140 Shilling Wee Heavy AleA Strong Scotch Ale |
| It's time for a hearty pint of 140 Shilling Wee Heavy to warm you for this late winter snow. We have had Scotch Ales in the past. This is a much bigger version. Our Wee Heavy is a big and robust Scotch Ale. It was brewed with Special Pale Ale malt, light caramel malt, and a variety of dark roasted malts and grains. It took over ˝ ton of grain to brew 160 gallons of Ale (that's ˝ lb per 10 oz glass). We fermented with a special Scotch Ale yeast which leaves a nice clean beer with some sweetness and malty overtones. The aroma is clean, almost like a lager in character with the fruit-like esters subdued and also a fresh roasty nose. The body will be very full with a lingering sweetness and a very mild hop finish. Drink it slowly so you don't miss any of the subtle flavors. In days of old, beer in Scotland was taxed on its alcohol strength or potential strength. The Tax Man had different tax brackets for the different strength beers. Forty Shillings per barrel, 70 Shillings per barrel, 90 Shillings per barrel and so on, were charged for the beers. The highest tax rating I have seen is 140 Shilling ale, thus the name for the 140 Shilling Wee Heavy. The Publicans began selling their beers by these distinctions so the customer knew how strong of a beer he (or she) was buying. Due to the nature of this style and the relatively low hop rates, it doesn't travel very well, especially to America. Therefore, unless you have been to Great Britain it is unlikely that you have tried a truly fresh Scotch Ale. Since we made it here and it only had to travel about 100 feet instead of a few thousand miles, you will get a very fresh Scotch Ale. A few commercial examples of Scotch ales available in the States are McEwans, MacAndrews, and Traquair House. |
DetailsOriginal Gravity: 20.6°Plato (1.082 S.G.)Bitterness units: 35 IBU Malt used: Special Pale, CaraPils, Biscuit malt, Chocolate malt, Roasted Wheat, and Roasted Barley Hops used: East Kent Goldings Approx. Alcohol by volume: about 8.3% Mash Schedule: Single infusion |
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