Scotch Ale 1815-1850

Back to book extracts. I have a feeling that the 1815-1850 chapter will need some serious editing. It's currently almost 25% of the total book. And I want to add more to it. There are just too many sources for the period.

Scotch Ale. A topic I've already covered several times. But what the hell, there's still plenty to discuss. In the first half of the 19th century, there were significant differences in the way Scottish and English brewers worked. What were they? Try reading the text below.


Scotch Ale

Scotch Ales in the 1820's
Price__OG______FG______ABV
£4__1080-86____1032-35__6,625
£5__1090-95____1036-39__7
£6__1100-1108__1040-44__7,75
£7__1110-1116___1045-47__8,375
£8__1120-1125___1048-50__9,25
Source:
"Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 117


Scotch Ales in the 1840's
Price__OG______FG______ABV
£3__1080-86____1032-35__6,625
£4__1090-95____1036-39__7
£5__1100-1108__1040-44__7,75
£6__1110-1116___1045-47__8,375
£7__1120-1125___1048-50__9,25
Source:
"Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 117


The Scottish system of brewing
The main difference with England was that Scottish brewers mashed just once. One and a half to one and three quarter barrels of water were used per quarter of malt. The striking heat was between 175º and 185º F. Mashing took about 45 minutes, follwed by a period of standing between 2 and 3 hours. After this time the first wort was run off and the goods sparged with hot water.

For strong Ales, of over 1100, between 4 and 10 pounds of hops per quarter were used. In winter the average was about 6 pounds, in summer 8 pounds. (Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 149.) That's a little less than in England, where stronger Ales had 8 to 10 pounds of hops per quarter.

Roberts described how he hopped Ales when brewing.

OG________season___hops/qtr__1st addition__2nd addition____length of boil
1095-1100__Jan-Mar__10 lbs____4 lbs, 0 mins__6 lbs, 20 mins__60 mins
1085-1090__Jan-Mar__8 lbs_____4 lbs, 0 mins__4 lbs, 15 mins__60 mins
1070-1080__Jan-Mar__7 lbs_____2 lbs, 0 mins__5 lbs, 15 mins__60 mins
Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, pages 89-90

When a Table Beer was made with the weaker runnings, the hops from the strong Ale were re-used, being boiled 2 to 3 hours. (Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 91.)

Yeast was pitched 53º F in winter, 51º F in summer. Around 2 pounds of yeast per barrel was pitched. During fermentation, the temperature of the wort increased by 12º to 15º F. (Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 149.)

"Scottish brewers make no use of isinglass for finings; nor do I believe they have any occasion to employ such agents as flour and salt in order to stimulate fermentation ." (Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 150.)

Roberts gives an example of a £5 (100/-) Ale. Twenty quarters of malt were added to 32 barrels of water at 180º F. It was mashed with oars for 45 minutes then covered and left to stand for 2 hours 45 minutes. The tap was opened to run off the wort and at the same time sparging began with 32 barrels of water at 190º F. The wort run off was at 148º F. After 3.5 hours 48 barrels of wort at 1083º had been collected and the tap was closed. Another 15 barrels of water were sparged to make Table Beer. (Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, pages 149-150.)

160 pounds of East Kent hops were added to the wort in the copper and boiled briskly for 90 minutes. After cooling, 36 barrels of wort at 1103.5 were put into the gyle tun. It was pitched at a temperature of 50º F with 8.5 gallons of yeast. The wort remained in the tun for 13 days, the temperature rising to 63º F. It was then let down into the square at a gravity of 1043 and left there for 24 hours before cleansing into hogsheads. (Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 150.) By my calculation, that's about 8% ABV and 58% apparent attenuation.

10 barrels of Table Beer with a gravity of 1040º were also produced. (Source: "Scottish Ale Brewer", WH Roberts, Edinburgh, 1847, page 151.)

There are a couple of major differences between the method Roberts describes and the practice in English breweries. There was just a single mash, as opposed to three or four. The volume of the water used to sparge was much greater. The yeast was pitched colder, 50º F rather than 60º F, which was more typical in England. The fermentation, at two weeks, was much longer. In England it rarely lasted even as long as seven days. From the mention of moving the wort from a tun to a square, it sounds as if Roberts was employing the dropping system of fermentation.