Brewed on 17 May 2018 in London.
Fraoch, or heather ale, is a legendary unhopped beer from Scotland, said to date back to Pictish times. It has been revived in recent years by Williams Brothers Brewing Company, who say
From an ancient Gaelic recipe for “leann fraoich” (heather ale) it has been revived and reintroduced to the Scottish culture. Into the boiling bree of malted barley, sweet gale and flowering heather are added, then after cooling slightly the hot ale is poured into a vat of fresh heather flowers where it infuses for an hour before being fermented.
It’s a very good beer. This is not in any way an attempt to clone or imitate it (though it’s too bad I didn’t have any bog myrtle at the time). Nevertheless, it turned out floral and malty, as I’d hoped.
Recipe Details
| Batch Size |
Boil Time |
IBU |
SRM |
Est. OG |
Est. FG |
ABV |
| 12 L |
60 min |
0.0 IBUs |
40.2 SRM |
1.072 |
1.018 |
7.3 % |
Fermentables
| Name |
Amount |
% |
| Maris Otter Pale - UK |
2 kg |
51.48 |
| Munich - UK |
750 g |
19.31 |
| Caramalt |
250 g |
6.44 |
| Crystal 140L - UK |
250 g |
6.44 |
| Chocolate - UK |
130 g |
3.35 |
| Special B - BE |
130 g |
3.35 |
| Crystal Rye - UK |
125 g |
3.22 |
| Dark Brown Sugar - US |
250 g |
6.44 |
Miscs
| Name |
Amount |
min |
|
Type |
| yarrow leaves, dried |
0.71 oz |
0 min |
Boil |
Other |
| gentian root, dried |
0.35 oz |
0 min |
Boil |
Other |
| heather tips ("heather grains") |
3.53 oz |
0 min |
Secondary |
Other |
| meadowsweet leaves, dried |
0.35 oz |
0 min |
Secondary |
Other |
Yeast
| Name |
Lab |
Attenuation |
Temperature |
| Empire M-15 |
|
70% |
17.78°C - 20.56°C |
| Fermentis Safale S-04 |
|
75% |
17.78°C - 20.56°C |
Notes
A heather-based gruit with yarrow, gentian, and meadowsweet. Floral and malty.
|
