Heather Scottish Ale tastes cider-like?

[NavyMarine1978]

I have made a Scottish Ale and substituted hops for heather tips. I used 1.5 cups of heather tips during the boil and another 1/2 cup as a hop back. I have allowed the beer to carbonate for 3 weeks in the bottle so far and have found that the carbonation level is very low, almost non existent. I poured the bottle to the bottom of the glass but I did not glug the bottle. There were a few bubbles but nothing as far as a head is concerned. The smell is somewhat floral and cider like but a definite cider taste about it. I have never had a beer with heather tips in it before especially a beer without hops and I have no foundation to say this is what it should taste like only to fresh. I would like input forma anyone that is familiar with heather type ales since I am new to the whole idea. I know that the carbonation level is definitely low and needs more time to carb up. Maybe there is still carbonation sugar lingering that I am tasting combined with a floral, flowery taste creating a cider like flavour?

Thanks everyone,

NavyMarine1978

 

[Kingfish]

Can you post your exact recipe and process including yeast used, priming sugar quantity, primary/secondary times and ferm temp.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

Can you post your exact recipe and process including yeast used, priming sugar quantity, primary/secondary times and ferm temp.

Sure. The recipe is as follows:

One Gallon Batch

3 Lbs Marris Otter
4 oz 60L Crystal Malt
2 oz 120L Crystal Malt
2 oz Crystal Malt
2 oz Honey Malt
1/2 oz Roasted Barley
1.5 cups Heather tips (boil)
0.5 cups Heather tips (hop back)
Safale S-04 11.5g
5tsp bottling sugar batch primed

I did a single fermenter (carboy) and it finished fermenting within 5 days. Today, is the third week. I read the original instructions from the book which suggest a minimum of 3 weeks carbonation + depending on how strong the ale is to be.

NavyMarine1978

 

[Pommy]

leave it for a couple of months, it should round out and since you only brewed a gallon of it there's no point in wasting it by tasting so young.

 

[NavyMarine1978]

leave it for a couple of months, it should round out and since you only brewed a gallon of it there's no point in wasting it by tasting so young.

Is this common for Scotch styled/Heather Ales or is this just a good rule of thumb? I currently have a Belgian styled Cherry Kriek that I have set aside for the same purpose. I am finding that my stouts, porters and biters are tasting great within this time frame (3 week carbonation) with a nice, thick, fine head.

NavyMarine19787

 

[Pommy]

The time for carbonation generally depends on the OG/FG of the beer. If it is flat and cidery (search acetaldehyde) the beer is too young. RDWHAHB and by all means if your beer is good in three weeks drink it but generally it will taste a whole lot better at three months.

 

[Kingfish]

That is a whole lot of heather in 1 gallon. Was it fresh or dried?

 

[NavyMarine1978]

That is a whole lot of heather in 1 gallon. Was it fresh or dried?

The Heather Tips were dried. I found the recipe in a book called 'Beer Craft - Six-Packs from Scratch' by William Bostwick and Jessie Rymill. This is the small write-up on Heather Ale under the spices and herbs chapter on page 104:

The Picts, Celtish tribe in the British Isles, were famous for their heather beer. Heather tips are delicious-floral and piney-and they make a great substitute for hops. (Any home brew shop will have them.) To make your own heather ale, boil your wort with 1.5 cups of heather tips for 60 minutes. Then use a hopback filled with 1/2 cup heather. (Yes, we know, this seems like a lot of heather-but trust us, it tastes like no beer you've ever had, and definitely worth a try.)

Scottish Ale Recipe on page 87 at the bottom under experiment:

Heather Ale: Replace the hops with 1.5 cups heather tips. (see page 104)

As I stated earlier, I have no base whatsoever for comparison as to how a Heather Ale should taste or how long one should take to carb up and age.

NavyMarine1978

 

[Kingfish]

That very well may be your problem then. That amount would be the recommended for a 5 gallon batch. If I remember correctly I used about 2 cups of dried heather in the one I brewed (5.5 gallons).

 

[NavyMarine1978]

That very well may be your problem then. That amount would be the recommended for a 5 gallon batch. If I remember correctly I used about 2 cups of dried heather in the one I brewed (5.5 gallons).

The book is designed for 1 Gallon or '6 pack' batches. They suggest that I should be starting with a 2 gallon boil and ending up with 1 gallon for the fermenter. All the recipes and suggestions in this book are designed for 1 gallon batches and six packs. Unless they made an error by recommending an amount for a 5 gallon batch in a 1 gallon recipe book, I simply assume that they made all the recipes and suggestions for 1 gallon batches within their book. I simply don't know enough about it to know the difference.

NavyMarine1978

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

What was the OG? I'm guessing fairly high, with ~3 lbs of base malt in a ~1 gal batch. Higher OG beers take longer to carbonate. 3 weeks at room temp is the average for typical beers, but higher gravity beers will take longer. IME, ~1.07 will take 4-5 weeks, ~1.08 will take ~6 weeks or more and even higher OG beers can take two months or more to carb up. If you added and mixed the priming sugar, your beer will carb, just give it time.

 

[Kingfish]

They may have been recommending fresh heather instead of dried (takes less dried)? 1.5 cups just seems like a lot.

 

[frazier]

Give....it....time. My Scottish ales always taste a lot better after a few months than when "green". Stick 'em in the basement until Halloween, then dress up as a Pict. Or not, but wait until then if you can.

 

[chiteface]

I would give it time too...however that being said, i have given my barleywine seven months total 3 in bulk 4 in bottle and i have the same cidery taste...and it almost tastes like it has been getting progressively more pronounced.