90 shilling clone

[Marley's Brewing]

Im preparing to brew what I hope will be similar to Odells 90 Shilling and looking for thoughts or opinions from people, maybe someone has tried to brew a clone or is familiar with the beer

https://share.brewfather.app/K4hdzPQUvu4SCe

 

[Craigerrr]

I think that @Josh Hughes would be your go to for advice on this beer

 

[Sandy Feet]

I think that Josh would be the person too.
If I were going Englishy/Scottishy, I would probably change the yeast, but that is me. I don't know that I would want that style of beer dried to the point of an S-05. That is just a personal choice. If you can't get liquid, I might at least change it to S-04.

 

[Marley's Brewing]

I think that Josh would be the person too.
If I were going Englishy/Scottishy, I would probably change the yeast, but that is me. I don't know that I would want that style of beer dried to the point of an S-05. That is just a personal choice. If you can't get liquid, I might at least change it to S-04.

I prefer the term Scottish-ish

 

[Marley's Brewing]

I prefer the term Scottish-ish

I can get whichever yeast

I think that Josh would be the person too.
If I were going Englishy/Scottishy, I would probably change the yeast, but that is me. I don't know that I would want that style of beer dried to the point of an S-05. That is just a personal choice. If you can't get liquid, I might at least change it to S-04.

I can get whichever yeast would work best

 

[Sandy Feet]

LOL.
Of the ones I have tasted, they have the ones with the crazy herbs, and the more normal ones. I think the normal ones are basically English beer with a better water profile. As always, I can stand corrected. I do think you want attenuation in those beers, just not 80% like you get with S-05.

 

[Josh Hughes]

If you can get liquid get a Scottish ale yeast. Scottish Ale has a clean profile that lets malt shine. I would probably go Nottingham if dry as it is very clean. I also think the malt bill is too complicated. Golden promise, a small amount of roasted barley and about 5% crystal. You should be high on gravity probably 0.2 point higher than what you have here. Then you will be super malty without needing the crystal. Drop your IBU to 20, they are just there to balance it a touch.

You will get multiple options of course this based on what I’ve read and done. This is an 8% or higher beer. It will be malty and full bodied without extra ingredients. Use plenty of yeast. Ferment cold as you can and let it condition a bit like a lager

 

[Marley's Brewing]

If you can get liquid get a Scottish ale yeast. Scottish Ale has a clean profile that lets malt shine. I would probably go Nottingham if dry as it is very clean. I also think the malt bill is too complicated. Golden promise, a small amount of roasted barley and about 5% crystal. You should be high on gravity probably 0.2 point higher than what you have here. Then you will be super malty without needing the crystal. Drop your IBU to 20, they are just there to balance it a touch.

You will get multiple options of course this based on what I’ve read and done. This is an 8% or higher beer. It will be malty and full bodied without extra ingredients. Use plenty of yeast. Ferment cold as you can and let it condition a bit like a lager

I chose the yeast I did because it says it will do well at the temp of my fermentation room which is 70-72 degrees.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I chose the yeast I did because it says it will do well at the temp of my fermentation room which is 70-72 degrees.

I too thought to suggest switching to an English yeast but, not with those room temps, plus the additional heat generated during active fermentation. Have you looked into a swamp cooler? Basically your fermentor sits in a bucket of water with a towel or t-shirt covering it and a fan blowing on it. The evaporation will cool the wort by a few degrees. You can also swap out ice blocks every few hours to cool the wort a few degrees more. If that isn't possible, and refrigeration isn't in the cards, what about brewing this beer in the winter, when ambient temps will be a lower. Unless you live near the equator that is.

 

[Marley's Brewing]

What about Omega Lutra, Ive read that its a great warm fermenter, does great for ales, and produces very little if any esters at warmer temperatures

I too thought to suggest switching to an English yeast but, not with those room temps, plus the additional heat generated during active fermentation. Have you looked into a swamp cooler? Basically your fermentor sits in a bucket of water with a towel or t-shirt covering it and a fan blowing on it. The evaporation will cool the wort by a few degrees. You can also swap out ice blocks every few hours to cool the wort a few degrees more. If that isn't possible, and refrigeration isn't in the cards, what about brewing this beer in the winter, when ambient temps will be a lower. Unless you live near the equator that is.

 

[Josh Hughes]

I think you could make a good strong ale with it. Will not have the yeast character of a Scottish ale though

 

[Marley's Brewing]

I think you could make a good strong ale with it. Will not have the yeast character of a Scottish ale though

I think that would be okay since Odell's is kind of an Americanized Scottish ale. The grain build should bring me similar to their flavor and the hops are the same hops they use. I'm not sure on their hop schedule, but they use a proprietary yeast blend that's supposed to be similar to an American ale yeast so I thought it would work. Thanks for your help

 

[Sandy Feet]

Let us know how it comes out.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

What about Omega Lutra, Ive read that its a great warm fermenter, does great for ales, and produces very little if any esters at warmer temperatures

I've never had an Odell's 90 Shilling, but I have had and brewed other Irish/English/Scottish beers and all use yeast that produces esters. Now, don't get me wrong, I think your recipe will produce a good tasting beer, I just don't think it will match the Scottish 90 Shilling style that I assume you are targeting. But then...

they use a proprietary yeast blend that's supposed to be similar to an American ale yeast

... maybe Odell's 90 Shilling doesn't have a lot of esters either so Lutra would be close to what you are targeting.

Good Luck. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Dave Y]

Is a 154F mash temp hot enough for a Scottish ale? I’m asking, not suggesting. You want to have some residual malt sweetness but a clean fermentation nevertheless. My go to single infusion for most ales is 152F. I’ve seen suggestions as high as 158 for a Scottish ale, but the recent ones I’ve done were about 155- close to where your recipe is. The Wee Heavy I did came out pretty good -- AND.... of course the one thing I did not log? Mash temperature.

DOH!

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

That's a good point @Dave Y. That's my target temp as well for Scottish Ales. But I think the crystal, Munich, and dextrin malts would have just as much, if not more, impact on the malty sweetness than the mash temp.

Now I want to brew a Scottish Ale next as well, along with all my other "next beer" desires!

 

[Marley's Brewing]

Brewed Yesterday pitched yeast around 4pm and this is how it looks this morning.

Lutra hard at work

https://imgur.com/a/G6ajG1r

 

[Marley's Brewing]

I've never had an Odell's 90 Shilling, but I have had and brewed other Irish/English/Scottish beers and all use yeast that produces esters. Now, don't get me wrong, I think your recipe will produce a good tasting beer, I just don't think it will match the Scottish 90 Shilling style that I assume you are targeting. But then...

... maybe Odell's 90 Shilling doesn't have a lot of esters either so Lutra would be close to what you are targeting.

Good Luck. Let us know how it turns out.

Here’s how Odell Brewing Company describes their 90 Shilling Ale:

It's a smooth and complex flagship beer — a medium-bodied amber ale with a distinct burnished copper color and a deeply pleasant aroma. Untappd calls it an "irresistibly smooth and delicious medium-bodied amber ale", and notes that it was introduced at Odell’s opening party in 1989 as a lighter take on traditional Scottish ale.

 

[Marley's Brewing]

1.062 OG - 1.011 FG. Might be a little stronger than I expected. lol

 

[Marley's Brewing]

well... after 2 weeks of bottle conditioning I cracked one open tonight and there was little to no carbonation So after some research I have come to the conclusion that I either, forgot to add dextrose before bottling (which im 97.3% sure I did add) or that the yeast just worked too hard, was too stressed to compensate for the higher ABV. Beer tastes amazing! Great flavor, no off flavors or smells. Conditioned for 14 days at 68 degrees. Should I give it more time or should I re-prime and pitch some new yeast?