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Brewer: Cromarty Brewing Co.
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Alcohol Content: 7.4%
Seasonal: Special
Description:
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Cromarty / Tempest Cone Head
Brewer: Cromarty Brewing Co.
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Alcohol Content: 7.4%
Seasonal: Special
Description:
bottled and cask, special
This year it was Gavin’s turn to head up to Cromarty to have a play on Craig’s shiny new brewkit, so after a very early drive through the Scottish Alps, the scene was set for another fun day out making beer.
Whilst the use of copious amounts of hops seems to have become more prevalent in recent years, the inspiration for the 2013 collaboration brew was to use fresh seasonal ingredients to provide the flavour and aroma for the beer. In this instance, the answer was in the trees! Pinecones… “Chappy” was rock papered out and had to squirrel up into the canopy to hand pick the freshest, juiciest cones he could find.
The foraged pinecones were then lightly toasted in an oven to open them up and release the pine oils with their earthy, woody flavours we were looking for in the beer.
As a genuine collaborative effort, with both brewers hands on at the brewery, on the fly calculations would have to be made. A final recipe still hadn’t been decided, so the boys locked minds and decided on a rich, malty brew including oats, rye and other speciality grains, paired with newly cultured Ardennes yeast. A kettle addition of freshly grated nutmeg would bring a subtle spice to the beer. The pinecones would be loaded into the hopback to allow the unfermented wort to wash the flavour from the cones. After fermentation, further toasted pinecones would be added to the conditioning tank to enhance and improve the aroma and flavour… (’a process called dry-coning’)
At 7.4% The 2013 Cone Head Collab is an innovative dark, complex Scottish beer with a Belgian twist.
This year it was Gavin’s turn to head up to Cromarty to have a play on Craig’s shiny new brewkit, so after a very early drive through the Scottish Alps, the scene was set for another fun day out making beer.
Whilst the use of copious amounts of hops seems to have become more prevalent in recent years, the inspiration for the 2013 collaboration brew was to use fresh seasonal ingredients to provide the flavour and aroma for the beer. In this instance, the answer was in the trees! Pinecones… “Chappy” was rock papered out and had to squirrel up into the canopy to hand pick the freshest, juiciest cones he could find.
The foraged pinecones were then lightly toasted in an oven to open them up and release the pine oils with their earthy, woody flavours we were looking for in the beer.
As a genuine collaborative effort, with both brewers hands on at the brewery, on the fly calculations would have to be made. A final recipe still hadn’t been decided, so the boys locked minds and decided on a rich, malty brew including oats, rye and other speciality grains, paired with newly cultured Ardennes yeast. A kettle addition of freshly grated nutmeg would bring a subtle spice to the beer. The pinecones would be loaded into the hopback to allow the unfermented wort to wash the flavour from the cones. After fermentation, further toasted pinecones would be added to the conditioning tank to enhance and improve the aroma and flavour… (’a process called dry-coning’)
At 7.4% The 2013 Cone Head Collab is an innovative dark, complex Scottish beer with a Belgian twist.
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