Begin Brewing!

Although I liked my first two Scottish 80 Shilling Ales, judges in the competitions I entered them into decidedly did not. The second actually scored worse on average than the first, despite the fact that it incorporated feedback from the judges of the first recipe. This time around, I decided to build my own recipe after having a look at the BJCP criteria for the style and the ingredients it recommends. Ingredients 4.5 pounds Maris Otter Malt 4 ounces British Crystal Malt (60-70L) 2 ounces Caramel Light (8L) Malt 2 ounces Melanoidin Malt 4 ounces Flaked Corn 2 ounces Special B Malt 1 ounce Roasted Barley 0.35 ounces Horizon hops pellets @ 8.2% AA (60 min.) 0.25 ounces Bramling Cross hops pellets @ 6.5% AA (10 min.) 1/4 tsp. Yeast Nutrient at 15 min. 1/4 tsp. Brewtan B in the Mash 1/4 tsp. Brewtan B in at 15 min. 1/2 tsp. Irish Moss at 10 min. 1 packet White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Scottish Ale Yeast 1/2 vial White Labs Clarity Ferm 3 gallons, 16 ounces filtered tap...

Last year, I brewed my first Scottish 80 Shilling Ale, right before competition time. I thought it was a decent beer, though by far not the best I'd ever had, but it did poorly in competition. This year, I am hoping to redeem myself with a new recipe.  I'm looking to hit all the BJCP flavor and aroma notes.  It should be a malt-forward beer with minimal esters. Hops should be present enough to balance the malt.  The malt itself can be rich, toasty, and caramelly.  Aroma should have low to medium maltiness, low to medium caramel, and some butterscotch is allowed. The best examples have a light fruitiness. They may have a low hop aroma, with English-style earthy, floral, citrus, and spice to it.  It should be clear, with a low to moderate creamy off-white head. The color should be pale copper to medium dark brown. Ingredients 5 pounds Maris Otter Malt 2 ounces English Crystal Malt (60-75L) 2 ounces Roasted Barley 2 ounces Avangard Caramel Light Malt ...

Photo of the bourbon-oaked version Unlike a lot of craft brew fans, I'm not terribly fond of hop-forward styles. I'd much rather have a Belgian Trappist ale or a good German lager than an IPA, American Pale Ale, or "Imperial" something-or-other. One of the beer styles I really enjoy is the Scottish Ale, though until today I hadn't brewed one. I began by searching out a recipe that had won an award at the national level. Then, I considered that recipe in terms of my own tastes and the ingredients I had on hand. For example, I had only an ounce of East Kent Goldings (EKG) hops pellets on hand. This wasn't enough to bitter the beer, so I investigated other hops varieties that are suited to Scottish Ales and went with Magnum hops for bittering. I would use the EKG for flavor and aroma so that the beer would remain true to style. I also wanted some Cara-Pils in there for a nice head. Here's how that brewing session went... Ingredients 9 pounds ...