Scottish Heavy Darkside Duck Scottish Heavy

Hey guys,

This might be the best beer I've brewed yet and I'm hoping to place or do 40+ in the Commander SAAZ comp with this one. I'll post results when I get them.

83% Efficiency for 5.25 gallons.

OG: 1.085
FG: 1.021
ABV: 8.4%
IBU: 35
SRM: 23.5 calculated, actual is probably around 19-20.

13# 85.4% Maris Otter
12oz 4.9% C60
5oz 2% Roasted Barley
2.5oz 1% Black Patent
1# 6.6% Dark Brown Sugar (see notes)

Williamette to 35 IBUs, single 60min addition.

Brew notes:
Mash at 156-158 for one hour and sparge to collect about 7.5 gallons.

Collect one gallon of FIRST RUNNINGS and boil separately with brown sugar until reduced by 1/3-1/2 or the bubbles start stacking on each other and add back to kettle preboil.

Ferment with 1728 Scottish Ale at 60-62 for 10 days, then keg or prime to about 2.1 volumes.

Drink carefully, we call it "Darkside Duck" because its dark and you'll wanna duck before it knocks you on your ass!!

I like the brown sugar idea. Def looks pretty tasty dude, goodluck in the competitions!

Yeah, I got that from reading the BJCP guidelines for 9E. Kettle caramelization is an important part of the aroma and flavor and using this technique comes through real nice.

Just curious how this turned out. I am creating a Wee Heavy recipe now and I had also seen the part about caramelizing. Wondered how you liked the beer or if you'd tweak anything.

This one definitely came out awesome. It was delicious with a great flavor and deceptively crushable.

Judges gave it a 36. I don't have my scoresheet in front of me but I remember they wanted a bigger mouthfeel and more alcohol warmth.

So I rebrewed it today as my imperial pumpkin ale and added 3 lbs of Weyermann Munich 1 and did a double decoction mash, infused at 144, then decocted to 156 and 168. With 72% efficiency it came out beautifully and tasted awesome with a bright red color and a flavor of the best pumpkin pie ever.

So I definitely recommend using this one as a starter recipe and tweaking it how you like it. Cheers and thank you!