Homebrewed Scottish Ale

I couldn't stand it any longer - just had to pop the top on my Scottish Ale. It's been carbonating for 11 days, and I'm sure it's been long enough. It poured a deep amber with a very healthy tan-colored head. It's plenty malty, slightly sweet, and has some alcohol in the finish. The hops don't really come through much, but Scottish ales are not heavily hopped anyway. Unfortunately, the smoked malt isn't coming through either, so I guess I didn't use enough. All in all, I'm very pleased with the results.

For those interested, here's the recipe I used for 2.5 gallons:

3.3 lbs Briess Golden Light LME

3 oz Peat Smoke Malt (should have used more)

4 oz 120L Crystal Malt

4 Oz Vienna Malt

2 Oz Lyle's Golden Syrup (all that I had at the time)

8 Oz Munton's Extra Light DME

1/2 Oz Fuggles Hops for bittering (60 Minutes)

1/2 Oz Fuggles hops for finishing (5 minutes)

Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast

I used my usual procedure of putting the crushed grain in a gallon of water and then heating to 165 degrees. After removing the grain bag, I brought the wort to a boil and then added the first batch of Fuggles. At the 45 minute mark, I added the malt extracts and golden syrup. At 55 minutes, I threw in the 2nd batch of Fuggles. Then, into an ice bath to cool it down. Once it reached 80 degrees, I poured the wort into the fermenter which already contained a gallon of cold water. I then topped it off to the 2.5 gallon mark and pitched the yeast. Two weeks in the fermenter - 11 days in the bottle, carbonating with corn sugar - and 5 hours in the fridge before my taste test - that's the timeline. The finished product has more alcohol than a Scottish Ale should have, but I'm happy with it. The best part of homebrewing is drinking a successful experiment, as I did tonight. I know it will improve if I have enough patience. The last bottle of the batch is always the best one!

Boston Beer Co's Samuel Adams Scotch Ale

I have a new favorite Scotch Ale, and it's from Samuel Adams. This is by far the richest, maltiest, and smokiest Scotch Ale I have tasted to date. The Boston Beer Co. simply knows how to make excellent beer. You can tell from the picture that this is a rich ale, from the deep amber color and the full tan-colored head. The head lasted a long time, and left lacing all the way from the top to the bottom. When I can brew a beer that tastes just like this one, I know I have become a successful homebrewer. Check it out!

Belhaven Wee Heavy

My preference for malty brews was satisfied by Belhaven Brewery's Wee Heavy. Belhaven is a Scottish brewery, and they make a number of great ales. A Wee Heavy is a stronger version of a Scotch Ale - this one is 6.5% alcohol. The ale is a nice mahogany color, with a creamy tan head. The head lasted a while, and left nice lacing on the glass. This beer has a nutty, roasty, malty flavor, with a slight alcohol finish.

Kelpie Seaweed Ale

This ale surprised me. I was expecting a much lighter-colored ale, but this looks like a stout - deep brown to almost black, with ruby highlights. It had a nice fluffy beige head. I don't taste anything seaweed-like. It tastes pretty much like a mild, watery stout - roasty with chocolate malt. It went fine with my chicken. Kelpie Seaweed Ale is from Heather Ale, LLC in Scotland.

Saranac Scotch Ale from F.X. Matt

Growing up as a kid in upstate NY, my family made numerous visits to the FX Matt Brewery in Utica, NY - home of Utica Club beer. It was a fun tour, and my sisters and I always got some great root beer at the end of the tour, while my parents enjoyed samples of the stronger stuff. So, I have a soft spot for Saranac. Unfortunately, I have to rely on my sister to bring me some, since it isn't available here in Florida. This bottle came from their Christmas seasonal mix, along with 5 other Saranac brews. I really like malty brews, and Scottish Ales are a favorite. This one did not disappoint me. This was a maltier, smokier, sweeter and hoppier variation of the style than the Belhaven I reviewed a short time ago. Chalk it up to the American brewer to make a beer with more of everything. In this case, more IS more. I liked the Belhaven, but I like this one even more. Maybe it's not as "true to style", but that's fine with me. As you can see in the photo, it poured a very nice amber color with a nice beige head that lasted a long time. There is nothing better than a great beer and a great burger, and I had both tonight!

Belhaven Scottish Ale

Tonight, I sampled another beer from World Market's "Beers of the World" selection. Belhaven's Ale is a good example of a Scottish Ale, with a nice malty backbone, and touch of smokiness from Peat smoked malt. It poured a beautiful amber gold, with a creamy head that lasted longer than most. I like malty beers, and this was right up my alley. I made a Scottish Ale of my own about a year ago, which was one of my favorite homebrews. Belhaven also makes a great Wee Heavy - sweeter, more malty, and with more alcohol than this one.