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Edinburgh Ale


Vital Statistics:

Batch Number:59
Style:Wee Heavy
Brew Date:19 May 2012
Original Gravity:1.096 (22.89 °Plato)
Final Gravity:1.018 (4.58 °Plato)
ABV:10.2%
ABW:7.9%
Calories per pint:414
Estimated IBU (Rager):29.7
Estimated IBU (Tinseth):22.9
Mash Temperature:157°
Mash Efficiency:77%
Days in Primary:51  
Days in Secondary:0 (kegged on 10 July 2012)
Ferm. Temp. Notes:68-76°
Yeast Used:1728 Scottish Ale
Apparent Attenuation:81%
Real Attenuation:66%
Rating:4.00
Entirely Consumed:Yes (finished 27 January 2013)
Availability:201 days
 Recipe:

18 lb 2-row pale malt
4 oz chocolate malt

11 AAU (22g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 60

Whirlfloc tablet @ 15

Wyeat 1728 - Scottish Ale
General Notes:

Used yeast cake from batch #57. Boiled down 12 quarts of first runnings to about 4 quarts to caramelize some of the wort.
Tasting Notes:

Tasting notes taken 27 August 2012, 48 days after kegging. Poured from tap into a tulip.

Appearance: rich, dark brown hue with two thick fingers of creamy ivory foam atop. Head has decent retention, although there's not much lace left on the glass. Quite good, but better lacing and head retention would be nice. (4)

Smell: strong malt aroma with some light hints of dark fruits: raisins and plums. There's a little astringent bite as well, which I can only guess is the alcohol. At 10.2% it's a bit nuclear. It would be nice to have a little bit richer aroma, but this is quite good. (4)

Taste: huge malt flavor with a goodly dose of alcohol astringency. There's a bit of a breadiness and a little bit of a biscuity flavor which I would not mind seeing replaced with more sweet, strong malt. Dark fruits are also present, as in the aroma; I like that effect quite a lot. Bitterness is low but present; pretty good for the style. (4)

Mouthfeel: medium to medium-thick body with a pretty well-integrated carbonation and a nice creaminess. Really, more of a silkiness perhaps. I feel like maybe this beer is a tiny bit over-attenuated for the style; my last wee heavy was 70% apparent but this guy is 81%; I think lower attenuation would have improved this beer a bit. Still, the texture is quite good. (4)

Drinkability: this beer has a monstrous alcoholic content and a big flavor. That said, I find it surprisingly easy to drink. Its maltiness is not a big challenge to the palate, and it goes down pretty easy. (4)

Overall score 4.0 (B+). I like this beer a lot, although I feel like it is a little bit over-attenuated for the style. I think maybe being closer to 1.024 rather than 1.018 would have added just the hint of sweetness and body this beer would need to be truly wonderful. I should pay closer attention to my mash temps, and try to get closer to 158 or 159 next time.
Hops Table
Hop Variety Addition Time AAU AA% Quantity (g) Type IBU (Rager) IBU (Tinseth) Notes
Citra 60 11.00 14.2 22 Whole 29.7 22.9