Wee Heavy... suggestions?

[budbo]

Here is the recipie

15# British pale
1# Crystal 40
.5# Belgian aromatic
2 oz peated
.5# Candied sugar (clear)
.75oz Kent Goldings 6.5%(60min)
1.25oz Kent Goldings (15min)
wyeast 1084

Anyone see anything glaringly bad? or suggestions to improve?

8%ish ABV ..... 25IBU... SRM 11

 

[G. Cretin]

could you sub more crystal for the Sugar? I don't know, I'm wierd about sugar in my beer. I did it once and couldn't get it to ferment out the sugar taste.

 

[clayof2day]

The candi sugar was the only thing i was curious about too. Seems a little bit out of place in a wee heavy, but I don't really know either. I'm still learning about recipe formulation (in the middle of Daniels' "Designing..." at the moment

 

[budbo]

The sweetness from the candied sugar is part of the flavor profile

This is a Belgian version of a heavy Scotch ale.. part of the process is to carmelize 6 cups then add back to boil

 

[Brewsmith]

The candi sugar was the only thing i was curious about too. Seems a little bit out of place in a wee heavy, but I don't really know either. I'm still learning about recipe formulation (in the middle of Daniels' "Designing..." at the moment

A great book. Keep reading

 

[mysterio]

I think candi sugar is almost fully fermentable and won't add much sweetness, only gravity... apart from that I'd drop the flavour hops right down and mash high; the point of a Scottish ale is that you taste malt and not hops.

 

[Lou]

you should replace some (or all) of the pale malt with Simpson's Golden Promise....
from NB:
Simpson's Golden Promise -- Malt from a
traditional barley variety grown in Scotland. Golden
Promise produces a mellow wort, making it well-suited
for both ales and lagers. This base malt is a must for
authentic Scottish styles of ale or lager.

 

[Mikey]

This is a Belgian version of a heavy Scotch ale.. part of the process is to carmelize 6 cups then add back to boil

This is the second reference to 'Belgian' Scotch/Scottish ales I've seen on this site recently. Do you have references to commercial beers of this style, or is this another inside joke that I've missed out on?

The reduction of the first runnings is an age old Scottish practice for wee heavies, not heard of it being used in Belgian brewing before.

There again, WTFDIK?

 

[budbo]

I think candi sugar is almost fully fermentable and won't add much sweetness, only gravity... apart from that I'd drop the flavour hops right down and mash high; the point of a Scottish ale is that you taste malt and not hops.

the sugar actually adds some sweetness(thats why candied not raw sugar) and I was trying to keep the IBU in the 20-35 range This brew will be 1.085+ OG so if I lower the IBU much more It's going to be too sweet.

 

[mysterio]

By all means keep the IBU's, I meant the late hop additions. I didnt realise that candi sugar added sweetness, I was under the impression that it was near fully fermentable. Out of interest, is this from experience or from a source?