Maybe I should flush my lb of peated malt…sounds like it could be trouble…
Ya. All you have to do is mention peat smoked malt and before you know it a mob has formed with torches and pitchforks
Reporting for duty.
11% of “lightly peated” whiskey malt only shows up in the form of smoke. No peat, no exhaust pipes, no bog marshes, no LaBrea Tar Pit Fumes. Just mild saussagey smoke.
Mind, at 5ppm, I’d be hesitant to even call it “peated”, but that’s what the label said.
Coming back on-topic, I have no particular opinion on the BJCP. Except if they think peat has no place in beer.
finally did it, made a small ~4 litre wort with 1lb of peated malt in it. smell was not HORRIBLE, but not a distinctly “hmm this smells good”. kind of like dead/dying down campfire, not super clear or distinct.
taste isn’t great, but really i will let people know in a few weeks.
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There’s nothing else like a little electrical fire smoke to stimulate the senses.
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ok, so again - whenever i would search for actual tasting notes on peated malt the comments would be hyperbolic one way or the other or simply not as descriptive as i would hope. so here are my notes:
this was a quick bry97 ale that was roughly half simpsons peated malt and half pale malt, minimal hopping with magnum.
Edit Feb 22: The actual Tasting notes for a peated malt beer are now deleted because some people want to internet LARP more than learn about beer related things. you’re welcome. 
If you really want them then ask me via DM. This was a favour I tried to do for all homebrewers as when you try to google specific notes for a beer made from peated malt they are almost universally generic and unhelpful. Ie. “heavy smoke aroma” “strong peat aroma” or hyberolic “burnt electrical cables!!” “liquified ashphalt!!”
drinking this by itself is an exercise but its not in this formula something i would even want a 330ml of necessarily. however considering this was basically a 50/50 peated malt and pale malt it is FAR from “undrinkable”, and the expected taste of a peasted, blended scotch whisky is definitely evident. you could use peated malt as an element of a beer for sure, but yes realistically it would be something in the 10 maybe even 20% range and done with some purpose in mind as well.
I’ve never used peat smoke malt. …but have witnessed the hate side of the love/hate relationship. In ‘24, I entered a Scottish 70/- in a competition and the judge’s bias kicked in and berated me for using peat malt in it. 
. Whatever. He scored it low but in the next competition the same beer scored along my average scores w/ no mention of peat (because there was none used).
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The subject of peat malt has no middle ground, people seem to love it or hate it. In the BJCP guidelines (and note, they are GUIDELINES), peat smoked malt is not historically an ingredient in Scottish Ales as it is considered “whiskey malt.” That being said, as a judge I have encountered a few in competitions over the years with a fairly high smoked malt character and judged them accordingly (not a huge point deduction, but did point the entrant toward entering the smoked beer category. Scottish Ale yeasts do impart subtle phenols that can be interpreted as smoky, and use of very small amounts of peated malt (1-2 oz / 5 gallons) can replicate that character without pushing into the smoked beer range. There are judges who have difficulty discerning the difference between smoked character and phenol, as they have some similarities.
Smoked malts in beer do not necessarily need to be used at the rate of a Bamberger Rauch beer, I have judged several, and made a few, with lower amounts that compliment another style quite well. Personally, I have used small amounts of peat smoked malt, as above with success. I have also used Cherrywood smoked malt in an American Amber and an American Porter, both 1 lb. / 5 gallon, with nice results. I have never made a Rauchbeer, but have judged some wonderful examples.
Smoked malt in general is a matter of personal preference. When judging, I look at the overall presentation and drinkability, not necessarily strict adherence to guidelines. I may, however, suggest a different category to enter if I think it might score higher there for you.
not trying to be annoying but this is the issue i have with people talking about peated malt online.
- scottish ales and peated malt without tasting notes or descriptors = irrelevant info
- “subtle phenols that can be interpreted as smoky” - frankly ??? kinda odd and also no relevant organoleptic descriptors.
- “1 to 2oz per 5 gallons” - this is regurgitated info IMHO that i just proved to be grossly inaccurate by an actual real experiment. 1 to 2 oz in a 5 gallon, lets say ~1.050 gravity beer would be basically lost in the beer.
i don’t see any actual specific descriptors regarding smoked malt and frankly i doubt you have used “small amounts” as you claim. if you did you did not get a relevant tasting of it. so far the info online has been like this IMHO with highly generic/regurgitated/vague descriptors of “smokey character” “peaty character” “smoky phenols” etc etc etc etc.
if you used 1 to 2 oz of roasted barley in a beer and never anymore than that would you feel confident in describing what roasted barley brings to a beer? spoiler: no, you wouldn’t.
lol i do apologize but if one googles descriptors for peated malt on the internet it is a ton of stuff like this and IMHO i think maybe 1 out of 10 people who claim to have tried using it have tried using it. it is NOT an overpowering malt, but it is a distinctive and unusual tasting one that some people may like and others may not. in case someone reading this didn’t notice my actual tasting notes are above a few posts.
Come on, man. Don’t be an ■■■ to the new person. Your comments above stink as bad as peat smoked malt.
There was a time I had to judge a beer that I swear tasted exactly like a poopy diaper. Now… I have not actually tasted a poopy diaper, but I think I have a better idea of how it would taste after forcibly having to taste this particular beer. Sometimes poop is just poop, and you don’t need to be more specific with your descriptors than that.
Sincerely.
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Dial it back a bit then.
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Thank you for calling me a liar, or saying that I regurgitated info from other brewing forums. That was a nice touch. Perhaps next time stick to the rules of decorum of the group.
I am a home brewer with 30 years of experience, and also brewed professionally for a bit. I HAVE brewed beers like this in the past, and small amounts of certain ingredients can punch up specific aromas and flavors, not necessarily presenting as the dominant flavor, but rather enhancing other notes. Subtlety is the key. I have judged a few Wee Heavy with varying ranges of peat smoked malt that were entered appropriately into the Smoked beer category, the subtle versions were quite pleasant, the stronger ones not so much.
And Dave, the “poopy diaper” is a real set of notes, typically incorporated under the term “enteric.” I have encountered it in competition, and it is indeed unpleasant.
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It’s great to have you here. You have my warm welcome. Cheers.
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i made a lil edit for you.
it is NOT an overpowering malt, but it is a distinctive and unusual tasting one that some people may like and others may not.
Frankly to me that’s a bit mixed impression. in my experience it is that very distinctive and assertive character that makes it overpowering - particularly when you compare it to other smoked malts out there.
Course I say that as someone absolutely on the record as both loving smoked beers and typically disliking the profile that peat malt gives to beers. For my taste, give me a Schlenkerla or two or three any day and keep the peat to the Scotch.
I made several smoked porters/stouts with a touch of peated malt many years ago. Enjoyed it with smoked meats and cheeses. My dad was into smoking meats back in the 70s and 80s and I gave him a bottle to try. One taste and he said tastes like a band-aid. I tried some and sure enough. Never brewed one again. That was more than 20 years ago. Could not get it out of my head
Similar with “milkshake IPAs”. I never brewed one nor ever will. A bunch of us were at a brewery and a friend of mine said one of the beers had a baby aspirin flavor. Sure enough it did. Now that first sip of a juicy ipa is met with reservation. Grapefruit citrus flavors. Love them. But that baby aspirin flavor. No thanks
There were a couple of years there where Amarillo was, for whatever reason, always reading like baby aspirin to me. it was unfortunate because I really liked Amarillo before that and it made me gunshy of it for a while.
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I have two kids in their twenties, but I can’t remember what baby aspirin tastes like! I guess I’m glad.
Kinda phenolic orangey
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That’s how Azacca tastes to me! I always describe it as “rotten orange” – I know it’s a me thing, rather than an everyone else thing, but there is something about those hops that just clashes with my taste buds.