BIS008 - Scottish Export

In this contemporary take on the classic Scottish 80 Shilling style fresh pine aroma hits as you raise the glass, evoking thoughts of woodland wanders. The malts provide a luscious caramel-toffee sweetness and spruce tips contribute soft resin citrus notes. There are hints of vanilla and cinnamon that recall Coca Cola or apple crumble along with just enough rounded bitterness to ensure a clean, crisp finish. This beer is about everyday opulence; polished but superbly drinkable.

What The Hell Were We Thinking?

We picked the spruce tips for this year’s brew later in the season than last year and could immediately tell they’d be a bit different. They were bigger but the aroma was less pungent as we dropped them into the buckets. The base beer was brewed to the same recipe and as before we added the tips after primary fermentation. Last year though, the spruce flavour was so prominent after just 24 hours we pulled the bag out there and then. The flavour then receded quite quickly and left a fairly subtle impression on the finished beer, more of a layer of complexity than an immediately identifiable pine aroma. This year the spruce took longer to develop and we gave it about a week before removing the bag. It never did reach the same level as last year’s day one, but it proved to be more resilient and has a more pronounced presence in the end product. The result is an 80/- that has many of the same qualities as last year’s version; the typical Scottish maltiness, low bitterness and a clean fermentation profile. The amped-up pine aroma adds an extra dimension though and is another step forward for this modern take on a classic style. 

Naturally carbonated, vegan friendly