Malt & Grain

Oak smoke in the wheat: Grodziskie is made from wheat malt smoked over oak wood. Malt is produced by soaking and letting grain germinate in water, then halting germination by drying—a process called kilning. In Grodziskie, this is done with smoke.

According to historical accounts, the smoke was forced directly through the bed of moist grain. Oak wood was used because coal or coke would have darkened the malt. This way the malt gains aroma while staying pale. In the finished beer, the smoke should linger like a quiet echo rather than taste like a campfire, even when the malt was heavily smoked.

The brewery in Grodzisk says it brews using 100 percent wheat malt. Since almost no one in Poland produces oak-smoked malt today, for the revival they had it smoked according to the old method by a maltings in Bruntál, Czech Republic.

Wheat brings a lot of protein. This supports the dense white foam that people so prize in Grodziskie and gives the beer a full mouthfeel despite its low strength. Unlike Bavarian wheat beer, here the entire malt bill is smoked, and the beer turns out clear, not hazy.

Barley remains the main grain for brewers in Greater Poland nonetheless. The big lager beers from Poznań, such as Lech Premium, are made from pale barley malt with no smoke at all. Smoke remains the signature of Grodziskie from Grodzisk Wielkopolski, and it's what makes Piwo Grodziskie instantly recognizable.