NOTE: Within the 2021 BJCP Type Tips, Scottish Ales are in Class 14 Scottish Ale. This class consists of the beers extra generally often called the “shilling” beers, the 60/- Scottish Gentle, the 70/-Scottish Heavy, and the 80/- Scottish Export. The Robust Scotch Ale (or Wee Heavy) has now been moved to the Robust British Ale Class 17 as model 17C Wee Heavy.
Though all the data on this model sheet was appropriate on the time of writing, it’s advisable to verify the present BJCP model pointers web page if you’re learning for the judging exams.
Scottish ale describes a reasonably broad vary of ales in various strengths and kinds, however all of them observe conventional Scottish authentic model recipes and have a tendency to have extra of a malt character and be much less focussed on the hops.
The tough local weather of Scotland meant hops have been unable to be cultivated, so the malt which was historically used for the manufacturing of spirits similar to Scotch whiskey was used to supply malty beers.
Except for the Wee Heavy model or Scotch Ale, most Scottish ales are typically lighter beers with comparatively low alcohol content material.
Traditionally, these beers could be named by way of shillings with numerical names similar to 60,70, 80, and so forth. The numbers would seek advice from the worth of a hogshead or giant cask of ale in shillings.
Naturally, the higher-priced choices have been usually higher beers and would even have a stronger ABV, however all types of shilling beers have been fashionable at one time or one other.
If the names didn’t confuse outsiders sufficient, it occurs that the lighter ales, which have been equated with the English gentle, have been darkish beers. And the heavy beers, just like English bitters, have been mild in colour.
The truth that the breweries in Scotland nonetheless use these phrases to explain their beers, exhibits how a lot the Scots imagine in custom and historical past.
The Historical past of Scottish Beers or Ales
The custom of brewing in Scotland goes again practically so far as the historical past of the nation itself. There are historic paperwork that present some breweries being found no less than 5000 years in the past, if not longer.
Scottish ales as we all know them in the present day, nevertheless, don’t return fairly that far.
Within the 1400s, the one business breweries of Scottish ales have been within the type of monasteries. It wasn’t till the 1600s and the early 1700s that public breweries took off, attributable to a ban on the importation of English beers.
The goal was to encourage native breweries, and the legislation actually labored.
Though Scottish ales have had their ups and downs over the centuries, the Scottish brewing business is now pretty much as good because it has ever been, with lots of of breweries all throughout Scotland and significantly in main cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow.
You’ll be able to’t take a look at the historical past of Scottish ales with out noting their use of native, pure crops for bittering and taste as an alternative of hops.
The tough local weather made Scotland unsuitable for the cultivation of hops, and, once they have been lastly capable of import hops, they have been so costly they would like to make use of them sparingly to chop down on the prices of manufacturing the beers, in comparison with the English who tended to be hop-happy in their very own strategy.
There’s additionally the argument that the Scottish individuals’s tastes are tied up in custom, significantly that they’d grudges in opposition to the British market, and subsequently most popular substances and merchandise that have been Scottish in origin.
Thus they used heather and/or bathroom myrtle amongst different crops that have been native to their lands. These two crops have been additionally antiseptic in nature and astringent in taste, which helped protect their beers and stability the sweetness of the malts.
Scottish ales of in the present day could fluctuate in power, however all of them have some related traits. They’re all malt-forward and balanced with low hop bitterness, taste, and aroma.
After all, with any rule there are exceptions. Most of the newer breweries are making hoppier beers within the English model.
In Scotland, agriculture continues to be an enormous a part of life. Barley continues to be a significant crop and is grown each within the north, the place whiskey is constructed from the barley and within the south, the place beer is constructed from the barley grown there.
The Scottish brewers at all times had loads of malt readily available for brewing, which meant malty beers. Plus, when Scotland and England joined in 1707, the Treaty of Union which joined the 2 nations excluded the Scottish from an enormous malt excise tax.
This gave the Scottish brewers a bonus over the higher-taxed British breweries.
Beer can be brewed year-round in Scotland and, previous to refrigeration, Scotland was a significant exporter of ales to the remainder of the world, together with the Americas.
The Distinction Between Scottish Ales and Scotch Ale
Scotch Ale is an esoteric model of beer that’s famend for being tremendous malty, wealthy in caramel flavors, and which usually has greater ABVs.
Scotch Ale isn’t going to be an attractive form of ale, however its daring toffee flavors, kettle caramelization of sugars, and hints of smoke will heat your soul on a chilly winter’s night time.
A member of the British sturdy ale household, Scotch Ales are a method of beer originating from Edinburgh within the 1800s. With a scarcity of available hops, the Scotch Ale as an alternative makes use of a extra available ingredient: malt.
The unique Scottish brewhouses would scorch the caramelized sugars which balanced with a really low hopping price, making for a extra malt-forward beer that was darker in colour and centered on caramel and toffee notes.
The primary distinction between the model of beer often called Scotch Ale or Scottish Ale is the alcoholic power of the beer.
Scotch Ales or the Wee Heavy are likely to have a better ABV of above 6% and a better ultimate gravity, making them a bit sweeter.
Scottish Ales by comparability will usually have an ABV just like that of an English Pale, clocking in at round 3% – 5% ABV.
The Traits of a Scottish Ale
Scottish Ale refers to any Scottish beer with a classification of something underneath 90 shillings, or 90 /-. Something which has a shilling score of over 90 is taken into account too excessive to be known as a Scottish Ale and as an alternative is named Scotch Ale or a Wee Heavy.
Though there are formally three classifications of Scottish Ales, the Gentle, the heavy, and the Export (60/-,70/- and 80/- respectively), you might be impossible to come across the 60/- very low alcohol ale as it’s usually obtainable solely on draught and barely bottled for export.
A not too long ago revived curiosity in additional sessionable beers, nevertheless, has seen some American kinds of the 60/- ale brewed for consumption in craft beer taprooms that exhibit extra of a Scottish affect.
The Scottish Gentle, Heavy and Export pointers learn practically the identical for every model of beer.
Because the gravity will increase, so does the character of the beers in query.
Traditionally, the three sorts of beer have been made to totally different strengths, and represented an adaptation of English Pale Ales however with decreased strengths and hopping charges, and darker colours (usually from added caramel).
Extra trendy variations (post-WWII, no less than), tended to make use of extra complicated grists
Taste and Aroma
The heavier concentrate on a malt profile means you received’t usually style any hops in any respect or any of an English hop aroma present in different UK-based beers.
It’s best to nevertheless have the ability to decide up on candy aromas like a caramel aroma or toffee aroma, or flavors depending on what sort of malt has been used.
Malt Character
The primary ingredient of a Scottish Ale is the wealthy malt sweetness, and this units the tone of the brew.
Taste choices can fluctuate from caramel, toffee, espresso, and even butterscotch. It may be a dry, grainy malt profile to a toasty and even caramelly malt spine, however ought to by no means be roasted malt.
Though usually a pale malt base, totally different ranges of crystal malts, chocolate malts, or darker malts could be added to the upper shilling beers or Wee Heavy to impart a deeper ruby-tinted colour, and extra sugars could be added to the wort for these greater ABVs.
Mouthfeel
The Scottish Ale mouthfeel is usually described as mushy and chewy. Like all ales, there shall be slight carbonation, however this usually ranges from mild to medium degree.
Readability and Colour
Scottish Ales, particularly the decrease shilling ales, will usually be of lighter colour in look with very clear readability.
On the uncommon event that wheat malts are used, there could also be a slight haze to the beer. The colour can vary from mild gold to darkish brown colour, relying once more on the malt which is used.
A darker caramel colour tends to be extra current in ales that veer in direction of the Scotch Ale class due to their greater alcohol content material.
Meals Pairings for Scottish Ale
Scottish Ales are an ideal beer to pair with all kinds of meats, cheeses, or desserts. They mix nicely with something from poultry to lamb, different purple meats, and even sport meats like venison.
A Scottish Ale additionally goes nicely with bar snacks like chips or pretzels and even creamy desserts or fruits.
The flexibleness and compatibility with a variety of meals is among the issues that make Scottish Ales so fashionable.
It’s not simply concerning the haggis, neeps, and tatties – though they’d work extraordinarily nicely with such a Burn’s Evening feast!
Scottish Ales by the Numbers
Class 14A Scottish Gentle (60/-)- Very important Statistics
| IBU | 10 – 20 |
| SRM | 17 – 25 |
| OG | 1.030 – 1.035 |
| FG | 1.010 – 1.013 |
| ABV | 2.5% – 3.3% |
COMMERCIAL EXAMPLES:
Belhaven Greatest, McEwans 60/-
Class 14B Scottish Heavy (70/-) – Very important Statistics
| IBU | 10 – 20 |
| SRM | 12 – 20 |
| OG | 1.035 – 1.040 |
| FG | 1.010 – 1.015 |
| ABV | 3.3% – 3.9% |
COMMERCIAL EXAMPLES:
McEwans 70, Orkney Raven Ale
Class 14C Scottish Export (80/-) – Very important Statistics
| IBU | 15 – 30 |
| SRM | 12 – 20 |
| OG | 1.040 – 1.060 |
| FG | 1.010 – 1.016 |
| ABV | 3.9% – 6% |
COMMERCIAL EXAMPLES:
Belhaven Scottish Ale, Broughton Wee Jock 80 Shilling, Caledonian 80 Shilling, McEwans 80/-, McEwans Export, Orkney Darkish Island, Traquair Bear Ale
Class 17C Wee Heavy (90/-) – Very important Statistics
| IBU | 17 – 35 |
| SRM | 14 – 25 |
| OG | 1.070 – 1.130 |
| FG | 1.018 – 1.040 |
| ABV | 6.5% – 10% |
COMMERCIAL EXAMPLES:
Belhaven Wee heavy, Broughton Outdated Jock, Gordon Highland Scotch Ale, Inveralmond Blackfriar, McEwans Scotch Ale, Orkney Cranium Splitter, The Duck-Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Type Ale
An essential issue to recollect when brewing Scottish ales is that they’re historically brewed colder than most ales. Due to this fact the beers are a lot cleaner with very low esters and a variety of clear malt taste.
Utilizing Edinburgh/Scottish Ale yeast (ie. a clear yeast pressure) and controlling fermentation temps to the low to mid-60s (Fahrenheit) will assist maintain these beers in model.
Hold the hopping average to low and don’t add peated malts as a few of the older recipes recommend.
