Session Beer Series: 2012 Scottish 80/-

I'm continuing the brewing quest for my perfect Scottish Ale. I usually will brew both a 60 Schilling and then later brew a 70 or 80 Schilling each year. Well, this year I don't have quite as much time to brew, so that means larger batch sizes. I had several thoughts about what to do with this 10 gal batch:

1. Make both a 60/- and 80/- by just diluting the 60/- in the fermentor
2. Try another yeast experiment - I was thinking of testing WLP001 (as Jamil suggests) Vs. WLP028 (actual Scottish yeast)
3. All 10 gals the same and then age with different wood types

Well, I selected option #3. I was inspired by Lewy over at Lewy Brewing about his new found Oak Honey Comb sticks from BlackSwan Barrels. I was looking through their online catalog and I found that they supply more than just Oak. I have been wanting to try alternative wood types for aging, so I'll post more about the wood experiment in a future post.





I have made a few small changes to my Scottish Ale recipe since last year:

• Water: Last year I messed with my water chemistry for the first time and I over did it a bit. The numbers looked good on paper, but there was a definite salty taste. This year I decided to use Calcium Chloride instead on Sodium Chloride. And the numbers seem to be better balanced this time (see below)
• I went back to WLP001 as I didn't notice much difference with WLP028 and I wanted to build up the yeast for a Barleywine.
• I switched all the crystal malt over to English varieties. I am preferring the taste of the English varieties right now and I thought it made it more authentic.

2012 Scottish 80/- (9C)

Batch Size	10.000 gal	Boil Size	11.750 gal
Boil Time	90.000 min	Efficiency	77%
OG	1.047	FG	1.012
ABV	4.6%	Bitterness	16.3 IBU (Rager)
Color	14.8 srm (Morey)	Calories (per 12 oz.)	155

Fermentables

Name	Type	Amount	Mashed	Color
Simpsons - Maris Otter	Grain	13.000 lb	Yes	3.0 srm
Barley, Flaked	Grain	1.500 lb	Yes	2.0 srm
Brown Malt (British Chocolate)	Grain	16.000 oz	No	65.0 srm
Honey Malt	Grain	16.000 oz	No	25.0 srm
Simpsons - Crystal Medium - 55L	Grain	16.000 oz	No	55.0 srm
Briess - Extra Special Malt	Grain	12.000 oz	No	130.0 srm

Hops

Name	Alpha	Amount	Time	Form	IBU
Horizon	9.1%	0.750 oz	90.000 min	Pellet	16.3

Yeast

WLP001 - California Ale Yeast

Mash

Name	Amount	Strike Temp	Target Temp
Mash	4.821 gal	176.955 F	158.000 F
Sparge	8.876 gal	173.443 F	165.200 F