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Styles · Wee Heavy

Beer style · BJCP 2021 17C

Wee Heavy

Strong British Ale

Published ranges These are the ranges the BJCP 2021 guidelines publish for this style.

Original gravity
1.070–1.130
Final gravity
1.018–1.040
Bitterness
17–35 IBU
Color
14–25 SRM (28–49 EBC)
Alcohol
6.5–10.0 % ABV

What it is

The strong Scottish ale: deeply malty, chewy and low in bitterness, with caramel and toffee often edged by kettle-caramelization flavors. Alcohol is warming but the beer should still finish malty rather than hot.

Flavor

What a Wee Heavy should taste like, on the three wheels the studio scores every recipe against. The shaded ring is the style’s range on each axis, from 0 at the center to 5 at the edge.

Hops

Hops stay in the background: none of their character belongs.

Malt

Caramel and sweet/honey, with room for grainy, bready/biscuit, toasty or dark fruit.

Fermentation

Clean, with room for fruity esters.

Hops that suit it

The traditional choice

What Wee Heavy has classically been brewed with.

Nothing else on character: the hops here are there for bitterness and balance, and any variety whose aroma you would notice is out of place.

Yeasts that suit it

Strains the lab made for beers like this one, whose fermentation character sits inside the style’s wheel. A strain sold by several labs is listed once; its page names the others.

And 4 more yeasts whose character fits. These are the 24 that fit best.

Style numbers, names and vital statistics are from the BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines, where you will find the official descriptions. The descriptions and flavor wheels here are Beerwright’s own. Beerwright is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BJCP.