# Smoked Malt Lagers This Delicious Beer Uses Grains Roasted In a Famous BBQ Restaurant's Smoker By Rahul Kalvapalle | Published 2024-02-17 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/malt-lager References: [smdp](https://smdp.com/2024/02/05/brew-works-has-partnered-with-bludsos-to-release-a-roasted-malt-smoked-lager/) & [santamonicabrewworks](https://santamonicabrewworks.com/#brews)  Beer and BBQ are known to be a wonderful pairing, so it's a matter of some confusion as to why there haven't been more high-powered collaborations between breweries and BBQ restaurants such as the one between [Santa Monica Brew Works](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/milkshake-porters) and Bludso's BBQ, who came together to create a wonderful smoked malt lager. This delicious beer utilized high-quality grains that were roasted in Bludso's fabled [hickory smoker](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hickory-smoked-bbq-cheese-puffs), with pecan wood selected to impart a slight nutty note to the grains. Once the malts were ready for the next stage, they were used by Santa Monica Brew Works to create a [light Helles lager](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spicy-boi), a German-style brew that has a sparkling gold appearance, refreshing texture and an unintimidating but satisfying ABV of 4.9 percent. “This beer pairs perfectly with food. It’ll go great with barbecue, pizza, and even salad," stated brewer Dominic Larubina. “The depth of flavor is really wonderful – I love the subtle extra layer of complexity the smoked malt brings.” Image Credit: Santa Monica Brew Works ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.5/10 - Popularity: 9% | Activity: 14% | Freshness: 21% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Drinking](https://www.trendhunter.com/drinking) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Collaborative Partnerships in Brewing:** Exploring collaborative partnerships between breweries and BBQ restaurants to create unique beer experiences. - **Smoked Ingredient Innovations:** Developing new techniques to infuse smoked flavors into ingredients for diverse culinary applications. - **Food Pairing Sensory Experiences:** Creating beers designed to enhance dining experiences by offering complementary flavors for a wide range of dishes. ### Where This Applies - **Craft Brewing:** Craft breweries can capitalize on unique ingredient collaborations to create innovative, flavorful beers for their customers. - **Specialty Food & Beverage:** Specialty food producers have the opportunity to experiment with smoked ingredients to develop distinct flavor profiles for various culinary products. - **Restaurant & Hospitality:** Restaurants and hospitality businesses can enhance customer experiences by offering food and beverage pairings that elevate flavors and dining enjoyment. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Smoky Medium-Body Beers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/limitededition-brown-ale.md) - [Beer-Infused Spice Blends](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/beerinfused-spice-blends.md) - [Meatless Food-Pairing Beers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brewdog-quorn-mexican-vienna-lager.md) - [BBQ-Inspired Whiskys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ardbeg-bizarrebq.md) - [Miller Lite-Infused Charcoal](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/miller-lite-beercoal.md) - [Cotton Candy Bacon Beers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bacon-blonde-ale.md) - [Delectable Dark Lagers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dark-lagers.md) - [Low-ABV Dark Lagers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lowabv-dark-lager.md) - [Earthy Honey Lagers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/honey-lager.md)