Malt aroma & flavor
Varies with underlying beer style
All Origin Hybrid/Mixed Lagers or Ales
Smoke Beer
Mixed / specialty · Any beer of any style incorporating smoke, and therefore may range from very light to black
What to expect
Malt, hops, and body depend on the underlying style or ingredients. Read the guideline details for the character that defines this category.
Reading guide · The complete guideline attributes below preserve the source’s qualifications.Color · SRM
Varies with style
Varies with style. No numeric color range is assigned.
Pale / strawBlack
Any beer of any style incorporating smoke, and therefore may range from very light to black · Illustrative colors on the shared, uneven SRM scale.
Return to color discoveryAlcohol · ABV
Varies with style
No numeric range is specified.
Bitterness · IBU
Varies with style
No numeric range is specified.
Brewers Association 2026 · Printed guideline page 63 · PDF page 72. Color graphics are illustrative.
The guideline, in detail
Official style attributes, including what may be present and what should be absent.
Hop aroma & flavor
Varies with underlying beer style
Perceived bitterness
Varies with underlying beer style
Body & mouthfeel
Varies with underlying beer style
Clarity
Varies with underlying beer style
Color
Any beer of any style incorporating smoke, and therefore may range from very light to black
Fermentation characteristics
For Smoke Beers based on lager styles, any phenolic notes (if present) should be derived from smoke; in such lagers yeast-derived phenolics should not be present.
Additional guideline notes & competition context
Any style of beer can be smoked. The goal is to reach a balance between the style's character and the smoky properties. Any smoke beer that does not fit other smoke beer categories are appropriately categorized here. When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, brewers may be asked to provide supplemental information about entries in this category to allow for accurate evaluation of diverse entries. Such information might include the underlying beer style(s), or other information unique to the entry such as type of wood smoke or processing which influence perceived sensory outcomes.
Technical specifications, including gravity
Original Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) Varies with style • Hop Bitterness (IBU) Varies with style • Color SRM (EBC)