Mike brewed a Scottish-style ale inspired by Belhaven’s Best and his time in Scotland. This batch focused on low ABV, malt-forward character, and easy drinkability. It also marked a one-year reflection on that trip and previous attempts.

Belhaven Best Clone Recipe

Batch Size
3.5 gallons

Grain Bill
86% Golden Promise Malt
7% Viking Cookie Malt
3% Crystal 60 Malt
2.5% Honey Malt
Small amount of Carafa Special II for color adjustment

Hops
30 g of UK Goldings hops for 60 minute boil

Yeast
Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast

Mash Schedule
Mash at 152°F for 75 minutes

Fermentation
Room temperature for 2 weeks
Cleared well after a couple weeks in the keg

Original Gravity (OG): 1.038
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013
%ABV: 3.3%

Tasting Notes and Conclusion

In the glass, the beer showed a rocky, mostly white head with great retention. Color leaned toward dark tan, just under copper, matching the intended style. Aroma had light herbal notes from the Goldings and subtle esters. The malt character delivered pale bread notes with a toasted biscuit edge.

Flavor highlighted that biscuit quality with mild caramel and balanced sweetness. The yeast stayed neutral enough to let the malt remain the focus. The only drawback was a slightly stronger earthy hop character than expected.

This batch hit the goal of a low ABV, malt-forward, highly drinkable Scottish ale. The cookie malt added a distinct toasted quality that stood out nicely. The yeast performed quickly and cleanly while still supporting the malt profile.

We would consider experimenting with this yeast in darker UK styles next. This is a great session beer that could work well on cask or even nitro.