Malt aroma & flavor
Malty, caramel aroma is present. The style exhibits a medium degree of sweet malt and caramel. The overall impression is smooth and balanced.
British Origin Ale Styles
Scottish-Style Heavy Ale
Ale · Amber to dark brown
What to expect
Malt character: Malty, caramel aroma is present. Hop character: Should not be present.
Reading guide · The complete guideline attributes below preserve the source’s qualifications.Color · SRM
8–30
Pale / strawBlack
Amber to dark brown · Illustrative colors on the shared, uneven SRM scale.
Explore styles overlapping this color rangeAlcohol · ABV
3.5–4.1%
Reference scale, not a limit on official guideline values.
Bitterness · IBU
12–20
Measured bitterness; perceived bitterness is described in the guideline below.
Brewers Association 2026 · Printed guideline page 2 · PDF page 11. Color graphics are illustrative.
The guideline, in detail
Official style attributes, including what may be present and what should be absent.
Hop aroma & flavor
Should not be present
Perceived bitterness
Perceptible but low
Body & mouthfeel
Medium with a soft chewy character
Clarity
Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures
Color
Amber to dark brown
Fermentation characteristics
Yeast attributes such as diacetyl and sulfur are acceptable at very low levels. Bottled versions may contain higher amounts of carbon dioxide than is typical for lightly carbonated draft versions. Fruity esters, if present, are low.
Additional guideline notes & competition context
These beers differ significantly from Scotch Ale, especially regarding original gravity, alcohol content, and malt attributes. While there are conflicting theories as to whether traditional Scottish Heavy Ale exhibited peat smoke character, the current marketplace offers many examples with peat smoke character present at low to medium-low levels. Peat smoke attributes may be absent or present at low to medium-low levels. Versions exhibiting higher levels of smoke character are categorized as Smoke Beer. When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, competition organizers may create subcategories which reflect groups of entries based on presence or absence of peat smoke-derived attributes.
Technical specifications, including gravity
Original Gravity (°Plato) 1.035-1.040 (8.8-10 °Plato) • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) 1.010- 1.014 (2.6-3.6 °Plato) • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 2.8%-3.2% (3.5%-4.1%) • Hop Bitterness (IBU) 12-20 • Color SRM (EBC) 8-30 (16-60 EBC)