Anyone have a Good Recipe for a Belhavenish Scottish Ale?

[Hippy]

I can't stop drinking Belhaven Scottish Ale at the moment and I blame my scotch drinking friend.
He left me about a quarter of a bottle of some really expensive scotch at my place a month or so back after I brushed him off with his offerings of $100+ bottles of scotch saying "na I'm more into beer".
Anyway I ended up drinking it neat one night and was like "**** me, I wasn't aware scotch could taste so good." It just had a beautiful malty, peaty taste.
I've been experimenting with a lot of English beers lately as there's a shitload in my LBS as I'm surrounded by poms fresh off the boat. Came Across aforementioned scottish ale and loved it, with that same smoked peat , sweet malty character.
I'm determined to pump out a batch, especially as Nev is having a British Ale Fest, I just need to know if anyone knows a good recipe close to the mark.
I'm thinking golden promise or marris otter as the base, peat smoked and black malt as the SG, and hopped with goldings and fuggles. Of course I'll use scottish ale yeast from Wyeast, so I just want to know if anyone's had a crack at this and pulled it off.

 

[bconnery]

If you don't get an answer you could head to jim's homebrew forum in the UK. Might find something there on that beer...

 

[manticle]

I don't remember bellhaven having much peat character.
I think Golden promise is originally a scottish strain.

I have a decent wee heavy recipe but can't say how close it is to bellhaven as I've never tried them side by side.

Only other info I can offer is from Noonan's Scotch Ale: most of the Bellhaven beers use around 7% glucose to the kettle and Kent Goldings. 90 shilling strong (same as wee heavy I believe) is given these specs: OG 1070, FG, 1014. No IBU but the recipes in the book for various heavies vary between high 20s up to 60, with 30 -40 seeming more common. I would be aiming for mid- high 20s with this one though.

Noonan suggests 7.25% abv but the bellhaven website lists 6.5.

High mash temp, longish boil.

Doesn't answer your question directly but might give you some starting points.

 

[Hippy]

Thanks Manticle you've given me a few pointers I can work with there.
From what information I've managed to gather so far there's definitely peat smoked malt in it there.
Won't be trying the wee heavy to start with, just the scottish ale which is 5.2%ABV, so will probably aim for an OG of mid to low 1050s.
I'd be keen to try a wee heavy at some stage though if your willing to share your recipe.
I think you'd be pretty on the money with an IBU of mid to high 20s as well.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Wish the recipient DB was available. I have a nice Scottish red on it

 

[NewtownClown]

I make Scottish ales about four times a year.
The difference between 60, 70, 80 and 90 is the amount of grain, for the grist remains generally the same.
I like English Pale and Munich for a 60, adding a touch of roast barley or, carafa special 3 for a 70

I boil for two hours and draw off 2 litres of wort preboil and reduce this separately down to about 500 - 800 ml then add it back too the main wort. The malty flavours from the caramelisation and maillard reaction from the long boil and the reduction could be subbed with various malts (melanoidin, biscuit, special B, perhaps).

Gravities, IBU and descriptions HERE will help.

If you like, I will dig up my full recipe and post it later.

 

[manticle]

Thanks Manticle you've given me a few pointers I can work with there.
From what information I've managed to gather so far there's definitely peat smoked malt in it there.
Won't be trying the wee heavy to start with, just the scottish ale which is 5.2%ABV, so will probably aim for an OG of mid to low 1050s.
I'd be keen to try a wee heavy at some stage though if your willing to share your recipe.
I think you'd be pretty on the money with an IBU of mid to high 20s as well.

For some reason I was thinking of the heavy.

Will hunt up the specs for the 5.2%.

In the meantime this is the original recipe design for a wee heavy

[SIZE=medium]Wee heavy[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Type: All grain[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Size: 22 liters[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Color: 16 HCU (~10 SRM) [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Bitterness: 28 IBU[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]OG: 1.071[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]FG: 1.018[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Alcohol: 6.9% v/v (5.4% w/w)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Grain:[/SIZE][SIZE=medium] 7kg Simpsons Maris otter
50g Roasted barley[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Mash: 70% efficiency, [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]TEMP: 55/67/72/78[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]TIME: 5/60/10/10[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Boil: 180 minutes SG 1.043, 36 liters[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Hops: 50g Kent Goldings (4.5% AA, 60 min.)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]SCALE UP TO 44 L, caramelise4 L down to 400 mL and add back to kettle.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Scottish Yeast 1728[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Cal Chloride only.[/SIZE]

However when we actually brewed it, we dropped out the roast barley and did a 3hr boil instead. The caramel flavours from maris plus this alone belie the fact there is no crystal malt within cooey.

Brewing a single batch again this weekend for the Vic case swap.

 

[Hippy]

Thanks Manticle, sounds good.
I do the caramelisation thing with my English Bitters as well, works great.

 

[manticle]

Hey Hippy,

Again the versions in the book are slightly different. The closest sounding version is their 80 shilling export, exported to the US as Scottish ale - 5% crystal and 2% roast barley, OG 1041, FG 1010. A bit weaker than yours although they also make another export for Texas which starts at 1056 (no other details given).

Book was written in 1993 so obviously things change over time but hopefully there are some ideas to play around with.

 

[Hippy]

Thanks again Manticle. Your very helpful and obviously a good bloke, even if you think Tim Rogers sucks

 

[manticle]

I'd rather Tim Rogers than Justin Bieber if that's any consolation.

Brewing my wee heavy at the moment.