Swamp Head Bogs of Islay

Swamp Head Bogs of Islay

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Brewed by Swamp Head Brewery

Gainesville, FL, United States

Style:  Scottish Ale

7.8% Alcohol by Volume

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Bogs of Islay is our tribute to the world renowned ales and distilled spirits produced in Scotland, many of which derive their unique character from local water sources that filter through peat bogs. The peat is also used to smoke barley that is used in the production of Scottish Ales and Single Malt Whiskys. The bogs of the Isle of Islay contribute to what many consider to be the wildest and most characterful exemplars in the malt-whisky spectrum. For Batch 200 we produced two Scottish Ales in parallel, then blended portions together to create Bogs of Islay, a Wee Heavy with 7.8% alcohol by volume. The first runnings from two mashes were collected to produce a high gravity Wee Heavy, which was fermented using the traditional Scottish Ale yeast, to produce a fruity malt bomb. Thirty pounds of peated barley were used in the dual mashes, and a few pounds of peated barley were added to each mash as we collected the second runnings. The second runnings were used to produce an 80 Shilling Scottish Ale, which was fermented with our house American Ale yeast, to produce a lighter ale with strong peat character. After both beers were fully fermented and aged for several weeks we determined the ideal blending ratio and produced about 14 barrels of Bogs of Islay, while retaining portions of the component beers for barrel aging and special projects. Our Batch 200 tribute rewards those who savor the unique flavor and aroma characteristics of Scottish Ales and Whiskys with a rich malt experience and an extra layer of complexity provided by the Bogs of Islay.