If it’s November, it’s time to brew the beer that will carry me through the winter holiday parties. And if you’re like me, you want beer on tap that will be flavorful but also low in ABV so that your guests can still make their way home safely. So what’s a brewer to do? In my case, I make sure that one of my taps features one of the hidden gems of the craft-beer world: The Scottish 60 Shilling (60/-). Although one of the lightest beers around, it still offers a wonderful array of delicate flavors and doesn’t seem at all out of place in the dead of winter.
Style
One of the best things about the Scottish ales (of varying strengths, but following the same basic flavor guidelines) is that they’re genuinely indicative of the region in which they’re brewed. Scots have access to great barley and ferment in the cool conditions of northern Britain, but when it comes to hops…well, let’s just say that there’s not much to be had. When tariffs limit access to hops, beers are taxed by their ABV, and the weather only rarely strays above tweed-wearing temperatures, you get Scottish ales: caramel and toffee flavors balanced by a minimum of hops, highly restrained esters, and the skirl of bagpipes if you put your ear up to the edge of the glass (Okay, maybe not that last thing, but wouldn’t it be great if it were true?).
These beers are meant to get the most bang for the buck that they can, much like the English Mild. They’re very low in alcohol (some register ABVs as low as 2.5 percent) and are highly drinkable, but they also feature the best that high-quality malts can offer. Far from being thin in flavor, they overperform relative to their gravity and grist, thanks to kettle caramelization and a judicious use of crystal malts.