NY Maple Scottish Ale

This was the last extract batch I did before getting my AG set-up back in operation after the house purchase.

Batch size 5 gallons
Boil size 6.1 gallons
Boil time 60 minutes

Original gravity 1.100
Final gravity 1.024
Alcohol (by vol.) 10.0%
Bitterness (IBU) 34
Color (SRM) 31.9°L
Yeast Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale

Grains/Extracts/Sugars
0.5 pounds Crystal 90L 33ppg, 90°L - steeped 30 mins @ 150
0.5 pounds Aromatic 36ppg, 2°L - steeped 30 mins @ 150
0.5 pounds Black Patent 27ppg, 500°L- steeped 30 mins @ 150
0.25 pounds Golden Promise 32ppg, 2°L - steeped 30 mins @ 150
6.6 pounds Liquid Malt - Light 34ppg, 5°L @ 60 mins
3.3 pounds Dry Malt - Light 43ppg, 5°L @ 60 mins
2.5 pounds Liquid Sugar - Grade A NY State Maple Syrup 32ppg, 35°L @ flameout

Hops
2 ounces - Cascade hops 6%, Pellet 60 minutes
1 ounce - Goldings (Kent) hops 5%, Pellet 15 minutes
1 ounce - Goldings (Kent) hops 5%, Pellet 5 minutes

Additions
2 ounces - Raw Maple Chips soaked in Glenfiddich 12yo single malt scotch added to secondary for 6 months

Ferment
14 days @ 65°F

Sounds awesome. Could you provide some tasting notes. I've been toying with a similar recipe that I plan to brew in the next month so its ready for winter (maybe even bottle a little early to taste a few on Thanksgiving!). Would appreciate any pointers or maybe thoughts on if there is anything in your original recipe you would change for re-brewing. Thanks!

Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 34.78 %
8.50 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 49.28 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2.90 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 2.90 %
0.50 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 2.90 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 1.45 %
3.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (90 min) Hops 42.7 IBU
1.00 lb Maple Syrup (35.0 SRM) Sugar 5.80 %
1 Pkgs Scottish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1728) Yeast-Ale

Est. OG 1.108
Est. FG 1.029

25.6 SRM
43 IBU

I'll post up some tasting notes this weekend while I'm drinking this and brewing an IIPA.

I know I'll definitely brew this one again, just don't know how I'll convert it to AG yet.

Couldn't wait for full carbonation so I poured a pint from the keg, which has been sitting some 55 hours at 25psi. Huge, creamy head but still lacking sufficient carbonation. Should be fully carbed and ready by Sunday/Monday.

Some tasting notes...

Super clear, deep mahogany color which is visible around the edges, too dark to see through the pint glass. As I said above, a big, fluffy tan head that doesn't seem to want to go away.

Aroma is very maple-ey. Not sweet maple syrup, but an earthy, freshly cut maple tree smell. Can almost visualize maple sap running down the side of the cup. Very feint hop aroma lurking beneath the maple. Some toasted barley aroma balances out any sweetness in the smell.

Taste. Wow, this thing packs a wallop! Full frontal flavor assault on the tongue. Very strong maple flavor, but not so syrupy as opposed to just maple. It's definitely the dominant flavor, but it's not a bad thing at all. There's a strong, and I mean strong toasted maplewood flavor that lingers after the sweet dissapates. It borders on astringent, but doesn't quite cross that line in my mind. I used raw maple chips in the secondary, no toasting, so I'm blown away by this flavor, completely unexpected. The malt backbone is detectable underneath the maple, but it's not showing enough to be able to pick it out of the lineup. Hop bitterness is almost nowhere to be found, but it doesn't seem too unbalanced on the sweet side. Single malt scotch is noticable on the breath and in the lingering aftertase. I guess I used enough of that... Although this hit about 10%abv, I can't taste a lick of alcohol in it, other than the scotch flavor in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel. Unfortunately, this one is still a bit thin since it's not fully carbed yet. It's smooth and will definitely come into its own with time (if it last that long).

I'll definitely brew this one again. I'll probably up the IBU by about 10 with the cascade, but leave the aroma alone. Don't want to conflict with what I have now.

Please post up the results to this thread if any of you try this one, especially if you convert to AG. My next attempt on this will be AG and I'll probably use an even mix of golden promise, maris otter, and rahr 2-row in place of the extract.

I'm thinking about brewing this next weekend and I dont understand what the golden promise would add. Isn't that a base grain for all-grain brewing? At any rate, my LHBS doesn't carry it, so i'll need an alternate grain anyway, if you have a suggestion.