A Wee Heavy recipe I wanted to run by you

7#s Fawcett Optic
7#s Simpsons golden promise
2#s Wheat
6 oz. Caramel 60
4 oz. Roasted barley
4 oz. Smoked malt

Hops
2 Oz. Fuggles @ 60 min.
1 Oz. Fuggles @ 30 min.

Yeast
Wyeast Scottish ale

High temp mash at 158 with a batch sparge after 60 min.

The only real glaring thing I see in this is the smoked malt. There is some small debate on this topic, and I'm of the camp which feels smoked malt is inappropriate in Scottish Ales.

Otherwise, I say go for it!

Bob

If you are going for strict style, this is from the BJCP style guides. Should be tasty.

"Although unusual, any smoked character is yeast- or water-derived and not from the use of peat-smoked malts. Use of peat-smoked malt to replicate the peaty character should be restrained; overly smoky beers should be entered in the Smoked Beer category rather than here."

"Ingredients: Scottish or English pale base malt. Small amounts of roasted barley add color and flavor, and lend a dry, slightly roasty finish. English hops. Clean, relatively un-attenuative ale yeast. Some commercial brewers add small amounts of crystal, amber, or wheat malts, and adjuncts such as sugar. The optional peaty, earthy and/or smoky character comes from the traditional yeast and from the local malt and water rather than using smoked malts."

What are your predicted OG and FG?

I would agree with the folks above, and cut the smoked malt. If you really want that smoked flavor and dont think your yeast will give it to you, maybe drop it down to 2 oz. Scottish Ales shouldnt really be smoky, even Wee Heavies, they should just make you think of smoky.

Did you consider using Honey Malt? I have seen a handful of that thrown into some Scottish Ales, with differing results...

NQ3X said:

The only real glaring thing I see in this is the smoked malt. There is some small debate on this topic, and I'm of the camp which feels smoked malt is inappropriate in Scottish Ales.

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+ eleventy billion! I abhor peated malt in my beer. In a dram? - another thing entirely.

Update/Correction:

I'm literally listening to a BN Sunday Session back from March, and someone asked a question about smoked malt...

For a Scottish 60 (10lbs) JP used 1.5 lbs of Weyermann Beechwood Smoked Malt, and thought it could maybe use a bit more. They pointed out that there are a number of different types of smoked malt. The real thing to look out for is peated malt, which is a dirtier smoke taste and it is a lot stronger. Beechwood smoked malts, especially varieties that arent too heavily smoked, give you more leeway.

Just remember, once smoke is in there, you cant get rid of it.

Thanks for the replies guys. The smoked malt was somewhat questionable to me a well, so I think I will leave it out. Any suggestions for anything else to add? The way it stands the est. OG is 1.095 and finishing in the 1.025 range. Everything else, SRM and IBUs, seems to be about smack dab in the middle range for the style.

This is for a competition in September where the winner gets to brew on the big barrel system at our local brewpub. I plan on brewing fairly soon and cold conditioning for a good three months.

you could go to The Brewing Network and look in the Jamil Show archives for his podcast on Scottish ales, on 10-09-2006. I just downloaded and listened to it last week. He recites a recipe he used in competition.

Smoke is one thing, but I've also had peated malts impart a band-aid flavor in some beers. I am still waiting on a Scottish Ale kit from last Nov. to mellow out. It's not moving very fast.

So I'm never using peated or smoked malt in my Scottish/Scotch ales again.

novafire said:

Smoke is one thing, but I've also had peated malts impart a band-aid flavor in some beers. I am still waiting on a Scottish Ale kit from last Nov. to mellow out. It's not moving very fast.

So I'm never using peated or smoked malt in my Scottish/Scotch ales again.

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How much did you use?

On a recent recipe my dad and I tossed together we used a 1/2lb of peated malt. I thought he was crazy, the LHBS store thought he was crazy, and while its a tad too smokey for me, he loves it. He said it reminds him alot of the beers he drank up in the Highlands (super peaty water) of Scotland.

riored4v said:

How much did you use?

On a recent recipe my dad and I tossed together we used a 1/2lb of peated malt. I thought he was crazy, the LHBS store thought he was crazy, and while its a tad too smokey for me, he loves it. He said it reminds him alot of the beers he drank up in the Highlands (super peaty water) of Scotland.

Click to expand...

It was a AHS Session Series kit, so I have no real idea of how much peated malt was in the kit. It was rather disappointing though, since I've made more Scotch/Scottish Ales than any other styles and they are usually my favorite.