1. recipes

McZainasheff’s Wee

Share Post

Scottish Ales are always fun to brew—maybe it’s their bold malty flavor, sweet finish, or possibly just the funny Scottish names that brewers come up with for these beers. Whatever it may be, Jamil Zainasheff has given us a winning recipe that will have you speaking like Sean Connery in no time. Recipe located in Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer. (Pages 131-132)

McZainasheff’s Wee | Scottish and Irish Ale

Ingredients

  • For 5.5 gallons (21 L)
    • 14.5 lb (6.57 kg) English Pale Ale LME (3.5 °L)
    0.25 lb (113 g) Munich Liquid Malt Extract (9 °L)
    1.0 lb (0.45 kg) Medium Crystal Malt (40 °L)
    0.5 lb (227 g) Honey Malt (18 °L)
    0.25 lb (113 g) Extra Dark Crystal Malt (120 °L)
     0.25 lb (113 g) Pale Chocolate Malt (200 °L)
    1.6 oz (45 g) Kent Goldings, 5% Alpha Acid (60 min)
    0.5 oz (14 g) Kent Goldings, 5% Alpha Acid (10 min)
    4 yeast packets or appropriate starter* WLP028 Edinburgh Ale, Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale, or Fermentis Safale US-05

    Specifications

    • Original Gravity: 1.099
    • Final Gravity: 1.026
    • ABV: 9.7%
    • IBU: 28
    • SRM: 16
    • Boil Time: n/a
    • Efficiency: n/a
    • Pre-boil Volume: 7.7 gallons (29.3L)
    • Pre-boil Gravity: 1.076

    Directions

    Place the grains in a muslin sack and then steep the grains in 1.5 gallons of water at 160°F (71.1°C) for 30 minutes. Take out the grains and hold them over the kettle allowing the remaining water to drip back into the kettle. Do not squeeze the grains. Squeezing the grains could result in bitter tannin extraction. Top up your brew kettle to 3 gallons and bring to a rolling boil (If possible, top up to 7.7 gallons and conduct a full boil). Stir in the malt extracts and bring kettle to a rolling boil. Boil for 30 minutes. Add 1.6 oz of Kent Goldings hops and allow to boil for 50 more minutes. Be careful when adding hops as you may encounter a boil over during the first hop addition. With 10 minutes left in the boil, add 0.5 oz of Kent Goldings.  Allow the wort to cool and then pitch the yeast around 65° F (18° C). Ferment around 65° F (18° C). When fermentation is finished, carbonate the beer to approximately 2 to 2.5 volumes of CO2. A period of cold conditioning for several months will improve this beer.

    All-Grain Option

    Replace the English Pale ale extract with 20 lbs. (9.07kg) British Pale ale malt. Replace the Munich extract with 0.5 lbs. (227g) Munich Malt. Mash at 154°F (68°C).