If It's Not Scottish, It's Crap

Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
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81.0 8.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) Great Britain 1.038 3
10.1 1.00 lbs. Aromatic Malt Belgium 1.036 25
2.5 0.25 lbs. Special B Malt Belgian 1.030 120
5.1 0.50 lbs. Crystal 60L Great Britain 1.034 60
1.3 0.13 lbs. Roasted Barley Great Britain 1.029 575



Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
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0.25 oz. Pacific Gem Whole 13.60 15.2 90 min.
0.25 oz. Pacific Gem Whole 13.60 4.7 20 min.
0.50 oz. Goldings - E.K. Whole 6.25 4.3 20 min.


Yeast
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White Labs WLP002 English Ale


Mash Schedule
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Mash Type: Single Step


Saccharification Rest Temp : 156 Time: 60
Sparge Temp : 170 Time: 30


I have tweaked this a few times, switching to the Scottish Wyeast, a lower fermentation temperature, and using Golden Promise malt. After the runnings clear, I collect the first 2 quarts and carmelize by boiling it down to 1 quart. The raisin-like flavor from the Special B and the carmelization are accentuated by the dark berry flavor from the Pacific Gem hops. It was a 3rd place recipe that will hopefully improve with the ingredient switches.

I like the title... and that recipe looks great. I like a lot of the things you're doing there.

You said you won 3rd place with a version of that recipe?


And out of curiosity, what characteristics does pacific gem lend to the beer? How's it compare with the more traditional noble hops?

Pacific Gem has a blackberry type flavor to it. I read that it also can pass some of it on even used as a full boil hop. I use it for both full boil and flavor so I can't verify how much flavor it passes as a full boil hop.

It is also organic and disease resistant, so I hear that some UK breweries have been using them.

They are high alpha and also high cohumulone, so not like the noble hops. I can't think of a hop it is similar to.

It goes good in this style because of the dark fruit flavor of the hop plus the Special B. Would go good in a bitter also (I think Evan made one).

I brewed for several years before ever entering a contest. This exact recipe and my IPA were the ones I entered and both took third. I am reentering it this year as a Wee Heavy. I added more base malt (and switched to Golden Promise) and some extra hops to balance plus switched to Scottish yeast. It is in a keg now and needs a little aging, but it is pretty good right now.

I like the grain bill on this one so I am making it this afernoon. I had to change the hops on it and I am using dry yeast so it won't be exactly the same, but I am sparging now and it looks and smells great. I am making a 6 gallon batch. I increased the 2 row to 10 pounds due to poor efficiency of my square cooler batch sparge on a budget system, and added a scoup of cara red to make it 13 pounds total. Thanks for posting the recipe!

If it's not Utilikilts, it's crap?

-Joe