Our new copper ale 4.2% abv. A delightfully malt forward copper ale – complex, biscuity, sweet malts paired with very traditional. UK Fuggles hop to lend minty, grassy and slightly floral characteristics and some Olicana for gentle fruits.
Well, it’s been a long time coming but team Moon Gazer is brewing up its first Scottish style ale – thanks to some persuasion by Clan Cameron down at The Shoulder of Mutton, Strumpshaw.
Bob Cameron who runs the pub with his wife Dani and is often seen wearing a kilt very kindly bid at a charity auction for Moon Gazer to brew a beer of his choosing and get to brew and name the beer.
And so – the new beer Augustus was born – an 80 – shilling Scottish ale as a nod to Bob’s Scottish heritage and also Dani’s fantastic achievement of been one of very few people to have successfully swum the whole 23-mile length of Loch Ness’s icy cold waters. Fort Augustus is the iconic fort which stands on the shores of the Loch – so a fitting name and tribute indeed.
So, what makes a traditional Scottish ale distinctive?
In general, traditional Scottish beers are sweeter, darker, lower in and less highly hopped than modern-day English beers – the key thing is the balance and the interplay between the malts and the hop bitterness. The hop character imparts a fruitiness to aromatics and flavour, sufficient to be noticed but not so dominant as to overpower the residual malt sweetness. This leads way to a richly flavoured and medium bodied beer and can really allow the complex malt flavours to take centre stage and provide a beer of stunning character.
The term Shilling to classify a Scottish Ale refers to strength. This historic tradition refers to the tax rate levied on beer. The lower the Shilling value the lower the tax paid due to the lower abv of the beer.
Bob chose an 80 Shilling beer style. The 80-Shilling would typically be between 3.9% – 4.9% abv – so we went for 4.2% as a nice easy drinking style.
As malts are so important in the flavour of the Scottish Ales we used locally grown Maris Otter – but the traditionally floor malted variety for added complexity while other malts also remain true to style and include some darker crystal malts.
Hop wise it’s an all-UK affair – with the very traditional Fuggles hop used to lend minty, grassy and slightly floral characteristics – while we have added a nod to the contemporary with the use of a new English variety – Olicana – adding clean, gentle fruit notes.
So, there you have it an ale inspired by the kind charity of Bob and Dani and one which follows one of the world’s most beloved beer styles which stand the test of time across generations.
BTW – the perfect ale to raise a glass to Burns Night this year…and say cheers to Bob and Dani too.