Billowy if bland
Scottish ale, take three. This brew has fantastic head retention and lacing. That’s not important, style-wise, but still some of the best we’ve had for any beer. The aroma and taste, unfortunately, are on the bland side. Unlike the other Scottish ale that are very malt-forward, this tastes mostly like earthy hops. I don’t get much bread or caramel at any point. It starts with the hops, finishes with a bitter bite, and doesn’t have much to speak of in between. It’s not bad but not what I was expecting. I’d be a lot more satisfied if this was meant to be an ESB. I’m rather stunned by the different considering the three Scottish ales used near identical recipes.
This iteration was based on six and a half pounds of Maris Otter. Specialty malts included a pound of caramel 40, a half pound each of Munich and honey malts, four ounces of caramel 120, and three ounces of pale chocolate malt. One ounce of East Kent Goldings went in at the 60 minute mark and fermentation was with WLP 001 California. Nothing out of the ordinary in the mash or boil yet a different result from previous versions.