Scottish Heavy

[Skittlebrau]

Any thoughts? Got some Bramling Cross in the freezer and I've been really developing a taste for McEwan's Champion, so I've used the grain bill from a clone recipe I found online and substituted my own hop schedule. Would be interested in others' opinions.

Bramling Champion
Strong Scotch Ale

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 25.0
Total Grain (kg): 8.729
Total Hops (g): 60.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.073 (°P): 17.7
Final Gravity (FG): 1.018 (°P): 4.6
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.27 %
Colour (SRM): 21.2 (EBC): 41.8
Bitterness (IBU): 25.3 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 68
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
7.554 kg Maris Otter Malt (86.54%)
0.619 kg Crystal 60 (7.09%)
0.357 kg Wheat Malt (4.09%)
0.130 kg Roasted Barley (1.49%)
0.065 kg Peated Malt (0.74%)
0.004 kg Sinamar (0.05%)

Hop Bill
----------------
10.0 g Bramling Cross Leaf (7.6% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
10.0 g East Kent Golding Leaf (6.45% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
10.0 g Fuggles Leaf (4.77% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
10.0 g Bramling Cross Leaf (7.6% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
10.0 g Bramling Cross Leaf (7.6% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)
10.0 g Bramling Cross Leaf (7.6% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (0.4 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 63°C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 19°C - 21°C with WLP028 - Edinburgh Scottish Ale


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

[wilfh]

Looks Interesting
What's sinemar?
Wilf

[Skittlebrau]

This stuff.

[Hanglow]

Ditch the peated malt, it has no place that beer. E150 is probably what they'd use at the brewery for colouring rather than sinamar

good luck

[bob3000]

just made a souped up version of a 1845 clone. used homegrown bramling and a kg of brown sugar/jaggery.

May turn out similar

[Skittlebrau]

Ditch the peated malt, it has no place that beer.

I did wonder about that. I think 0.75% might lend it something a bit subtle though. Anyone used it in this sort of concentration before?

[Skittlebrau]

I'm going to brew this this week unless someone has a burning reason I shouldn't!

[mysterio]

Slightly too hoppy for style and the peated malt is a major flaw. Some amber malt or possibly a bit of brown malt would be better suited and would add some complexity. I think the hop schedule should work fine but please lose the peated!

[seymour]

If you're interested, here's an authentic Scottish Heavy recipe shared on our forums by Ron Pattinson (of Shut Up About Barclay Perkins blog and book series fame):

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=55207&p=581336#p581336

5th Aug 1965, Maclay 80/-

OG: 1040
FG: 1013
ABV: 3.57
App. Attenuation: 65.71%
hops: 2.25 oz English & Styrian Goldings
Mash @ 157º F

pale malt: 74.91%
no. 1 sugar: 7.68%
DCS sugar: 3.84%
flaked maize: 11.52%

[Skittlebrau]

Think I'm persuaded not to include the peated malt but am curious as to why people think it's so wrong?!?! As I said in my original post, that malt bill was lifted straight from a clone recipe of the original beer that someone had posted on another forum. It made sense to me at that low level but everyone else seems really against it!

As for the hops - this is my first beer with Bramling Cross so I deliberately over-hopped this recipe so I can get a good sense of what the hop is like. I figured if you are going to do that with a beer like this then BX is probably not a bad variety to use...

[Hanglow]

It's incredibly strong flavoured and used for whisky production, I can't think of any beers ever produced in scotland that would have used it. It's certainly not present in champion. It's probably from Clone Brews or another american book that for some reason think scottish ales are peated. They also suggest putting peach flavouring into Duvel iirc

I don't think you've over hopped it though, that's not many hops and it's a strong beer - make sure you have a decent starter and try and keep the temperature under control

[Skittlebrau]

Will a one litre starter do the trick? Cultured up from bottled yeast...

[mysterio]

Oh yeah, hops are fine for the strength come to think of it. I assumed it was around the 1.040-1.050 mark

Some Weyermann beechwood smoked malt could work if you're looking for a smokey hint, totally non traditional but quite pleasant.

[barney]

Whatever you do dont over hop with bramlin cross, Use it moderately and carefully. It will detract from the beer and negate malt complexity.

I find that when used in any quantity you can get a really acerbic twang, which just will not go from the beer; on a couple of brews I thought it was infected until I figured out it was the Bramling Cross; I hate it now and even a hint of that awful acerbic edge makes me chuck the pint down the sink.

[Skittlebrau]

Whatever you do dont over hop with bramlin cross, Use it moderately and carefully. It will detract from the beer and negate malt complexity.

I find that when used in any quantity you can get a really acerbic twang, which just will not go from the beer; on a couple of brews I thought it was infected until I figured out it was the Bramling Cross; I hate it now and even a hint of that awful acerbic edge makes me chuck the pint down the sink.

Do you think what I have listed above is too much, barney?

This beer is being postponed now, I can't get it together in time for this week and I've remembered what a slow worker WLP028 is and I'm going away week after next. So... the discussion can continue.