Denard Brewing

This is a massive, complex Wee Heavy style braggot. Expensive and a pain in the arse to make. It uses an extensive amount of specialty grains to provide complexity and a very special Scottish Heather honey varietal to give it a true Scottish character. 

Scottish Heather honey has a wonderfully powerful aroma with a hint of smoke in the  finish. It’s perfect for mead and adds something very special to a braggot. 

Kilted Cantankerous Bastard 

Style: Wee Heavy Braggot

BIAB - 6 gallon batch

1. Heat 7 gallons of Ozarka water in brew kettle with BIAB to 172 F. 

2. Add the following water treatments: 

     4 g Epsom Salt: 1 tsp

     1 g NaCl: 0.2 tsp

     2 g CaCl: 0.5 tsp

     10 g CaCO3: 2.6 tsp (chalk)

     -If you use a different water, you will need to work out Salt additions based on the Edinburg water profile. 

3. Add the following grain bill to a BIAB:

   -12 lbs Marris Otter

   -6 oz Crystal 80L

   -5 oz Biscuit

   -4 oz Aromatic Barley

   -3 oz Barley

   -2 oz Crystal 120L

4. Mash at 160 F for 30 minutes. 

5. Lift grain bag with pulley system and allow to drain. 

6. Remove 1 gallon of wort to cook down to a syrup (Reduce 4-fold to 1 quart). 

7. Boil the remaining wort and use the following hop schedule:

   -2 oz Fuggles for 1 hour

   -Add Whirlfloc at 15 minutes

8. Kill heat and add cooled down wort syrup as well as 1 tsp Wyeast beer nutrient. 

9. Add 6 lbs of Scottish Heather honey once the wort has cooled to less than 90 F. 

10. Place in a 32 F temperature control setup until wort reaches 55-60 F, then set to 55 F for the first 4 days, then bump to 60 F for the finish. 

11. Pitch 3 packs of Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale. No starter here because I want a low pitch rate for ester production and lower attenuation. 

12. Once stable gravity is reached, cold lager at 38 F for 3 weeks. 

13. Optional: Add Scotch soaked American oak cubes or put the batch in a barrel for an extra layer of flavor. Do not allow the oak to reach bourbon notes. That would not be appropriate for the style. 

14. Keg and carb to 2.5 volumes CO2. 

Specs

SG 1.105

FG 1.020

11.1% ABV

18 IBU