The Scottish or Scotch ale is one of the four classic, opaque, darkish brews that have originated on the British Isles. The other three are stout, porter and brown ale. Perhaps the most defining characteristic that sets the dark brews of Scotland apart from other darker beers is their clean, crisp taste. The Scottish beers lack the dryness of an Irish stout, the toastiness of a London porter, and the estery complexity of an English brown. Though not without residual sweetness, even the heaviest Scottish or Scotch ales usually also lack the syrupy sweetness of some of the imperial stouts.
   
To me, the ales from Scotland are more akin to German than British ales. Because of their fermentation regimen (explained further down) and their clean finish, I liken them to the altbier — only a bit darker and less hop-accented.

Scotch — not just a whisky
There is no clear demarcation between a Scottish and a Scotch ale, except that the latter tends to be stronger and heavier than the former. In the old days, Scottish ales used to be classified by the prices paid of one cask-full: 60 shillings, 70 shillings, 80 shillings, up to 140 shillings. Even though the price bears no relationship to the strength of the brew, more often than not, beers above the 80-shilling ale — which is regarded by many nowadays as the classic version of the style — seem to have been considered “wee heavy” and were termed Scotch ales. An 80-shilling Scottish ale, often called “export,” usually had an alcohol by volume content (ABV) of 4–4.5%, while a 90-shilling Scotch ale could jump in strength to as much as 7–7.5% ABV. Perhaps surprisingly Scottish ales below a minimum “export” strength of about 4% ABV were often labeled as “heavy,” even though we would not think of that alcohol level as particularly heavy nowadays.
  
In a way, Scotch ale is to Scottish ale what bockbier is to regular Bavarian dunkel or what barleywine is to regular British ale. The Scottish is the “regular” brew, while the Scotch is the beefed-up version. In actual usage, though, their parameters overlap on a sliding scale, as do the terms Scottish and Scotch. Most — though definitely not all — Scottish ales in the 60 to 80-shilling range have an ABV between 3.2 and 4.6%. The weakest Scottish ales may be on a par with the mild ales of England, with hardly more than an OG of 1.030 (7.5 °P) and an ABV of about 2.5%, while the strongest renditions may come in at an OG of 1.050 (12.5 °P) and an ABV of perhaps 4.7–4.8%. Scotch ales, on the other hand, may start at an OG of 1.070 (17.5 ºP) and an ABV of 6%.

As elusive as the Loch Ness monster
The wide range of gravity and alcohol values for the dark beers from Scotland are a dead give-away of the relative vagueness of this style. In fact, closer examination reveals that very little is definite about it at all. Greg Noonan, owner and brewmaster of Vermont Pub and Brewery, writes in his book “Scotch Ale” (Brewers Publications, 1993) “ . . . records [about brewing Scottish ale], if they survive at all, are generally so sketchy that little usable information can be extracted from them . . . Moreover, since the Middle Ages brewing [in Scotland] has either been a very haphazard cottage industry, or was controlled by guilds that jealously guarded their craft. These have been succeeded by equally secretive commercial breweries, protecting their trade secrets.”
   
The selection of ingredients and the brewing process are probably more significant determinants for Scottish beers than are their statistical profiles. Yet even these are not always clear.
   
Our focus in this article must be somewhat more narrow than that of Noonan. Thus, we will concentrate on a compromised version of the brew, a rough interpretation of a 70 to 80-shilling rendition. Ours may have less authentic historical standing than other brews from Scotland, but is a fair representation of the core elements of Scottish ale.
   
In addition, it has the advantage of being conveniently achievable by today’s homebrewers working with modern ingredients. I simply call this brew Scotiae Cerevisia, which is Latin for “beer of Scotland.” In terms of composition, my Scottish ale is strongly influenced by the two brews from Scotland that are most readily available where I live, in Massachusetts.
   
These come from the Belhaven Brewery Company of Dunbar, 50 miles east of Edinburgh. Belhaven is one of the classic makers of the Scottish and Scotch ales. It has been brewing the style since 1719. The brewery’s two bottled export varieties are its Scottish Ale at 3.9% ABV and its St. Andrews Ale at 4.6% ABV.

Ingredients
Traditionally, Scottish barleys were floor malted which yields base malts with a slightly darker complexion of approximately 3­–4 °L compared to pneumatically malted ale base malts (which usually have a color of 2–3 °L). If available, you can try Crisp pale ale malt at 3.5–4.5 °L as a base malt. Otherwise use any top quality pale ale malt augmented for color by 0.5 pounds (approximately 225 grams or about 2 cups) of Briess Victory at 25–30 °L or Weyermann CaraAmber at 23–31 °L.
   
These malts will also contribute a touch of bready, biscuity flavor to the brew. The base malt is usually mixed with some roasted barley (such as Briess at around 275–325 °L) and a smidgen of black malt (such as Briess at 475–525 °L or, for a mellower flavor, de-husked Weyermann Carafa Special Type III at 488–563 °L) for color and flavor. Crisp’s roasted and caramel malts are also good choices. Scottish ales are invariably opaque.

A few rare renditions may be as pale as 10 SRM, but most have a color rating of approximately 12.5–17 SRM. Because of the clean finish of a Scottish ale, use only malts from 2-row instead of 6-row barley.
   
Given the great traditional variations in composing a Scottish ale grain bill and the resulting flavor and beer color, you can replace a portion of the pale base malt with one or several of the following (based on 5 gallons or 19 liters of wort):
   
For enhanced residual sweetness, use up to 0.5 lb. (approx. 225 grams or about 2 cups) of Briess Caramel malt (60–120 °L) or Weyermann Cara-Munich Type I (80–100 °L). Crisp, Simpsons, Hugh Baird and Pauls malts are also recommendable malts fitting of the Scottish Ale profile.
   
Some Scottish brews sport a slightly smoky note in their flavor profile, reminiscent of Scotch whisky. Some homebrewers use a few ounces of peat-smoked Hugh Baird malt or 0.25–0.5 lbs. (0.11–0.22 kg) of beechwood-smoked Weyermann Rauchmalz to mimic this, although this is not the real origin of the smoke notes in Scottish ales. (It is thought that this is a character of certain yeast strains.)
   
The Scottish ales are also often brewed with some sugar added to the fermenter, not the kettle, while primary fermentation is active, often just to bump up the alcohol content. In our recipe we will follow that custom by adding about half a pound (roughly a quarter kilogram) of white table sugar to the brew on the fifth day after pitching.
   
The bittering hop in Scottish ales is usually a Goldings variety, while the aroma hops is usually Fuggles or a combination of Goldings and Fuggles. Typical IBU values range between 29 and 35. Scottish ales are rarely dry-hopped, though the exported Belhaven St. Andrews Ale (36 IBU) is.
   
Choosing the right yeast for a Scottish ale can be tricky, because Scottish ales have been traditionally fermented at about 50 °F (10°C), which is the natural ambient temperature in which these brews have emerged, but which is much too cold for virtually all ale yeasts that are readily available. Ale fermentation at this low temperature keeps the level of esters, higher alcohols and other byproducts of yeast metabolism low, which accounts for the beer’s clean taste. Yeasts used in Scottish ales must also be fairly low attenuators and efficient flocculators so that the fermentation stops at a relatively early stage and some residual sweetness is preserved after the first racking. (In English beers, incidentally, residual sweetness often stems from crystal malts, which are not traditionally used in Scottish beers.)
   
I have used Wyeast 1728 (Scottish  Ale) as well as Wyeast 1007 (Altbier) yeasts with success (although altbier yeast is highly attenuative). Both have a working range down to 55 °F (13 °C), which is the temperature I use for primary fermentation. White Labs WLP028 (Edinburgh Ale) yeast is also a clean fermenting strain that gets the job done well.  
   
Much of the water in Scotland, unlike the water in Burton-upon-Trent for instance, tends to be quite soft. This is the brewing liquor preferred by the traditional Scottish ale brewer. Due to the the geology of Scotland, however, one can find both hard and soft water sources virtually adjacent to each other and both have been used by Scottish breweries.
   
For all intensive purposes, we assume that your regular tap water will be suited for brewing the Scotiae Cerevisia recipes included. However, If you decide you want to make adjustments to your brewing liquor and are looking for tips on water correction, see Don Million’s  “Water Treatments”    article in the January–February 2002 issue of Brew Your Own. The preferred mash pH for Scottish ales is a fairly normal 5.1–5.3.

Brewing Techniques
Perhaps the key process variables that turn ale into Scottish ale are:

• Mash in for a single-infusion at a relatively high temperature of 154–156 °F (68–69 °C) with a saccharification rest of about 90 minutes. This promotes the formation of plenty of unfermentable sugars for the full body required for a Scottish brew.

• Boil the bittering hops for no more than 45 minutes to minimize the amount of astringency leached into the brew and thus enhance the brew’s smoothness.

• Use flavor hops sparingly. The finish of a Scottish ale relies more on clean maltiness than hop aromatics to make an impression.
    
• Because we are fermenting Scottish ale at the bottom of the yeast’s working range, fermentation tends to start more slowly than normal and yeast reproduction is slightly impeded. To compensate, pitch twice as much yeast as you would for a “normal” ale. Therefore, the recipe calls for two packages of yeast.

• Because high gravities are an additional impediment to yeast getting started, add the brewing sugar not to the kettle but to the fermenter after fermentation is already securely
progressing.

• Lager and condition Scottish ales, similar to altbiers, at a temperature below 50 °F (10 °C) for a few weeks, and serve them at about 55 °F (13 °F).

Extract Scotch
The simplest way for the extract brewer to make a Scottish ale is to use a hopped kit with yeast and instructions. There is the Muntons Premium Range Scottish Style Heavy Ale and the Golden Range Highland Heavy Scottish Ale. Simply stir enough of the canned malt into your brewing liquor until you reach the target gravity from our recipe, ferment and package as per supplied instructions.
  
For those who don’t mind a bit more work, mix unhopped pale/light and amber extracts roughly one-third/two-thirds, then follow the instructions from our recipe from boiling to packaging. At our target gravity, an all-pale liquid malt extract (LME) would produce a wort of roughly 5–6 SRM, and all-amber LME one of roughly 20–22 SRM (these figures can differ widely among LME brands!).
   
The mix should yield a brew very close to our target color of roughly 17 SRM. In an extract mix for Scottish ale, I would stay away from both extra-light and dark extracts, because the former would render the brew too pale, while the latter might contain crystal and chocolate malts which would render the brew’s flavor too harsh.

   
Horst Dornbusch is the author of “Prost! The Story of German Beers” (1997, Brewers Publications).

Scotiae Cerevisia
(5 gallons/19 L,  all-grain)
OG = 1.046   FG = 1.014  
SRM = approx. 17    IBU = 32  
ABV = 4.2–4.3%

Ingredients
8.5 lbs. (3.9 kg) pale ale malt
2.5 oz. (70 g) roasted barley
0.5 oz. (15 g) black malt
0.5 lb. (225 g) white table sugar(during primary fermentation)
11 AAU Goldings hops (45 min) (2.4 oz./68 g of 4.6% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Goldings hops     (aroma)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Fuggles hops (aroma)
2 pkg. Wyeast 1728 (Scottish Ale) or White Labs WLP028 (Edinburgh Scottish Ale) yeast
1 cup dried malt extract (for bottling)

Note that the total grain bill is based on a brew system with a nominal extract efficiency of 65%. If your setup is better or worse, adjust the grain quantities accordingly. For grain bill variations and malt brand recommendations, see main text.

Step by Step
Mill and mash the grains for about 90 minutes at 154–156 °F (68–69 °C). Then sparge to a gravity of approximately 1.044. Boil for 15 minutes, add the bittering hops and boil for another 45 minutes. Shut down and add the aroma hops. Check the kettle gravity. If it is above 1.046, liquor the wort down. Heat-exchange immediately to 55 °F (10 °C), aerate and pitch the two packages of yeast (or a starter).
   
Ferment for 5 days and add the white table sugar. Ferment for another 5 days and crash the
temperature to at least 40 °F (4 °C) to force the yeast to sediment. After another two days, rack  your brew and keep it around 40–50 °F (4–10 °C) for two to three weeks. Rack it again, prime it and package the beer in bottles or keg. The brew imp-roves if it is allowed to mellow in a cool, dark place (or a refrigerator) for one to three months. Serve at approximately 55 °F (13 °C).

Scotiae Cerevisia
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.046   FG = 1.014  
SRM = approx. 17    IBU = 32  
ABV = 4.2–4.3%

Ingredients
5.26 lbs. (2.4 kg) pale ale liquid malt extract
2.5 oz. (70 g) roasted barley
0.5 oz. (15 g) black malt
0.5 lb. (225 g) white table sugar(during primary fermentation)
11 AAU Goldings hops (45 min) (2.4 oz./68 g of 4.6% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Goldings hops     (aroma)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Fuggles hops (aroma)
2 pkg. Wyeast 1728 (Scottish Ale) or White Labs WLP028 (Edinburgh Scottish Ale) yeast
1 cup dried malt extract (for bottling)

Step by Step
Mill or crush the specialty grains and place in a steeping bag. Immerse in 1 gallon of 170 °F (77 °C) water for about one hour. Remove the bag and rinse it with 2 cups of cold water. Do not squeeze bag! Combine the steeping liquid with the brewing liquor and bring to a boil. Stir in the liquid malt extract in and bring back to a boil. Add the bittering hops and follow the equivalent instructions for the all-grain brew.

Scotiae Cerevisia
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.046   FG = 1.014  
SRM = approx. 17    IBU = 32  
ABV = 4.2–4.3%

Ingredients
2.25 lbs. (1.0 kg) pale ale liquid malt extract
4.25 lbs. (1.9 kg) amber ale liquid malt extract
0.5 lb. (225 g) white table sugar     (during primary fermentation)
11 AAU Goldings hops (45 min) (2.4 oz./68 g of 4.6% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Goldings hops (aroma)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Fuggles hops (aroma)
2 pkg. Wyeast 1728 (Scottish Ale) or White Labs WLP028 (Edinburgh Scottish Ale) yeast
1 cup dried malt extract (for bottling)

Step by Step
Mix the two malts with your
hot brewing liquor in the kettle.
Bring the wort to a boil, add the bittering hops, and follow the equivalent step-by-step instructions for the all-grain version.