“Summer is just around the corner, and BBQs are on the way,” said Mari Kemper, one of the founders of Chuckanut Brewery. “Now’s the perfect time to enjoy the classical German style smoke beers (Rauch Lagers). Chuckanut is tapping their award-winning (4 Gold WA Beer Awards medals) Rauch Helles Lager, with its delicate use of smoked German malts and balanced hop flavors, all over the Northwest, and it will be out in cans for the first time too.”
Restraint and Balance
Rauch beer, or rauchbier, is brewed using smoked malt to impart a smoky flavor. When done well, the smokiness is balanced and restrained, like in Chuckanut’s Rauch Helles. While there is room within the style guidelines for varying levels of smoke, some American craft breweries seem compelled to overdo it, creating an astringent and harsh beer. This explains why many American beer drinkers avoid Rauch beer (rauchbier). Chuckanut, of course, makes a version of the beer more attuned to traditional German styles.
“This is a super drinkable Rauch beer that captures the smoky flavors of a Rauch Lager with the gentle, easy-going nature of a Helles Lager,” explains Mari. “It’s an interesting beer that has a malty, crackery, toasted flavor spiked with smoky overtones due to the use of beechwood-smoked malted barley.”
History and Technology
Once upon a time, most beers had some degree of smoke character. Before the advent of modern killing systems, barley was dried and roasted using wood-fired kilns, imparting at least some smoke character to the malt. In 1818, a British engineer named Daniel Wheeler patented a new kind of malt kiln, the drum kiln, which changed everything. The drum kiln never exposed the malt directly to the fire, increasing the range of colors (the amount of roast) and eliminating the smoke character.
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Brewers eagerly embraced Wheeler’s technology in the 1800s. However, some brewers saw no reason to abandon their traditional ways. For example, they were not so eager to change in the Franconian city of Bamberg. To this day, brewers in that city famously use beechwood-smoked malt to brew a Märzen-style amber lager. The smoky character of the malt varies by maltster, and some breweries even produce their own smoked malt. Bamberg is recognized as the epicenter of the rauchbier world.
Light Color, Soft Flavors
“Rauch Helles has a light color and soft flavors that make a great match to any BBQ or smoked seafood,” says Mari Kemper. “Boasting its unique flavor profile and gentle sparkling mouthfeel, you’ll want to try this unusual, uncommon lager if you see it in cans or on draft around Puget Sound and Portland, OR areas. Prost!”
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