Scottish Ales: Scottish Lite Ale
Notes: These beers differ significantly from Scotch Ale, especially regarding original gravity, alcohol content and malt attributes. While there are conflicting theories as to whether traditional Scottish Light Ale exhibited peat smoke character, the current marketplace offers many examples with peat smoke character present at low to medium-low levels. Peat smoke attributes may be absent or present at low to medium-low levels. Versions exhibiting higher levels of smoke character are categorized as Smoke Beer. When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, competition organizers may create subcategories which reflect groups of entries based on presence or absence of peat smoke-derived attributes.
- Color: Gold to light brown
- Clarity: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures
- Malt Profile: Malty, caramel aroma may be present. A low to medium-low, soft and chewy caramel malt flavor should be present.
- Hop Profile: Should not be present
- Bitterness: Low
- Fermentation: Yeast attributes such as diacetyl and sulfur are acceptable at very low levels. Bottled versions may contain higher amounts of carbon dioxide than is typical for lightly carbonated draft versions. Fruity esters, if present, are low.
- Body: Low
- ABV: 2.8%-3.5%
- ABW: 2.2%-2.8%
- IBU: 9-20
- Color (SRM): 6-15
- Color (EBC): 12-30
- Original Gravity: 1.030-1.035
- Original Gravity °P: 7.6-8.8
- Final Gravity: 1.006-1.010
- Final Gravity °P: 1.5-2.6
Style info provided entirely or in part by the Brewers Association 2021 beer style guidelines.
3 Scottish Lite Ale Reviewed
| Beer | Brewery | Rate Avg. | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Christmas Ale | Bell's Brewery, Inc. | 7.00 |
|
Kilt Lifter | Four Peaks Brewing Company | 6.52 |
|
Louie's Demise | Milwaukee Brewing Company | 7.12 |
- 7.12 Louie's Demise by Milwaukee Brewing Company
- 7.00 Christmas Ale by Bell's Brewery, Inc.
- 6.52 Kilt Lifter by Four Peaks Brewing Company