What is Scottish wee heavy beer and why should you try it?

A Minnesota January has once again enveloped us in her icy grip. Her long, bony fingers poke at our skin with each raw gust of polar wind.

I’m a transplant in the north country, hailing from much milder southern climes. Unlike many natives, I don’t like being cold. I spend the long, dark winter seeking warmth, both inner and outer. That means sweaters, a thick comforter and a crackling fireplace on the television. It also means cozy, warming beers.

A beer that’s rich and malty wraps you up like a warm blanket. Add elevated alcohol and you have the perfect remedy for the midwinter chill. These are beers to sip contemplatively as you sit by a fire, whether virtual or real.

A Scottish wee heavy style ale, also known as strong Scotch ale, fits the bill beautifully. Scottish ales generally favor malt, but the strong wee heavy takes it over the top. It’s like a chewy caramel confection with a boozy brandy filling. Aging it in a barrel amplifies the effect. A wee heavy soothes your body and soul inside and out.

Here is a wee bevy of wee heavy to get you through a winter night.

In the 18th century and before, every manor house in Scotland would have had its own brewery. The Traquair House Brewery in southern Scotland is a vestige of that time. Traquair House is the oldest continuously inhabited house in Scotland, dating back to 1107 and lived in by the Stuart family since 1491. The brewery itself went dormant in the early 1800s, but was rediscovered and put back into service in the 1960s using the original equipment and oak fermenters.

Traquair House Ale is surely a benchmark beer for the wee heavy style. Less sweet than many American iterations of the style, it displays a perfect balance of rich caramel, bitter chocolate and dried dark fruits. The expression of roasted malt flavor and bitterness is more pronounced than some examples, especially in the finish. This leads to an off-dry finish that makes the beer feel lighter than its strength and maltiness would imply.

Based on an 18th-century recipe, Traquair Jacobite Ale is a malty, strong ale brewed with coriander. It’s less sweet and heavy than many wee heavies, but still features loads of caramel malt. The fruity/herbal coriander is prominent, but melds well with the other flavors. Hints of dark, bitter chocolate and raisiny dried fruit round out this exquisite beer.

Closer to home, Rampant from Little Thistle Brewing in Rochester is a delicious, straightforward example of the style. This 8% brew is rich and malty, yet surprisingly light for its heft. Caramel and toffee lead, with notes of bread and biscuit in support. Roasted malt character is slightly more prominent than in some other examples, bringing subtle dark chocolate and roasty bitterness that helps to balance caramel sweetness.

Another good basic wee heavy is Michigan-based Founders Brewing Company’s Dirty Bastard. Full-bodied and creamy, it drips with gooey caramel. Hints of tobacco and dark, dried fruits chime in, as well. An ample but controlled use of hops gives welcome herbal and spicy overtones.

Founders launches the style over the top with Backwoods Bastard, an 11% wee heavy behemoth aged in bourbon barrels. This beer is a complex symphony of caramel, toffee, vanilla, bourbon and subtle milk chocolate. It’s thick, rich and boozy, yet it doesn’t push the alcohol. There’s nothing hot about this, despite its strength. Sweet in the middle, a bit of dry, bitter roast lightens the finish.

Icelandic brewery Einstök Ölgerð gives the style a Nordic twist with its simply named Wee Heavy. It’s brewed with Icelandic smoked malt and angelica root, a medicinal herb native to Iceland that was reportedly sacred to the Vikings. Although it clocks in at 8% alcohol, the beer’s profile is lighter and drier than most wee heavies. Caramel is still the main player, but the sweetness is balanced with a more prominent bitterness. Smoke is almost an afterthought, bringing more of a subtle aromatic note than flavor. The angelica adds an interesting savory/sweet character with flavors of anise and celery seed.

Many Belgian brewers also have taken inspiration from the beers of Scotland. Canaster Scotch Ale is a great example of this cross pollination. It has all the goodness of a wee heavy, but with the added bonus of Belgian yeast. Caramel, brown bread and loads of dried fruit all come into play. These are joined by pepper and clove spice. You might even find a faint hint of tart cherry. The use of fully fermentable Belgian candy sugar gives the beer an exceptional dryness and effervescence.

Michael Agnew is a certified cicerone (beer-world version of sommelier) and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts private and corporate beer tasting events in the Twin Cities, and can be reached at michael@aperfectpint.net.