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Author Topic: Scottish Wee Heavy  (Read 4491 times)

Offline gymrat

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Scottish Wee Heavy
« on: March 02, 2014, 09:32:17 am »
I don't typically go for big beers. But I love a good Wee Heavy. I few years ago I brewed the Northern Brewer extract one and it came out great. Tasted just like the one The Great Divide brews. Now I am developing a recipe for an all grain one. I thought about even using the original method of taking a gallon of the first runnings, boiling it down to half a gallon before adding the rest of the runnings to carmelize it and add the color. But then I decided to just use caramel grain and black patent to get the sweetness and color. In my recipe below I listed a package of S04 for the yeast. But what I am really going to do is drop the yeast out from under the amber ale I am currently doing and dump that into my wee heavy.

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Wee Heavy
Brewer: Roger
Asst Brewer: Ralph the Wonderdog
Style: Strong Scotch Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 5.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal   
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.086 SG
Estimated Color: 16.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
15 lbs                Maris Otter (Crisp) (4.0 SRM)            Grain         1        94.5 %       
8.0 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)    Grain         2        3.1 %         
4.0 oz                Victory Malt (25.0 SRM)                  Grain         3        1.6 %         
2.0 oz                Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)          Grain         4        0.8 %         
1.00 oz               Sterling [7.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min  Hop           5        24.8 IBUs     
1.0 pkg               SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast         6        -             


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 15 lbs 14.0 oz
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Mash In           Add 20.84 qt of water at 167.5 F        152.0 F       60 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 2.98gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------


Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
Ralph's Brewery
Topeka, KS

Offline erockrph

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2014, 09:51:21 am »
Looks good. Caramel malt will not give you the flavor profile of caramelizing the first runnings, but it will still result in a good beer. You might also want to add a bit of honey malt if you want to come closer to that caramelized runnings flavor. I also think if you're already using 15lbs of Maris Otter, then I don't think there is much need for the Victory.

And I think S-04 is a solid choice for a Wee Heavy if you don't have a big pitch of Scottish Ale yeast ready to go.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline denny

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2014, 11:21:41 am »
Way too complicated.  Use Skotrat's Traquair House recipe, found here...http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WeeShroomy .  There is not a better wee heavy homebrew recipe around.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2014, 11:23:15 am »
+1.  Not even a close one.
Jon H.

Offline gymrat

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2014, 11:33:02 am »
Looks good. Caramel malt will not give you the flavor profile of caramelizing the first runnings, but it will still result in a good beer. You might also want to add a bit of honey malt if you want to come closer to that caramelized runnings flavor. I also think if you're already using 15lbs of Maris Otter, then I don't think there is much need for the Victory.

And I think S-04 is a solid choice for a Wee Heavy if you don't have a big pitch of Scottish Ale yeast ready to go.

I was just throwing the victory in there because I am sitting on 4oz of it. I guess I will save it for another beer.
Ralph's Brewery
Topeka, KS

Offline gymrat

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2014, 11:33:54 am »
Way too complicated.  Use Skotrat's Traquair House recipe, found here...http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WeeShroomy .  There is not a better wee heavy homebrew recipe around.

What's up with the mushrooms in that recipe?
Ralph's Brewery
Topeka, KS

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2014, 11:41:20 am »
Way too complicated.  Use Skotrat's Traquair House recipe, found here...http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WeeShroomy .  There is not a better wee heavy homebrew recipe around.

What's up with the mushrooms in that recipe?
Leave them out, and it is a wee heavy. Put them in and it is Denny's beer.

Jeff Rankert
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Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline gymrat

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2014, 11:51:41 am »
Unless I buy another 5 pounds of Marris Otter I will be just using 15lbs, according to that recipe Denny pointed to all I need to do is toss in a couple ounces of Black Patent and I am good to go. I do have plenty of 2 row on hand I suppose I could use that to make up the difference?
Ralph's Brewery
Topeka, KS

Offline denny

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2014, 12:38:48 pm »
Way too complicated.  Use Skotrat's Traquair House recipe, found here...http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WeeShroomy .  There is not a better wee heavy homebrew recipe around.

What's up with the mushrooms in that recipe?

They make an incredibly delicious beer!  Of course, leave them out for a "normal" wee heavy.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

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"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2014, 03:34:15 pm »
What to sub for roasted barley? I have black patent and chocolate and carafa II special and pale chocolate

Offline gymrat

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #10 on: March 02, 2014, 03:35:57 pm »
What to sub for roasted barley? I have black patent and chocolate and carafa II special and pale chocolate

There is so little of it in there that I doubt you get any flavor from it. It is there for color I think. Any of those would probably work.
Ralph's Brewery
Topeka, KS

Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #11 on: March 03, 2014, 08:33:28 am »
Chocolate malt is probably the closest in terms of flavor and color.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline denny

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #12 on: March 03, 2014, 08:56:32 am »
What to sub for roasted barley? I have black patent and chocolate and carafa II special and pale chocolate

I'd go for the carafa.

BTW, the one I made last week is giving me blowoff with 1728 at 52F!
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline gymrat

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Re: Scottish Wee Heavy
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2014, 08:33:59 am »
OK this was the recipe I brewed yesterday. I would have prefered kent goldings for the hops but I didn't have any on hand. I think Sterling is a nice "neutral" hop for general purpose use as a bittering hop. Just my opinion.

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Ralph's Lift Your Leg and Wee Heavy
Brewer: Roger
Asst Brewer: Ralph the Wonderdog
Style: Strong Scotch Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 5.70 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.20 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal   
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.085 SG
Estimated Color: 16.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 20.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
15 lbs                Maris Otter (Crisp) (4.0 SRM)            Grain         1        95.6 %       
8.0 oz                Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)                    Grain         2        3.2 %         
3.0 oz                Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)          Grain         3        1.2 %         
0.70 oz               Sterling [8.60 %] - First Wort 60.0 min  Hop           4        20.1 IBUs     
1.0 pkg               SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast         5        -             


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 15 lbs 11.0 oz
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Mash In           Add 20.61 qt of water at 167.5 F        152.0 F       60 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 2.97gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------

Ralph's Brewery
Topeka, KS