Brewing beer with a portion of malt that has been smoked is certainly not a new idea, but it’s the first time we’ve given this style the Open Gate Brewery treatment. The base beer is a familiar one – an American Brown Ale – but the malt bill includes 20% cherrywood smoked malt, creating aromas of wood smoke, toasted marshmallow, and camp fire. There’s very little bitterness, but the nutty malts of a typical brown ale are also present. If you’ve never had a smoked malt beer, it’s about as unique a beer experience as you’ll find.