official Specialty Smoked Beer guidelines from the BJCP, 2021 edition. Original text by Hacer Cerveza Casera.