Scotch Ale recipe: Good or Bad?

[cbren723]

This is my second time making a strong scotch ale. The first time I added in a lot of chocolate grains, but this time I want it to be less sweet so I am using Roasted Barley instead, but I still want to have a little sweetness (hence the honey I put in). This recipe is costing me some money so I wanted to get some feedback. Does it look okay? Suggestions?

6 lb Marris Otter Extract
5 lb Pale Liquid Extract
3.2 oz Smoked Malt
4.8 oz Roasted Barley
8 oz Victory Malt
1.5 lb Crystal Malt- 60
1 lb Honey at 5 min

Hop Schedule
.75 oz Target at 60 min (start of boil)
.25 oz Target at 20 min
.50 oz Kent Golding at 30 min
.50 oz Kent Golding at 5 min

Using 2 bottles of Edinburgh Ale (White Labs)

 

[sweed]

The honey won't add sweetness to it. What's the estimated FG? That will determine the sweetness.
I'm making wee heavy this weekend, and can't wait to try it I'm starting to get into Scottish ales more. They are so good! I'm only using a quarter lb of roasted barley. It's seems like the recipes don't use to much of out for 5 gallon batches, but just enough to get that flavor.

 

[Calder]

Guidelines for Strong Scotch Ale (Wee Heavy)

"Well-mod pale malt,&to 3% roasted barley.sometimes crystal malt for color.sweetness comes from low hopping,high mash temp&kettle caramelization.small amt of smoked malt may add depth.Hops are minimal,&Engl var.are most authentic.Fairly soft water is typ."

What type of smoked malt are you using. With that quantity it needs to be peated malt, otherwise you will get no noticeable smoke from it. With peated smoked malt you will get a very noticeable smoke flavor with 3.2 ozs. That may be on the high side if you after just a hint.

The crystal will make it taste sweet. I'd bring it down to 1 or even a half pound.

You are wasting honey in that beer. You will not notice it at all with the roast and peat malts. I'd replace it with a pound of table sugar. Sugar, like honey will dry the beer out a little, so I think you need it; particularly since this is an extract beer. 1 lb of sugar will probably reduce the FG by .002 compared to the same beer without the sugar addition.

I think the Victory is a waste of time. It needs to be mashed to provide much to the beer. You might get a little flavor (I don't know), certainly no fermentables, and will leave starches in the beer which may contribute to haze.

Hops. The 20 and 30 minute additions are not really doing much. You will have boiled them too long to get much flavor from them, and not enough top maximize bitterness. Move them to either 60, or more probably to sometime in the last 15 minutes.