Scottish Heavy Walker's Gruagach 80/-

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Walker

I use secondaries. :p
HBT Supporter
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
Messages
10,982
Reaction score
122
Location
Cary
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Wyeast 1728
Yeast Starter
1 quart starter
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.052
Final Gravity
?
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
29
Color
16 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
21 days @ 60*F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
3 weeks @ 70*F
Tasting Notes
good beer, great label
1917-gruagach_80_old2.jpg


featured in Pupular Mechanics

Notes are at the bottom for an extract and partial mash version

Grain Bill
(goal is approximately 1.054 OG - my efficiency is about 75% - original recipe and quote of 1.052 was without aromatic malt added)
  • 9.00 lb 2-Row
  • 1.00 lb Crystal 80L
  • 8.00 oz Melanoidin Malt
  • 4.00 oz Peated Malt
  • 2.00 oz Black Patent
  • 5.00 oz Aromatic Malt
Hop Schedule (goal is approximately 30 IBUs)
  • 1.50 oz EK Goldings @ 60 minutes
Mash/Sparge
  • 60 minute mash @ 154*F to 156*F w/ 3.5 gallons of water
  • mash-out @ 200*F w/ 1.5 gallons of water
  • batch sparge @ 175*F w/ 3.25 gallons of water
Yeast

  • 1 quart starter of Wyeast 1728 - Scottish Ale
Misc

  • Some amount of caramelization is desired in this beer. Remove a few pints of the first runnings of the wort and and reduce it in a saucepan while you are boiling the rest of the wort. Add this reduction back to the kettle a few minutes before flame out.

Notes

Boil for 90 minutes, cool to below 65*F rapidly, transfer into fermenter, shake it like mad to aerate, and pitch yeast.

I end up with 5.5 gallons of cooled wort in the kettle at roughly 1.055OG. It might take some top-off water to get this volume because of the long boil. Only 5 gallons makes it into the fermenter due to hop absorption and kettle deadspace.

Ferment cool, around 60*F in primary until done (it will take a while), rack to secondary for 2 or 3 weeks (at 70*F), transfer to keg and force carbonate at about 12psi.

Extract Version

  • Replace the 9lbs of 2-row with about 6lbs of light DME.
  • Steep the other grains for 45 minutes in 150*F water, then rinse into kettle before bringing to a boil and adding DME.
  • Take a portion of the wort and reduce in a saucepan as described above.
  • Yeast and fermentation schedule are the same.
Partial Mash Version

  • Use 3lbs of 2-row, specialy grains, and 4lbs of light DME.
  • Mash all grains for an hour at recommended temp for AG version, then sparge.
  • Bringing to a boil and adding DME.
  • Take a portion of the wort and reduce in a saucepan as described above.
  • Yeast and fermentation schedule are the same.

:mug:
 
sounds like the recipe ive been looking for.

any chance of snagging a picture of this beautiful b45t4rd?
 
I haven't made this in quite some time. But, I've got the ingredients for a 10 gallon batch on hand and am planning to brew it again in about a month.
 
Finally getting ready to brew this on Sunday. Making a 10 gallon batch with skeeoredye.

Wooooohoooo! I haven't made this in a long time.
 
the presense of peat smoked malt in a scottish recipe is something that actually causes debates. some prominent folks say it is not true to style. I really don't care what those guys think, though. :D

Peated malt has a very STRONG flavor. It only takes a couple of oz to get some flavor in the beer. Too much of it and it would be overpowering and the beer would not be enjoyable.

The first version of the recipe had only 2 oz or so, but I bumped it up on the subsequent batches until I got it where I wanted it. I actually think I put 4oz in the last batch I made, but never recorded it. I am using 8oz for the 10 gallon batch Sunday.

It makes the flavor of the beer a little more unique, IMO.
 
I TOTALLY screwed up last night while making 10 gallons of this.

I wasn't paying attention and had a drain valve open on my plumbing while I was trying to circulate some boiling wort through the pump to sanitize it.

Before I realized it, 5 gallons of the 10 that I brewed had drained out and was flowing down my driveway toward the damn gutter. :mad:
 
I TOTALLY screwed up last night while making 10 gallons of this.

I wasn't paying attention and had a drain valve open on my plumbing while I was trying to circulate some boiling wort through the pump to sanitize it.

Before I realized it, 5 gallons of the 10 that I brewed had drained out and was flowing down my driveway toward the damn gutter. :mad:

Ouch! That SUCKS.

Had I just stayed on your Brewcast... I would have been looking over your shoulder and typing like crazy "hey! Hey!! HEY!!!".

Sorry for your loss.
 
Ouch! That SUCKS.

Had I just stayed on your Brewcast... I would have been looking over your shoulder and typing like crazy "hey! Hey!! HEY!!!".

Sorry for your loss.

You wouldn't have noticed anything was going wrong. None of the other 4 or 5 people on the brewcast noticed, because I had hooked an old garden hose to the drain spigot and ran it out the door of the garage. The place where the wort was hitting the ground was 20 feet away in the darkness. If I hadn't attached that drain hose, I would have seen the wort splitting into my waste bucket.

I am no longer going to use that drain hose.

It sucks, too... I had carried it all the way through the whole process and was just getting ready to chill it all.

The one positive note I could think of is that I had a starter for 5 gallons that even Mr. Malty would have probably considered overkill. :D
 
Hey Walker, bout to brew this right now. Any advice you wanna throw my way about this one would be cool. I'm pretty much following your recipe exactly.

Also, how did it turn out??
 
Hey Walker, bout to brew this right now. Any advice you wanna throw my way about this one would be cool. I'm pretty much following your recipe exactly.

Also, how did it turn out??

Just be patient with it. I've had this thing take as long as 3 weeks to finish active fermentation due to the slightly cooler temps I use.

This thing has been pretty damn good the times I have brewed it before, but the batch I just recently made is still in primary and I haven't tasted it yet. Planning to rack t tomorrow and will have my first sample then.
 
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it'll be fantastic (that's why I'm brewing it). But if it's not, I'm blaming you! Jk, haha ;)

But, I'm here in South Texas and it'll be next to impossible to keep at 60, so I might have to shoot for 65 and work my butt off to keep it there. We'll see what I can do.

But thanks for the recipe, and I'll let you know how it turns out

Cheers
 
Hey Walker, I've been fighting the temps on this one. It's been real tough for me in my swamp cooler to keep it at 65. Even getting close to 70 after 3 or 4 days. Hopefully it'll turn out alright, but I'll let you know here in October ;)
 
yup. this is it.

Be aware that my efficiency was at Rock Star levels the day I made this. If I recall correctly, it came out near 1.060... maybe a little higher.
 
yup. this is it.

Be aware that my efficiency was at Rock Star levels the day I made this. If I recall correctly, it came out near 1.060... maybe a little higher.

Let's just hope it wasn't the good tasting half that went down the driveway...
 
I am enjoying this right now. Huge creamy piles of fluffy small bubbles covering a malty sweet beverage. My best brew so far. Thanks walker.

I fermented mid to high sixties. No starter. Boil only 60 minutes. Added an oz of smoked malt(not sure if this is noticeable). Used golden promise 2-row. Efficiency was way off that day... only hit 1.050. 4 weeks in primary and was ready to drink.
 
Got 5.5 gallons sitting in secondary just now. Just a quick question, would you still recommend 3 weeks in secondary given that I am bottling?

Also I am slightly concerned as my hydro sample at 3 weeks tasted quite sour. Not sure if it's green apple or fruit fly vinegar. I figure try another taste right before bottling and hope it's gotten better by then.
 
Got 5.5 gallons sitting in secondary just now. Just a quick question, would you still recommend 3 weeks in secondary given that I am bottling?

Also I am slightly concerned as my hydro sample at 3 weeks tasted quite sour. Not sure if it's green apple or fruit fly vinegar. I figure try another taste right before bottling and hope it's gotten better by then.

long secondary or let it sit long in the bottles.

the point is that this needs time to mature.

I have been dragging my feet and still haven't kegged mine yet!
 
Thanks for the advice Walker! The wort tasted great right before it went in primary. Great colour. I'll have to post a pic in a month or two when it's ready to go.
 
finally got around to kegging mine last night. Bird... my bad, I totally forgot about priming and bottling it. I'll send you a suitable substitute.

Anyway, I had a sample of it. It wasn't as malty as the last time I made it. Gotta wait for it to chill and carb up and then give a final verdict.
 
I took a sample of this yesterday, and I am disappointed in this batch. The rich malty flavor of the previous batches isn't there.

There is some history missing in this recipe. The original recipe (which Orfy preserved for me when I was away from the forum) stated the following:

Misc

  • Some amount of caramelization is desired in this beer.
    You can either boil it for a loooong time, or remove a
    a couple cups and reduce it in a saucepan while you are
    boiling the rest of the wort. Add this reduction back
    to the kettle a few minutes before flame out.
That part of the recipe didn't get transferred over when I made this "official" thread for the recipe.

Damnit.

I can now say with certainty, that this absolutely needs to be done to get this beer to come out right.

The batch I have is drinkable, and is tasty... but it just isn't what the recipe is SUPPOSED to come out like.

I am editing 1st post in this thread to add that key part back in, with clarification that a long boil (which I *did* do) isn't good enough and an actual reduction of the wort is necessary.
 
Hi,
decided to brew this recipe last weekend because I was given some Goldings BC and I'd been wanting to brew a scottish ale. Also helping in the decision is the fact that I'm out of town for the holidays so I figured it would be perfect due to the long fermentation.

Anyways, just wanted to say thank you for sharing and to ask if anyone has tried putting oak or oak soaked in whiskey to the secondary. I'm thinking of racking some of it into a growler with rubber stopper and airlock to try out.

Looking forward to tasting this,
Cheers!
 
Some amount of caramelization is desired in this beer. Remove a few pints of the first runnings of the wort and and reduce it in a saucepan while you are boiling the rest of the wort. Add this reduction back to the kettle a few minutes before flame out.

If I'm doing a 10 gallon batch of this recipe, then I should take about 6 pints of the first runnings? Then boil it down to what, like 2 pints? I haven't done any caramelization for a beer, so your experience may benefit me.
 
If I'm doing a 10 gallon batch of this recipe, then I should take about 6 pints of the first runnings? Then boil it down to what, like 2 pints? I haven't done any caramelization for a beer, so your experience may benefit me.

I've never paid attention to exactly how far I reduce it down. I just do it until I have a nice syrup.

For 10 gallons, 5 pints of first runnings is a good amount to pull out.
 
Yeah I brewed it without boiling any down, and it still came out fantastic. Now I need to brew it again with this method if it makes that big of a difference
 
Possibly? No idea. It's a really old illustration, but it's Scottish and I think the Grimm's stuck to mainland Europe.
 
Those that have made this, what was your FG? I'm at 1.022 currently so I'm just wondering how that compares to others.
 
I've been trying to find a recipe that will age well while im out of town for 2 months doing work up north. Its a bit of a troublesome search through style. I've really been wanting to brew this for awhile now, Do you think 2 to 2 1/2 months would be too much for it or just plain unnecessary?
 
Just wanted to letcha know that I finally tapped this bad boy, and it's a hit. Everyone who has tasted it really likes it. The caramelization is necessary for this recipe, IMO. I did the oak-aging, and I recommend to others that they do it that way, as well.

For an 11 gallon batch, I used 8 oz of peated malt, and I think it is exactly enough. I wouldn't use more than that, for sure. I will definitely use peated malt in other scottish recipes, as well, because I think it's an integral part of this one. I let it age for almost three months, and I think that should be the minimum.

Good job on the recipe, Walker. :mug:
 
I just racked this to the secondary at 3 weeks, and was extremely astounded and enraged at the site of white mold on top, i racked it and left the mold behind anyway, it still smells amazing. This is my first infected batch, in the past I've only had a few bottles here and there. Its extremely depressing too because this is the first occasion where i finally broke down and got a good strain of yeast and had everything prepared to harvest it.
The gravity so far was at 1.022, and it has lost most visible signs of fermentation. Hopefully all will be well. I guess i should be expecting this with new orleans summers, but its still depressing
 
Brewed my first batch today......didn't quite hit 154 for mash, but the OG was spot on, and we'll see. I went with the additional pound of 2-row. My first reduction, and first use of peated malt. Interested to see the outcome. WY1728 pack didn't swell up a whole lot, but that's not a first. It'll do fine, I'm sure. Plan on my usual extended primary, and figure on a longer than usual conditioning.
 

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