Scottish-American Ale?

[wvpiper]

Yes, but American brewers take something nice, like a pale ale, and make American pale ale, which is like drinking fermented hops tea.

I guess we're going in circles. Nice for you may be week for others.
For those interested, here is the style guidelines for the Beer Judges Certification Program.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php

[Tony]

Many American micro-brews taste to me like soap. Is that because of the 'hop forward" which, I admit, I had not heard of until this thread.

Some ales - such as many fine Troegs brews - manage to avoid it.

[NewEnglander]

I used to be a fan of darker, less hoppy beers (especially Guinness), but lately I've been enjoying the different aromas and flavors hops can bring to a brew. I know that super hoppy beers are very popular in American craft beers, but don't give up on those brewers. Find a local brewery and get in for some free samples. They very often have a selection of beers and you might just find one that suits your palate.

[McMathTX]

I don't know a thing about the subject other than how to drink it. A local brewery (Rahr) here in Fort Worth makes a very good Scotch Ale named "Iron Thistle."

[kilted_brewer]

one of the keys to Scotch or Scottish ale is that it is very LOW in hops -- just enough to cut the sweetness at whatever level of the malt. I've heard from at least one Scottish brewer that the brewing tradition in Scotland has traditionally viewed hops as an English invention/intrusion, and so avoided their extensive use. So you could do an american version of a Scottish ale, but it would probably end up tasting more like a Brown Ale from Northern England (not that that's a bad thing, just not esp. like a Scottish ale). As to smoke flavors, I've also read that subtle smoke can come from the yeast used, and it's those that I appreciate more than the heavy smokiness of peated malt or smoked malt.

[NewEnglander]

one of the keys to Scotch or Scottish ale is that it is very LOW in hops -- just enough to cut the sweetness at whatever level of the malt. I've heard from at least one Scottish brewer that the brewing tradition in Scotland has traditionally viewed hops as an English invention/intrusion, and so avoided their extensive use. So you could do an american version of a Scottish ale, but it would probably end up tasting more like a Brown Ale from Northern England (not that that's a bad thing, just not esp. like a Scottish ale). As to smoke flavors, I've also read that subtle smoke can come from the yeast used, and it's those that I appreciate more than the heavy smokiness of peated malt or smoked malt.

Glad to hear your input! I tasted a Scottish Ale from a local brewpub today that was VERY peaty. My buddy compared it to manure! I did spot some heather tips, but didn't pick them up. Glad to know they're out there for when I decide to be brave enough to try my Scottish-American Ale.

[jkane]

I thought I posted that recipe when I made it, but can't find it here. Anyhow, it was a club thing. The style night was Scotch and Scottish. Anything goes, which is not how they usually do it. Normally, everyone makes the same recipe. I had lee-way, so I did take liberties that would not be to style! ;)

As I said already, I would cut the heather way down. Also, sorry to say this ... but the Chivas I added sucked! I usually go with Old Grandad Bourbon. I got a lot of negative reactions about the scotch instead of the bourbon. I will go back to Old Grandad! Anywhere from 10 to 100 ml per gallon, depending on how much "barrel" aged effect you want to simulate.

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Kilt Made Scotch Wee Heavy
Brewer: Jeff
Asst Brewer: Diana
Style: Strong Scotch Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 10.50 gal
Boil Size: 12.64 gal
Estimated OG: 1.091 SG
Estimated Color: 19.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 64.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
21.50 lb Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 51.07 %
16.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 39.19 %
2.00 lb Oats, Flaked (Briess) (1.4 SRM) Grain 4.75 %
1.00 lb Caramel Malt - 80L 6-Row (Briess) (80.0 SRGrain 2.38 %
1.00 lb Roasted Barley (Briess) (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.38 %
0.10 lb Peat Smoked Malt (2.8 SRM) Grain 0.24 %
3.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (90 min) Hops 18.8 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) Hops 3.2 IBU
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (15 min) Hops 2.9 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
4.00 oz Heather (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
12.00 gal Milwaukee, WI Water
1 Pkgs Scottish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1728) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Full Body
Total Grain Weight: 42.10 lb
----------------------------
Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Full Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
90 min Saccharification Add 13.05 gal of water at 175.2 F 158.0 F
10 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 10 min 168.0 F


Notes:
------
Toast the oats before hand.
Put Heather in at the end of the boil and leave during chilling.
Use oak chips soaked in about 4 ounces of Chivas Scotch during the aging.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[NewEnglander]

I thought I posted that recipe when I made it, but can't find it here. Anyhow, it was a club thing. The style night was Scotch and Scottish. Anything goes, which is not how they usually do it. Normally, everyone makes the same recipe. I had lee-way, so I did take liberties that would not be to style! ;)

Thanks for posting that. I did spot some heather tips at the local homebrew store. After my ESB I'll have to convert your recipe to extract, downsize it to 6 gallons and give it a go!

[Old Hippie]

I tasted a Scottish Ale from a local brewpub today that was VERY peaty. My buddy compared it to manure!

Now, I've been around a farm animal or two. Not like I'm a connoisseur or anything, but peat and manure don't taste at all alike.

:ootd:

[NewEnglander]

Now, I've been around a farm animal or two. Not like I'm a connoisseur or anything, but peat and manure don't taste at all alike.

:ootd:

I didn't agree with this comparison at first either...but just this weekend I was at a beer tasting and when we tried a Scottish Ale from a local brewery what I thought of as peaty my friend immediately described as manure. Maybe he has a closer relationship with that sort of thing than I do...
;)