Walker's Gruagach 80/- Scottish Ale

[Walker]

http://www.homebrewchatter.com/board/attachment.php?attachmentid=3691&d=1298505968

Specs

Batch size: 5.5 gallons
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75%
OG: 1.054
IBU: 30
SRM: 17

All Grain Version
Notes are at the bottom for an extract and partial mash version

Grain Bill

* 9.00 lb 2-Row
* 1.00 lb Crystal 80L
* 8.00 oz Melanoidin Malt
* 5.00 oz Aromatic Malt
* 4.00 oz Peated Malt
* 2.00 oz Black Patent


Hop Schedule

* 1.50 oz EK Goldings @ 60 minutes

Yeast

* 1 quart starter of Wyeast 1728 - Scottish Ale

Misc

* Some amount of caramelization is desired in this beer. Remove a few pints of the first runnings of the wort and and reduce it in a saucepan while you are boiling the rest of the wort. Add this reduction back to the kettle a few minutes before flame out. DON'T BURN IT.

Notes

* 60 minute mash @ 156*F
* Boil for 90 minutes and chill to 65*F before pitching.
* Ferment in the 55*F to 60*F range (it will take a while).
* Don't even bother drinking until 8 weeks after you made it - let it mature.



Extract Version

* Replace the 9lbs of 2-row with about 5.25lbs of light DME.
* Steep the other grains for 45 minutes in 150*F water, then rinse into kettle before bringing to a boil and adding DME.
* Take a portion of the wort and reduce in a saucepan as described above.
* Yeast and fermentation schedule are the same.

Partial Mash Version

* Use 3lbs of 2-row, specialy grains, and 3.5lbs of light DME.
* Mash all grains for an hour at recommended temp for AG version, then sparge.
* Bringing to a boil and adding DME.
* Take a portion of the wort and reduce in a saucepan as described above.
* Yeast and fermentation schedule are the same.

[akboehl]

Cool Label

[salad 419]

I'm intrigued by the use of the melanoidin malt in that recipe.

It's pretty common practice around here to reduce about a gallon of the first runnings to replicate the kettle caramelization.

I'd be interested in trying a pint or two of that beer.

[Walker]

I'm intrigued by the use of the melanoidin malt in that recipe.
Yeah. That was a very early tweak to the recipe when I was developing it. I really wanted a strong malt flavor, and I was brewing extract at the time, so I used the melanoiden as a trick. It's just stayed in the recipe since then.

The same sort of thing is true of the aromatic. That was a later tweak because the smell of peat was dominating the aroma.


It's pretty common practice around here to reduce about a gallon of the first runnings to replicate the kettle caramelization.
I have tried making this before without the reduction and just boiling the crap out of the wort for nearly 2 hours, and it didn't come anywhere near the end result I wanted, so I went back to using the reduction.

[wildwest450]

Do you boil the reduction, or just simmer it down? And how far do you take it down? I've read until it's a thick syrup.

[Walker]

Do you boil the reduction, or just simmer it down? And how far do you take it down? I've read until it's a thick syrup.

Simmer. I've never really paid too much attention to how much I reduce it in volume. I just simmer it while I'm boiling the rest of the batch and add it back near the end.

The thickness should be enough so that when you dip a spoon in it and pull it up, it clings to the spoon a bit and doesn't just pour right back off.

[Ó Flannagáin]

Recipe sounds great but really loving that label!

[wildwest450]

Sweet, thanks. My bro-in-law better appreciate this, I know I won't.

[Walker]

Recipe sounds great but really loving that label!

thanks. that's the best one I ever made. i made it like 4 years ago. been considering submitting it to BYO's label competition.

[akboehl]

Do you draw that and scan it or do it all on interweb machines?

[Walker]

Do you draw that and scan it or do it all on interweb machines?

I found the image of the old hag on the web. It is a very old image and is (at this point) public domain. It was just a black and white image. I did all of the rest of the stuff with GIMP.

[Walker]

FYI: the Gruagach is a creature from Scottish folklore. I found the image by searching first for scottish folklore, reading some things, and then google image searching for "gruagach".

I just now went to find the original image on the web again, and my fucking label is the first google hit. LOL. The original image is the second hit.