The Scotch ales of the 19th century had surprisingly little in common with what we expect from the style today. You might be surprised to hear, for example, that the original Scotch ales were often pale, heavily hopped, and dry-hopped. Even more fascinating: They often were brewed to astonishingly high gravities and matured with Brettanomyces.
The 19th century tradition of strong, funky, stock Scotch ale is one from which we draw inspiration at Epochal. So, I want to explain these inspirations as I understand them and to discuss how Scotch ale is brewed at Epochal.
Big, Pale Grain Bills
Setting aside porters and stouts, 19th century Scottish brewers didn’t much use speciality malt. Apart from a couple of brief dalliances, they didn’t use brewing sugars either. So, the classic Scotch ale grain bill is surprisingly simple: 100 percent pale malt.