Best Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy you’ve made

[Cellar_Dweller]

This recipe was kind of a stab in the dark but won me first place in a homebrew competition a while back with a score of 43/50. I like to throw a chunk of toasted white oak in the keg to kick it up a notch. I also adjust my water to the Munich profile, simply because I drank some doppelbock or another from there I liked the mouthfeel of and wanted to apply that vibe to this beer. I tend to make this every fall or winter. I have a pretty fancy system so it might be my O2-free process but this beer comes out noticeably clean and drinkable for the grain bill. Just something special about it that I really like.


Boil Size: 7.00 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.50 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.079 SG
Estimated Color: 25.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 26.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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8 lbs 12.0 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter
5 lbs 8.0 oz 2-Row
1 lbs Barley, Flaked
8.0 oz Munich Malt
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt
4.0 oz Caramel Malt - 20L
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L
4.0 oz Crystal, Medium
4.0 oz Roasted Barley
3.0 oz Special B Malt

0.30 oz Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 14 9.2 IBUs
3.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 15 17.6 IBUs

2.0 pkg Nottingham (Danstar #-) [23.66 ml]


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 17 lbs 7.0 oz
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Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Saccharification Add 33.11 qt of water at 162.7 F 152.1 F 75 min

 

[bwible]

Is that style lighter in color and less malty? Is that one that you take a portion and boil it down to get the caramelization?

I don’t brew Wee Heavy often but that’s what I’d heard. You take the first quart of runnings and boil that down to a pint and add it back. The other thing is a long boil, usually 120 min.

 

[dwightr8]

I’m looking to make a Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy. Looking for options on what others have been happier with.

I’ve been looking and I’m uncertain with smoked malt because I don’t really like smoky scotch. I do like smoked meat though.

Also I’ve seen some recipes with basically pale malt and roast malt and sometimes they boil a portion down to get the maltiness. Other recipes have flavoring malts and caramel malts. I like malty beers so that is what I thought would be good.

I already have the last pack of Wyeast Scottish ale yeast my local supplier had so looking to use it.

I’ve been trying to get my mind around the shilling scale etc. I’ve had McEwan's and big rockS versions I’m guessing are 70-80 shilling beers. I was probably going to go near or over and SG of 1.100 and do all grain. But I’m here for advice so let’s see where it goes.

Thanks all.

You might want to look at the Oskar Blues Old Chub Scottish Ale recipe here:

Oskar Blues Recipes

Old Chub has been one of my favs since I first discovered it about 20 years ago. I've brewed this a few times and it's pretty close to the real thing.