Scottish-style Wee Heavy

Paul Zocco

Strong Scotch ale, also called wee heavy, is a classic “big beer” with a powerful and deeply malty nose and flavor. A hint of peat smoke on the nose is reminscent of Scottish whisky and intertwines with light roasted aromas. Caramel sweetness and complex malt flavors drive the flavor, and the body is as full as it gets. With an OG that ranges from 1.072 to higher than 1.088, the sky’s the limit on these beers. If your goal is extended aging, shoot for the high end of the range (or higher)—i brewed a small batch with an OG of 1.100 that I aged for twelve months in a carboy, and over that time it developed rich sherry and nutty notes. Don’t be afraid to play with your malt bill—i’ve experimented successfully with small amounts of Belgian aromatic and Special B malts.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters) Brewhouse efficiency: 72% OG: 1.072–1.088+ FG: 1.019–1.025 IBUS: 20–40 ABV: 6.9%–8.5%+

MALT/GRAIN BILL

12 lb (5.4 kg) pale malt 1 lb (454 g) Carapils malt 4 oz (113 g) peat-smoked malt 8 oz (227 g) Melanoidin malt 5 oz (142 g) roasted barley

HOPS AND ADDITIONS SCHEDULE

4 oz (113 g) treacle at 90 minutes 1 oz (28 g) Fuggles pellets [3.6% AA] at

90 minutes 1 tsp Irish moss at 15 minutes

YEAST

Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast or White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Scottish Ale Yeast

DIRECTIONS

Follow the mash and fermentation schedule for the 60-Shilling Ale (page 73). Wee Heavy ales mature well with cold storage and will last for years.