With the first sighting of a few snowflakes we are assured that winter is almost here. This means curling up by the fire with a glass of  homebrew. This month we will brew a wee heavy, a complex and warming beer with a hint of smoke. And we’ll brew a Vienna lager that will ferment through the winter months.

Strong Scotch Ale (Wee Heavy) OG = 1.072 to 1.088+  FG = 1.019 to 1.025+  IBU = 20 to 40 SRM = 10 to 47     

The history of brewing in Scotland dates back to around 6500 BC, when the native Picts added heather tips to their crude fermented beverages.

Commoners took up homebrewing in the Middle Ages, when women, called “browster wives,” used spices (a gruit mixture) to preserve their beer and occasionally replaced some malt with treacle. In the 1500s, commercial breweries were founded to provide beer to the growing population of beer drinkers. Rich, malty, complex brews, the original Scottish-style ales, were the beers of choice until the 1800s when the Scots discovered hoppy, English pale ales.
   
First, a definition: Scotch and Scottish ales are not one and the same. Scotch ales are strong, high-gravity beers, while Scottish ales are lower- gravity brews. Scottish ales comprise three categories — heavy, light and export — while Scotch ales are also referred to as strong Scotch ales or wee heavies. Both styles are brewed using a similar process that was essentially dictated by Scotland’s geography.
   
Hops do not thrive in Scotland, but barley flourishes there. Traditionally, all Scottish-style beers were minimally hopped because the hops had to be imported at great expense. This minimal hopping, along with an abundance of malt and a cool climate, was what made Scotch and Scottish ales what they are today. The beers are fermented and aged at cooler temperatures than most ales because of the climate in Scotland. This makes them very clean, with intense malt flavors.
   
According to style guidelines, wee heavies should have a deep, caramel malt aroma. Roast malt and smokiness from peat-smoked malt may also be apparent. The color ranges from dark amber to dark brown with ruby highlights. Thick, chewy and full-bodied, the flavor is of malt and caramel. There may be a nuance of peat-smoked malt or roasted malt with some nutty or buttery diacetyl character. Malt dominates the flavor and warmth from alcohol  is apparent.
   
Our wee heavy pours with a creamy dark-beige head. The aroma is of sweet malt and bread. The complex palate is an earthy combination of sweet malt with a touch of roasted malt and just a hint of smoke. The finish mimics the palate, sweet and warming.

Commercial Beers to Try
The classic examples of wee heavy are Belhaven Wee Heavy, Traquair House, MacAndrew’s Scotch Ale and McEwan’s Scotch Ale. Other interesting versions are Scotch du Silly from Brasserie de Silly in Belgium, Vermont Pub and Brewery’s Wee Heavy and Bert Grant’s Scottish Ale.

Hops, Malt, Adjuncts and Yeast
Hops are used to balance the sweetness of wee heavies. To brew a traditional wee heavy, use either Kent Goldings or Whitbread Goldings for bittering. A small amount of Target can also be combined with the Kent or Whitbread Goldings for bittering (up to 1/4  the total bittering amount). Use up to 1/2 oz. of Fuggles, Kent Goldings or Styrian for flavor. Up to 1/4 oz. of either Fuggles or Kent Goldings can be used in some instances for aroma. In American-style Scotch ales, Willamette may serve as a substitute for Fuggles.
   
Well-modified Scottish two-row pale malt, Maris Otter or English two-row pale malt should make up the majority of the grain bill. Up to 12 oz. of English crystal malt should be included. Optional grains are British roasted barley and British black patent malt (not more than 1 and 1/2 oz. of each), 2 to 4 oz. of British peated malt and up to 6 oz. of either Belgian biscuit or Belgian aromatic malt. In American-style Scotch ales, all of the preceding grains can be used with the addition of up to 12 oz. of Munich malt and up to 8 oz. of Belgian cara-Munich malt.

U.S. crystal may be substituted for British. Invert sugar, such as Lyle’s Golden syrup (up to 1 pound), also can be used. Up to 6 ounces of treacle will also add some complexity to the beer.
Try Scottish Ale yeast (Wyeast 1728) for a smoky effect. For a rich, malty Scotch ale without smokiness, use Irish Ale (Wyeast 1084), Special London (Wyeast 1968) or Edinburgh Ale (White Labs WLP028).
    
Wee Heavy
(5 gallons, extract with grains) OG = 1.082 to 1.083  FG = 1.019 to 1.020 SRM = 29  IBU = 30  ABV = 8%

Ingredients:
14 oz. British crystal malt (55° Lovibond)
4 oz. Belgian aromatic malt
2 oz. roasted barley
2 oz. peated malt
6 lbs. Muntons extra-light DME
3.5 lbs. John Bull light malt
  extract syrup
8 oz. invert cane sugar (Lyle’s Golden Syrup)
8.5 AAUs East Kent Goldings (1.75 oz. of 4.8% alpha acid) (bittering)
1 AAU Fuggles hops (0.25 oz. of 4% alpha acid) (flavor)
1.2 AAUs East Kent Goldings (0.25 oz. of 4.8% alpha acid) (flavor)
1 tsp. Irish moss
Scottish Ale yeast (Wyeast 1728) or Edinburgh Ale yeast (White Labs WLP028)
1-1/4 cup Muntons extra-light DME for priming

Step by Step
Bring 1 gallon of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 min. at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with 1/2 gallon of 168° F water. Add the DME, malt extract syrup, invert sugar and bittering hops. Bring the total volume in the brewpot to 3.5 gallons. Boil for 45 min., then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the stove. Cool wort for 15 min. Strain into the primary fermenter and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons.
   
Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Ferment at 66° to 68° F for 7 days, then rack into secondary (glass carboy). Ferment at 66° to 68° F until target gravity has been reached and beer has cleared (4 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 3 to 4 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.

Partial-mash option: Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 1.5 lb. British or Scottish two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 1 gallon of water at 151° F for 60 min. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Then follow the extract recipe, omitting 1.75 lbs. of Muntons extra-light DME from the boil.

All-grain option: Acidify the mash water to below 7 pH. Mash 13.5 lbs. British or Scottish two-row pale malt and the specialty grains in 4.75 gallons of water at 151° F for 90 min. Sparge with 5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. The total boil time is 90 min. Add 6.8 AAUs of bittering hops for the last 90 min. of the boil. Add the invert sugar, flavor hops and Irish moss as indicated by the extract recipe.

Helpful Hints: If your water is soft (below 50 ppm hardness), add 1/4 tsp. gypsum and 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt. If it is moderate (50 to 200 ppm), add 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt. If your water is hard (greater than 200 ppm), dilute it one-to-one with distilled water and add 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt. This beer is ready to drink 2 months after it is carbonated. It will peak between 3 and 9 months and will last up to 1 year at cellar temperatures.

Vienna Lager: OG = 1.046 to 1.052  FG = 1.010 to 1.014  IBU = 18 to 30  SRM = 8 to 12         

When thinking of  Vienna lager, two other beers come to mind, the Märzen and the Oktoberfest. They are all similar, but the Vienna stands out for its understated elegance. The way in which Vienna lager came to be is a long and interesting story.
   
When brewing was developing in the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 1800s, a man named Anton Dreher created the first Vienna lager. He studied in Munich where he met a major figure in German brewing, Gabriel Sedlmayr. Together, Dreher and Sedlmayr discovered bottom-fermenting yeast. In 1841 Dreher brought the yeast to his family brewery in Vienna, and at the same time Sedlmayr  introduced this yeast to his Munich brewery. The resulting Vienna-style beers soon became extremely popular.

Vienna is the original amber lager. These beers traditionally were brewed from the finest Moravian barley and noble hops. Much of the character of this beer is derived from the method of malting that Dreher developed. Using only Moravian barley, Dreher created a “Vienna” malt that is deeper in color than pilsner malt, yet lighter than Munich. In the 20th century, classic Vienna was gradually replaced in popularity by pilsners and export Dortmunder-style lagers.
   
Stylistically speaking, the Vienna lager should have a German Vienna or Munich malt nose with a lightly toasted nuance. The color is reddish amber to light brown with brilliant clarity and a long-lasting head. Malt complexity and softness, coupled with a decisive hop presence, prevents a cloying sweetness. There may be a toasted character. The body is light to medium with subtle creaminess and medium carbonation.
   
Our Vienna lager is a clear amber beer with auburn highlights and a tightly-beaded, light-tan head. It has a soft, toasted Vienna malt aroma that leads to a smooth, well-balanced palate. It finishes long and dry.

Commercial Beers to Try
There are no more true examples of the Vienna lager from Austria, but the style has been revived by microbreweries. According to the BJCP style guidelines, the following beers represent the style today: Negra Modelo, Portland Lager by Portland Brewing Company in Oregon, Dos Equis Lager, Augsburger Red and Leinenkugel Red.

Hops, Malt and Yeast
German two-row pilsner should be the base malt, coupled with 15 to 20 percent German Vienna malt. German light or dark crystal is used for color and malt character. Up to 2 oz. of chocolate malt or up to 1 oz. of black malt may be used to obtain color. For extract brewers, use a German extract, such as Bierkeller light or Weyermann.
   
Hops should be noble and used for bittering, flavor and, sparingly, for aroma. Czech or Zatec Saaz can be used throughout the beer, Styrian Goldings for bittering and Tettnanger and German Hallertauer can be used for all applications. Use Bohemian Lager yeast (Wyeast 2124), Bavarian Lager (Wyeast 2206) or German Lager (Whitelabs WLP830).
   
Vienna Lager
(5 gallons, extract with grains) OG = 1.053  FG = 1.012 to 1.013 SRM = 15  IBU = 23 ABV = 5%

Ingredients:
8 oz. German Vienna malt
6 oz. German dark crystal malt (65° Lovibond)
1 oz. British chocolate malt
3.5 lbs. Bierkeller light malt extract syrup
3 lbs. Muntons extra-light DME
3 AAUs German Hallertauer  
  Hersbrucker (1 oz. of 3% alpha acid) (bittering)
3.4 AAUs Tettnanger (0.75 of 4.5% alpha acid) (bittering)
1.25 AAUs Tettnanger (0.25 oz. of 4.5% alpha acid) (flavor) 1 tsp. Irish moss
Bohemian Lager (Wyeast 2124) or Oktoberfest/Märzen (White Labs WLP820)
1-1/4 cup Muntons extra-light DME for priming

Step by Step
Bring 1 gallon of water to 155° F, add crushed grain and hold for 30 min. at 150° F. Strain the grain into the brewpot and sparge with 1 gallon of 168° F water. Add the malt extract syrup, DME and bittering hops. Bring the total volume to 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 min., then add the flavor hops and Irish moss. Boil for 15 min., then remove from stove.

Cool wort for 15 min. Strain into the primary and add water to obtain 5-1/8 gallons. Add yeast when wort has cooled to below 80° F. Oxygenate-aerate well. Start fermentation at 60° to 62° F. Bring primary fermenter to 47° to 52° F for 7 days, then rack into secondary (glass carboy). Ferment at 47° to 52° F until target gravity has been reached and the beer has cleared (4 weeks). Prime and bottle. Carbonate at 70° to 72° F for 2 to 3 weeks. Store at cellar temperature.

Partial-mash option: Acidify the mash water to below 7.2 pH. Mash 1.5 lbs. German two-row pilsner malt, the specialty grains and an additional 8 oz. of Vienna malt in 1 gallon of water at 122° F for 25 min. and then at 152° F for 90 min. Sparge with 1.5 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F. Follow the extract recipe, omitting 1.75 lbs. of Muntons extra-light DME from the boil.

All-grain option: Acidify the mash water to below 7.2 pH. Mash 7.75 lbs. German two-row pilsner malt, the specialty grains and an additional 1.5 lbs. of Vienna malt in 3.5 gallons of water at 122° F for 25 min. and then at 152° F for 90 min. Sparge with 4.75 gallons of water at 5.7 pH and 168° F.  Total boil time is 60 min. Add 5.1 AAUs of bittering hops for the last 60 min. of the boil. Add the aroma hops and Irish moss as indicated by the extract recipe.

Helpful Hints: If your water is soft (below 50 ppm), add 3/4 tsp. gypsum, 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt, 1 tsp. calcium carbonate (chalk) and 1/4 tsp. Epsom salts. If it’s moderate (50 to 200 ppm), add 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1/4 tsp. chalk. If it’s hard (greater than 200 ppm), dilute it 1-to-1 with distilled water and add 1/8 tsp. non-iodized table salt and 1/4 tsp. chalk. It can be lagered for 3 to 4 weeks. Begin at 45° F and slowly decrease the temperature to 34° F over 2 weeks. This beer will peak between 1 and 3 months after it is carbonated and will last at cellar temperatures for 7 months.

Tess and Mark Szamatulski are the authors of “Beer Captured” (Maltose Press, 2000) and “Clonebrews” (Storey Publishing, 1998).