90/- Recipe

[Matt12398]

I've got myself some WLP0028 equivalent from Brewlabs and was planning on making a 90/-.

Graham's book has Belhaven 90/- but I'm not necessarily fussed about cloning anything, just something in the Scottish style.

Does anyone have a good recipe that they have done and wouldn't mind sharing?

[seymour]

Well played, that is one of my all-time favourite yeast strains. In my opinion, it'll make any big brown ale better, but here are a bunch of cool ideas to compare and consider:

Adelscot (Smoked Scotch Ale from France)
Brasserie Fischer - Schiltigheim, France
OG: 1065
IBU: 16-20
Colour: Amber
Grainbill: Pale, Peat-Smoked Whisky malt, Flaked Maize
Bittering Hops: Brewers Gold, Hallertau
Aroma Hops: Styrian Goldings (10 min)

Belhaven 90/- (Scotch Ale)
Greene King/Belhaven - Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland
OG: 1070
IBU: 34
Colour: 38/75, very dark brown
Grainbill: 84% Pale, 4% Black Malt, 12% Invert Syrup
Bittering Hops: Fuggles, Goldings, Bramling Cross, Whitbread Goldings Variety
Aroma Hops: Fuggles, Goldings

Belhaven Ale No. 4 (Scotch Ale, 1871)
Greene King/Belhaven - Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland
OG: 1068
Colour: brown
Grainbill: 56% Pale, 44% CaraPils/Dextrine Malt, + Caramel Colourant
Hops: Goldings

Borve Aberdeen Union Street 200 (Scotch Ale)
Borve (historical, 1983-2001) - Aberdeenshire, Scotland
OG: 1050
IBU: 20
Colour: brown
Grainbill: 94% Pale, 2% Crystal Malt, 4% Roasted Barley
Bittering Hops: Target
Aroma Hops: Hallertau Hersbrucker

Caledonian Strong Ale (Scotch Ale)
Heineken/Caledonian - Edinburgh, Scotland
OG: 1078
IBU: ≈60
Grainbill: Pale, Crystal Malt, Amber Malt, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt, Wheat Malt
Hops: Fuggles, Goldings

Founders Dirty Bastard (Scotch Ale)
Founders Brewing Company - Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: 50
Colour: dark ruby
Grainbill: 82.5% Pale, 4.7% Special-B Malt, 3.2% CaraPils/Dextrine Malt, 3.2% CaraMunich Malt, 3.2% CaraVienne Malt, 1.6% Peat Smoked Malt, 1.6% Black Malt?
Bittering Hops: Goldings (60 min), Perle (40 min)
Aroma Hops: Goldings (20 min)

Highland St. Magnus Ale
Highland/Swannay Brewery - Orkney, Highlands, Scotland
ABV: 5.2%
Colour: reddish brown
Grainbill: Pale, Crystal Malt, small % Chocolate Malt
Bittering Hops: Fuggles
Aroma Hops: Goldings

Innis & Gunn Original (Oak-aged Scotch Ale)
Wellpark/C&C Group/Innis & Gunn - Edinburgh, Scotland
ABV: 6.6%
IBU: low
Colour: amber
Grainbill: Pale, Crystal Malt (aged 30 days in oak barrels)
Hops: Phoenix

MacQueens Nessie Whisky Malt Red Beer
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg - Vorchdorf, Austria
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 27
Grainbill: 100% Scotch Whisky Malt?
Hops: Hallertau

McEwan 90/- (Scotch Ale)
Wells & Young - Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK
OG: 1052
IBU: 37
Colour: 16/31, copper
Grainbill: Scottish Pale, Roasted Barley, Flaked Maize, Torrified Wheat, Sugar
Bittering Hops: Fuggles
Aroma Hops: Styrian Goldings

Sam Adams Scotch Ale
Samuel Adams Brewery - Boston, Massachusettes, USA
OG: 1060
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 30
Colour: 19/38, dark brown
Grainbill: 90% Pale, 4.4% Crystal Malt, 4.4% Victory Malt, .9% Peat Smoked Malt, .4% Chocolate Malt
Hops: Fuggles (90 min), Goldings (30 min)

Schlafly Scotch Ale
Saint Louis Brewery/Schlafly - Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
OG: 1061
ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 25
Colour: 27/53, dark brown
Grainbill: Pale, Crystal Malt, Roasted Barley, Brown Cane Sugar
Bittering Hops: Pilgrim
Aroma Hops: Goldings

Scotch Ale
From the 1992 book by Dave Miller, Brewing the World's Great Beers, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
OG: 1055
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 25
Colour: 21/41, brown
Grainbill: 75.7% Pale, 10.8% Crystal Malt, 2.7% Chocolate Malt, 10.8% Dark Brown Cane Sugar
Hops: Fuggles or Northern Brewer

Skull Splitter
Orkney Brewery - Orkney, Highlands, Scotland
ABV: 8.5%
IBU: 20
Grainbill: 88% Golden Promise, 3% Crystal Malt, 1% Chocolate Malt, 3% Wheat, 5% Sugar
Bittering Hops: Whitbread Goldings Variety
Aroma Hops: Goldings

Tomintoul Wild Cat (Scotch Ale)
Cairngorm Brewery Co. - Aviemore, Inverness-shire, Scotland
OG: 1050
IBU: 25
Colour: 23/45, dark brown
Grainbill: 95% Pale, 4% Crystal Malt, 1% Chocolate Malt
Bittering Hops: Northdown
Aroma Hops: Fuggles

Traquair House Ale (Scotch Ale)
Traquair House Brewery - Peebleshire, Scotland
OG: 1073
ABV: 7.2%
IBU: 35
Colour: brown
Grainbill: 98% Pale, 1% Crystal Malt, 1% Roasted Barley
Hops: Goldings (65% for 90 min), Goldings (35% for 5 min, then steep)

Ushers Stout (1885)
Ushers (historical, 1817-1981) - Edinburgh, Scotland
OG: 1056
IBU: high
Colour: opaque black
Grainbill: 49.3% Pale, 17.6% CaraPils/Dextrine Malt, 11% Black Malt, 5.5% Amber Malt, 5.5% Crystal Malt, 5.5% Brown Malt, 5.5% Dark Sugar
Hops: Fuggles

Wm. Younger 140/- Ale (Strong Scotch Ale, 1868)
William Younger (historical, 1749-1986) - Edinburgh, Scotland
OG: 1103
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: 76
Colour: 4/8, golden
Grainbill: 100% Mild Malt or Pale Malt
Hops: Goldings (180 min), Saaz (60 min), Saaz (30 min), Saaz (dry hops)

[jmc]

I'd mash in range 68-70C to retain body & residual sweetness.

Seymour - Great set of recipes ideas there

[seymour]

Seymour - Great set of recipes ideas there

Thanks, but I didn't make 'em up.

The Founders Dirty Bastard is awesome, by the way. They also make a stronger, oak-aged version (10.2% ABV) cleverly named Founders Backwoods Bastard.

[Normski]

Yeah, I thought that Founders Dirty Bastard looked a good recipe. I like the idea of the peat smoked malt, that can add a real nice edge to a scotish ale.
I recently made another McEwans export but didnt have the Maize, So just subbed more pale malt and it turned out really good.
Used the 028 edinburgh yeast too.
4kg Pale, 400g Crystal, 70g Roast Barley, 70g Torrified wheat, 70g Peat Smoked Malt. 30g Goldings 60mins, 30g Goldings 15mins, 15g Goldings @80c.
If you want to make it stronger to a 90/- just up it to your required gravity or just add 1kg more pale.
Norm

[Matt12398]

That is a great list Seymour.

Of those it's the Founder's that I like the sound of most as well so America wins. I know of a few places I can source some online so might get a bottle to try.

Cheers jmc and Norm too for your input.

I've never used Golden Promise but I'm wondering if would add anything over Maris Otter?

I think I'll have to save up some 330 mL bottles for that as I don't know how easy it will be to drink in pints. What kind of maturation time would you expect?

[seymour]

...Of those it's the Founder's that I like the sound of most as well so America wins. I know of a few places I can source some online so might get a bottle to try...

Cool, you won't regret it. Though, from what I've gathered, Founders uses the "Chico"/US-05/American Ale/White Labs WLP001/Wyeast 1056 strain for convenience. So, if you brew that recipe using your vastly superior McEwans strain, your beer will be even better than the original.

...I've never used Golden Promise but I'm wondering if would add anything over Maris Otter?

I seriously doubt you or I would be able to tell a difference. I've heard Optic is an even more common Scottish two-row barley variety, but I haven't enjoyed the Optic single-malt beers I've tasted nearly as much as Maris Otter. Just one man's opinion, not trying to sabotage a whole country's agricultural hopes and dreams or anything...

...I think I'll have to save up some 330 mL bottles for that as I don't know how easy it will be to drink in pints.

Oh, shut up. You'll drink several pints per session and you know it.

...What kind of maturation time would you expect?

I seriously doubt Founders parks the regular Dirty Bastard very long at all. Time is money, and all that. To give you an idea, though, here's another award-winning commercial American-brewed Scotch Ale, which recommends waiting 2 months from brew day.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documenta ... Pro_TH.pdf

Town Hall Hope & King Scotch Ale
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery - Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
OG: 1060
ABV: 6.0%
IBU: ≈30?
Colour: copper
Grainbill: ≈85.5% Pale, 4% Flaked Barley, 2% Munich Malt, 2% Cara 20L Malt, 2% Chocolate Malt, 2% Medium Crystal Malt, 1.5% Special B Malt, 1% Roasted Barley
Bittering Hops: Centennial (60 min)
Aroma Hops: Fuggles (10 min)

[Matt12398]

That all sounds like a dream come true. I've got a week off for my 30th Birthday in July and this could be that special brew for my planned brew day while I'm on holiday. I imagine at that strength it would age quite well but I'm no expert.

[seymour]

That all sounds like a dream come true. I've got a week off for my 30th Birthday in July and this could be that special brew for my planned brew day while I'm on holiday. I imagine at that strength it would age quite well but I'm no expert.

Yes, definitely. It'll be drinkable young, but better and better as time goes on. Good luck, and happy birthday.

By the way, I think it's cool you bought a prized yeast before even considering a beer recipe for it. I like your style!

[Matt12398]

Thanks for the birthday wishes.

I consider the yeast the star of the show so once you have that it's just a case of building around it. I've got a hankering for something sweet, strong and complex. I think this is that.

Having looked around a bit at some wee heavy recipes I was surpised to see a guide that suggested a final gravity in the range of 1018 and 1056. Somewhere else 1030+. Most of what I brew has a starting gravity somewhere around 1050 so I can't imagine how sweet that must be. I was thinking to myself have I read that right. I don't think I want quite that much left behind but most recipes I've seen are around 1020 final gravity.

I'm hoping that this will be something exciting that I can share with friends and family. We'll see.