In the Fermentor: If it's not Scottish, it's......

If you remember the All Things Scottish skit from Saturday Night Live, you'll know what goes in place of the periods.

This week's brew is a Scottish Ale that attempts to split the difference between the Scottish 80 Schilling and Wee Heavy. If all goes well, it will have the modest strength of the 80, with the flavor profile of the much stronger Wee Heavy.

There's an old story about the high cost of hops in Scotland back in the day that I'll spare you from. But because of it, Scottish beers are very malt forward and low on bitterness. To that end, I've assembled a complex grain bill and let the hops sit in the background. English Maris Otter is the base malt, due to Scottish Golden Promise not being carried at my local store. If I had access to it, I would be using it. Here's the recipe for five gallons of Scottish goodness:

Grains:
11 lbs Maris Otter
8 oz English Medium Crystal
4 oz English Extra Dark Crystal
4 oz English Chocolate Malt
2 oz Roasted Barley

Hops:
0.5 oz Northern Brewer: 90 min
1 oz Fuggles: 7 min

Yeast:
Wyeast 1728 - Scottish Ale

Mash Schedule:
Saccharification Rest: 152F for 60min
Mashout: 168F for 10 minutes

Original Gravity:
1.068
Estimated Final Gravity:
1.016

IBU: 19
SRM Color: 19

Fermentation Schedule:
2 Weeks Primary
2 Weeks Secondary
2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning

Cost: $18 per case
Commercial Equivalent: Great Divide Claymore: $36
Savings: $18

This beer just got underway. In six weeks, I'll have a verdict on how it came out.

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