Scottish Ale Brew Day - Part 1

Big plans today for Frostbite Brewing. There are currently two batches of beer fermenting, with the "Whiskey Romeo's Brown Ale" to be bottled and the All-Amarillo IPA ready to be transferred to secondary fermenation and dry hopped with two ounces of amarillo hops. Plus we will be brewing an 80 Shilling Scottish Ale. It is a good thing that family will be coming over to help out today!

The history of "shilling" catergories of beers in Scotland relates to the price charged per barrel during the 19th century with the stronger and better quality beers costing more. Beer styles were also referred to by strength according to the following names:

Light (60/-) under 3.5% ABV
Heavy (70/-) between 3.5% - 4.0% ABV
Export (80/-) between 4.0 % - 5.5% ABV
Wee heavy (90/-) over 6.0% ABV

The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidlines for a Scottish Export 80/- are as follows:

Aroma: Low to medium malty sweetness, sometimes accentuated by low to moderate kettle caramelization. Some examples have a low hop aroma, light fruitiness, low diacetyl, and/or a low to moderate peaty aroma (all are optional). The peaty aroma is sometimes perceived as earthy, smoky or very lightly roasted.

Appearance: Deep amber to dark copper. Usually very clear due to long, cool fermentations. Low to moderate, creamy off-white to light tan-colored head.

Flavor: Malt is the primary flavor, but isn’t overly strong. The initial malty sweetness is usually accentuated by a low to moderate kettle caramelization, and is sometimes accompanied by a low diacetyl component. Fruity esters may be moderate to none. Hop bitterness is low to moderate, but the balance will always be towards the malt (although not always by much). Hop flavor is low to none. A low to moderate peaty character is optional, and may be perceived as earthy or smoky. Generally has a grainy, dry finish due to small amounts of unmalted roasted barley.

Mouthfeel: Medium-low to medium body. Low to moderate carbonation. Sometimes a bit creamy, but often quite dry due to use of roasted barley.

Overall Impression: Cleanly malty with a drying finish, perhaps a few esters, and on occasion a faint bit of peaty earthiness (smoke). Most beers finish fairly dry considering their relatively sweet palate, and as such have a different balance than strong Scotch ales.

Comments: The malt-hop balance is slightly to moderately tilted towards the malt side. Any caramelization comes from kettle caramelization and not caramel malt (and is sometimes confused with diacetyl). 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 Other Smoked Beer category (22B) rather than here.

History: Traditional Scottish session beers reflecting the indigenous ingredients (water, malt), with less hops than their English counterparts (due to the need to import them). Long, cool fermentations are traditionally used in Scottish brewing.

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.

Vital Statistics: OG: 1.040–1.054 IBUs:15–30 FG:1.010–1.016 SRM:9– 7 ABV:3.9–5.0%

Commercial Examples: Orkney Dark Island, Caledonian 80/- Export Ale, Belhaven 80/- (Belhaven Scottish Ale in the US), Southampton 80 Shilling, Broughton Exciseman’s 80/-, Belhaven St. Andrews Ale, McEwan's Export (IPA), Inveralmond Lia Fail, Broughton Merlin’s Ale, Arran Dark

Amarillo IPA Brew Day

Today is another brew day and I am going to be making an India Pale Ale or IPA. An IPA is a version of a pale ale or a beer that is brewed with light or pale malts. IPAs add a significant amount of hops to the pale malt to create a beer that is bitter and has significant flavor and aroma from the hops utilized. The history of the IPA style can be traced back to the British colonization of India and the East India Company. The brewers added extra hops to the wooden casks (a process called dry hopping) in order to preserve the beer during the long voyage.

This IPA recipe features usage of Amarillo and Simcoe hops. Amarillo imparts a citrus aroma and flavor similar to a grapefruit/mango/peach. Simcoe gives more of a floral and pine-like aroma and flavor. The recipe uses 5 ounces of Amarillo hops and 1 ounce of Simcoe.

Here is the recipe:

6.0 lbs of Light Liquid Malt Extract

2.0 lbs of Light Dry Malt Extract

1.0 lbs of 20L Caramel Malt

0.5 lbs of Cara-Pils Malt

Hops

1.o oz of Amarillo at 60 min

1.o oz of Amarillo at 30 min

1.o oz of Amarillo at 15 min

1.o oz of Amarillo at 2 min

1.o oz of Amarillo (dry hopped into secondary)

1.0 oz of Simcoe (dry hopped into secondary)

Yeast

White Labs California Ale Yeast - WLP001