Smoked Wee Heavy

[Doc]

Haven't brewed since the Big Brew Day last month, so I've got to get back in the saddle and brew something different and experimental.

Have decided to go for a Smoked Wee Heavy.
I've brewed a few Scottish Ales before, but nothing quite what I have in mind for this one.

I have a short list of grains and hops. Anyone already done the leg work on this one ?

Here is my current scratch pad

Marris Otter
Peated Malt or Rauchmalt
Rolled Oats
Crystal (Caramalt)
Roasted Barley
Choc Malt

Goldings, Northern Brewer, Fuggles

Doc

 

[Dave86]

G'day Doc

Although I'm very much an amatuer compared to your brewing experience, I thought I'd put my two bob in (for what it's worth). IMHO i'd go with the peated over the rauchmalt, for the sake of authenticity, though not much more than 200g in a 20-25 litre batch. I'm a big fan of using oats, but thats personal bias, but anywhere up to half a kilo could be good to smooth out the peat/rauch. The crystal and dark malts are really up to personal preference, though I tend to shy away from too much roast barley. Any of those hops would be good, as you aren't really looking for aroma in a scottish ale. I'd go with a edinburgh ale yeast (1728).

Hope thats got the creative juices flowing anyway (or at the very least some ideas to throw out the window)

Dave

 

[Kai]

I did an 80/~ recently with a wee bit of MPDM (medium peated distiller's malt), around 1% or so. I was hoping to fudge the legendary peaty smokiness of 1728. What I got was a smoky flavour that was too uncouth to have any business in my beer, fortunately it faded quite quickly. In short, I don't think it's worth it.

 

[Barry]

Good Day
If you just want a faint hint of smoke then 100 to 200 gms of rauch would do in opinion. If you distinct but smooth smoke use 1 to 2 kgs of rauch malt. Peat malt is a bit coarse in my experince.

 

[Screwtop]

When it comes to the phenolic aroma/flavour of malt kilned using a peat fire you either love it or hate it. Before using peat malt try yourself a dram of good single malt whiskey such as Laphroaig, it's an Islay Malt and big on the peat phenolics. I love the stuff and have made two Irish reds using 5% peat malt in the grain bill at 38 IBU using NB, Goldings and Fuggle. I prefer the peat effect to Rauch it just tastes too much like wood smoke for me. I think the peat would go well in a Scottish but you would need to experiment to get the balance right depending on your malt and hop profile.

 

[Keith the Beer Guy]

Doc,

not the question you asked, but what yeast are you planning to use?

The white labs version of the Scottish will produce a very subdued background smokiness without smoked malt whereas the Wyeast version will not.

Keith

 

[Ross]

like Screwtop i love the MPDM - Had the pleasure of trying his Laphroaig whisky one day & it was fantastic.
I've now got a smoked Oktoberfest using 15% MPDM & really enjoying it (from a man who previously said, smoke has no place in a beer). Back to the thread... It's pretty powerful stuff, I'd be adding max 50gms to get a hint of peat in a scottish.

Cheers Ross

 

[DJR]

Doc

C'mon, it's not that experimental, you're just following in my footsteps :lol:

I think tasting my Wee Heavy made with 60g M PDM will make you make up your mind! I think it sort of got lost behind the sherried oak, but it is there in the background. Next time i might add in about 100g. It's a much stronger flavour than Rauch. I guess my grainbill made up for it, so it's all in the balance you have (the damn thing is virtually black in the glass and came out at 1020 FG from 1075)

Then again, i absolutely love Laphroaig (my current fave is the 10yo) so i might not be qualified! From what i read however, you should use no more than 120g.

Want some 1728 as well? I still have a vial in the fridge. I'm sure you could find something else to swap me for that

 

[Dave86]

Before using peat malt try yourself a dram of good single malt whiskey such as Laphroaig, it's an Islay Malt and big on the peat phenolics.

Mmmm, single malts.
Slightly off topic but have to reccommend ardbeg 10yo to those lovers of very peaty single malts, the best whiskey I have (in my tender twenty years) tasted to date

 

[Doc]

not the question you asked, but what yeast are you planning to use?

Will be using 1728. Checked the yeast fridge last night and have a starter left.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Doc]

What has actually inspired me is the Red Hill Scotch Ale. I had a sample brewery fresh at the weekend and it was fantastic. Great malt driven ale with terrific raisins notes.

Doc

 

[andrewg]

What has actually inspired me is the Red Hill Scotch Ale. I had a sample brewery fresh at the weekend and it was fantastic. Great malt driven ale with terrific raisins notes.

Doc

I agree - the Red Hill Scotch Ale is an absolute beauty.
Nice little micro if you on the Peninsula & they grow their own hops too! (no affilications)
cheers
HStB

 

[Fents]

Red Hill brewery is ace. All their beers are fantastic. Overpriced ($28 for a six pack ???) but still fantastic.

 

[Doc]

First hack at the recipe. Obviously I'll be scaling up the batch size, but this is it so far.
I'm thinking I might pull off a few litres and do a reduction also for caramalisation.

Beers,
Doc

Doc's Wee Heavy

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

05-C Scottish Ale, Export 80

Min OG: 1.040 Max OG: 1.050
Min IBU: 15 Max IBU: 36
Min Clr: 25 Max Clr: 49 Color in EBC

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (L): 19.00 Wort Size (L): 19.00
Total Grain (kg): 5.83
Anticipated OG: 1.071 Plato: 17.19
Anticipated EBC: 40.6
Anticipated IBU: 32.1
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 10.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 21.11 L
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.064 SG 15.56 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Rager

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
85.7 5.00 kg. TF Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt UK 1.037 7
8.6 0.50 kg. JWM Caramalt Australia 1.036 74
4.3 0.25 kg. Flaked Oats America 1.033 5
1.0 0.06 kg. JWM Roast Barley Australia 1.036 1882
0.5 0.03 kg. Peated Malt Great Britain 1.038 12

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
28.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 4.75 20.9 60 min.
28.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 4.75 7.0 20 min.
28.00 g. Goldings - E.K. Pellet 4.75 4.2 10 min.


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1728 Scotish Ale

 

[DJR]

More Peat! Go for at least 60g, 30g you won't even taste after it's finished.

Looks good otherwise, reducing a couple of litres for caramelisation is a good trick.

Had a taste of mine last night - it's like a smooth caramelly porter without so much roast character. Good drop. Bit undercarbed though, that was the only issue i had with it.

 

[Doc]

Just flogged a sample from the fermenter while kegging another beer.
The smoked and hint of peat that I hoped for from adding 60gr of Peated malt aren't just a hint. Not overpowering, but not the suggestive hint I was aiming for.
The beer is earthy, malty, slightly sweet with the hint of scotchness at the end of the palette. I'm sure this will age into a great beer although I'm not expecting the keg to empty in less than 6 months as this is a desert nightcap beer.

Doc

 

[Kai]

I'd expect that somewhere between now and then it will go from not just a hint to just a hint to nothing. Should be interesting to track the progress as you drink it. Mine disappeared pretty damned quick.

Once it's packaged I'd try drinking it a few degrees warmer too if you want the malt to subsume the peat a little.

 

[Doc]

Kegged it tonight.
I didn't perceive the peat flavours as much as I did on the 15th. It is still there, but more on the back of the palette as an aftertaste, giving the beer some subtle complexity.
It has come in at 8.3% and is going to be a much savoured brew. It is tasting great going into the keg.

Doc