Wee Heavy Scottish Strong Ale

7.9% ABV | 33 IBU

The Scottish Wee Heavy MKRKIT is a dark amber strong ale crafted in the style of historic Wee Heavies from Scotland like McEwan's and Traquair House Ale. The toasted grain bill develops complex flavors that finish slightly sweet. That sweetness is balanced by a high alcohol content and classic Goldings and Fuggle hops.

Grains

This Wee Heavy is made up of Maris Otter, Munich, Melanoidin, Special B, Carafa 2 Special, Carafoam, and a touch of dextrose. The Maris Otter brings a nutty base, and the Munich rounds off the base malts with a toasted biscuit flavor. Melanoidin malt brings a kettle caramelization sweetness and complexity to the flavor profile, and Special B adds a dark raison finishing sweetness. Carafa 2 Special is a dehusked dark grain that provides a touch of color without the resulting bitterness that roasted husks produce in the beer. The Carafoam provides head retention, and the dextrose is a clean and simple sugar to dry out the body just a touch.

Hops

Goldings 60-minute and 10 minute are both used to get both bitterness and aromatics, and Fuggle 20 minute provides a nice flavor presence with a few IBUs of bitterness. These hops are of UK origin and provide the hop profile you'd expect out of a Wee Heavy.

Yeast

This brew uses US-05 yeast. While it may seem odd to produce a Scottish ale with an American yeast strain, the flavor profile it produces (clean with a touch of ripe fruit) is a perfect match for the style. In fact, a large number of Scottish ales have placed medals at the NHC that were fermented with US-05.

Water

We recommend brewing this beer with the Edinburgh water profile.

Suggested Additions

Oak Cubes, 15g. Add to the BeerBag at initial brew setup. Traquair House Ale is aged on oak, and adding 15g of oak to the BeerBag will closely match that beer's profile. If you would like more oak flavor than Traquair House, a full 30g bag can be added.

Artwork

"I love the illustration that we're using for the Wee Heavy, it's very near to my heart. The summer before my 19th birthday I traveled across Scotland on a 250cc motor scooter, experiencing vast landscapes, fuzzy cows, breath taking sea cliffs, whales, and seals. I was introduced to single malt scotch whisky, Scottish ales, and of course, the Wee Heavy. As an 18 year old, this became foundational in my love for the craft." - Aaron Walls, Co-Founder of BEERMKR.