How to Brew the Rich and Malty Wee Heavy Homebrew Beer Recipe

The Wee Heavy, a malt-forward Scottish Strong Ale, is a beer that truly celebrates deep malt flavor, a touch of dark fruit, and a warming, high-ABV finish. Often known as a "Scottish Strong Ale," this style is perfect for cooler weather brewing and sipping.

We're diving into an all-grain recipe that features a robust malt bill and a restrained hop profile, keeping the focus squarely on that beautiful malt complexity.

Recipe Snapshot: Wee Heavy

This recipe, is designed for a deep amber to brown color, a rich mouthfeel, and a significant alcohol content, balanced by just enough hop bitterness.

• Style: Wee Heavy (Scottish Strong Ale)
• Style Guide: BJCP 2021 (Category 17C)
• Batch Size: 5 Gallons Into Kegs or Bottles
• Original Gravity (OG): 1.074 SG
• Final Gravity (FG): 1.018 SG
• Calculated ABV: 7.35 %
• IBU: 27.4
• Color (SRM): 18.2 SRM
• Boil Time: 60 minutes

The Brew Day Process

1. Water Treatment: Add 3/4 Campden Tablets to your brewing water to neutralize chlorine/chloramine.
2. Mash: This recipe uses a High Fermentability mash profile. Mash your grains at 154F for 60 minutes.
3. Boil: Bring to a boil for 60 minutes.
   • 60 Minutes: Add the Northern Brewer hops.
   • 10 Minutes: Add the East Kent Goldings hops.
   • 5 Minutes: Add 1 Whirlfloc tablet for clarity.
4. Chill and Pitch: After the boil, chill the wort down to your pitching temperature around 65F and then pitch your two packs of S-04 yeast.

The Grain Bill: Building the Malt Backbone

The malt bill is the foundation of this strong ale. It features a high-quality base malt, supported by specialty grains for complexity and color.

• Base Malt:
  • 15.00 lbs of Southern Select (Riverbend Malt House): This high-quality base malt provides the necessary fermentable sugars and a clean, bready foundation.
• Specialty Malts:
  • 2.00 lbs of Aromatic Malt: This grain provides significant malt depth, complexity, and a darker color contribution.
  • 0.625 lbs of Crystal Dark: Adds residual sweetness, body, and notes of caramel or dark fruit.
  • 0.125 lbs of Black Malt: Used in a very small amount for color correction and to subtly enhance the malt complexity without adding harsh roast bitterness.

Hops: Restrained and Traditional

Hops in a Wee Heavy are supportive, not starring. Their primary job is to provide enough bitterness to balance the huge malt load. We're using classic English varietals.

• Bittering Addition (60 Minutes):
  • 1.0 oz of Northern Brewer (7.5% Alpha Acid)
• Flavor/Aroma Addition (10 Minutes):
  • 1.0 oz of East Kent Goldings (5.7% Alpha Acid)

Yeast and Fermentation

Choosing the right yeast is crucial for achieving the style's characteristic esters and high attenuation.

• Yeast: 2 Pack SafAle English Ale (S-04) (Fermentis)
  • This is a reliable yeast that provides a traditional English ale character.
• Primary Fermentation Temp: Target 66F Ferment for 10-14 days.

Enjoying Your Wee Heavy

This is a beer that rewards patience. Once fermentation is complete, transfer it to a bottle/keg, allowing it time to condition and mellow. Serve slightly warmer than an average ale around 50F to appreciate its beautiful color and rich, malty aroma.

Happy Brewing!