McMenamins Robert the Bruce Scotch ale clone help

I don't know if anyone else will have had this, as I don't think they made a whole lot of it. I just had 1 pint, and it was very good, much better than most of their beers, I thought.

Here is all the info I could find on it. Fairly complete, but without amounts/proportions, of course.



I'm not very familiar with the style, and I'm not used to making my own recipes. If anyone could take a stab at proportions or amounts for a 5-5.5 gal recipe, I'd appreciate it.

I've also never used oak, so I'd love any thoughts on that. My LHBS carries oak, but I'm not sure which, how much, how long, or if it should be soaked in whiskey, or for how long. If I recall correctly, the menu when I ordered it said they were in whiskey barrels for 9 months.

Here's a wild stab at an ingredient list:

12.5 lbs 2 Row (74.6%)
2 lbs Munich 10L (11.9%)
1 lb Crystal 135/165 (6%)
12 oz Crystal 80 (4.5%)
8 oz Smoked Malt (3%)

1 oz Goldings 60 minutes
.5 oz Goldings 30 minutes
.5 oz Goldings 5 minutes

Nottingham yeast

Mash at 156

OG 1.083
FG 1.022
ABV 8.1%
SRM 21
IBU 21.7

I may have confused this with Three Floyds "Robert the Bruce"....

Their website shows 7% ABV and 30 IBU.

They also have two different styles, a Cask aged ale available in house, and the standard bottles bought off the shelf. The Latter is one of my top 10 beers.

This is a recipe I worked up a few weeks ago, haven't brewed it yet...

8# 2 Row ~ 61.1%
3# Dark Munich ~ 22.9%
12oz Aromatic ~ 5.7%
8oz C120L ~ 3.8%
8oz CaraMunich ~ 3.8%
6oz Special B ~ 2.7%


30 min @ 125*, 20min @ 140*, 45min @ 155*

1oz Northern Brewer (7%AA) - 60min - 21.8 IBU
1oz Mt. Hood (4.3%AA) - 20min - 8.1 IBU

Wyeast Scottish Ale 1728 1L starter.

OG: 1.071
FG: 1.018
21.1 SRM

Gives 7.0% ABV and 30.6 IBU

Cubslover said:

I may have confused this with Three Floyds "Robert the Bruce"....

Click to expand...

I think that may be the case, since McMenamins isn't served outside their pubs. However, your recipe is still useful for construction. And I hadn't even considered the Scottish ale yeast. That might be better than Notty.

Wow... didn't even know this existed! need to run over there as soon as fundage allows

Rivenin said:

Wow... didn't even know this existed! need to run over there as soon as fundage allows

Click to expand...

I don't know if it's still available. I had some at the Hillsdale Pub a month or two (or 3?) ago, and when I called saturday to see if they could fill a growler, they no longer had it. Like I said, though, I thought it was excellent. A solid notch above their usual beers.

Minor changes:

12.5 lbs 2 Row (70.4%)
3 lbs Munich 10L (16.9%)
1 lb Crystal 135/165 (5.6%)
12 oz Crystal 80 (4.2%)
8 oz Smoked Malt (2.8%)

1 oz Goldings 60 minutes
.5 oz Goldings 30 minutes
.5 oz Goldings 5 minutes

Wyeast Scottish 1728

Mash at 156

I'm still not sure exactly how to approach the oak, but I can fish around the forums for more info on that.

I'd love to hear feedback on the recipe from people who have made Scottish ales.

Looks very good. I've used oak cubes before, in the secondary. You could steam them or soak them in a tad bit of bourbon or whiskey. One that may be charcoal aged may blend in with your flavors.

Either way. 8-10oz of French oak cubes in the secondary will work.