| Traits |
Details |
| Color |
Gold to light brown |
| Clarity |
Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures |
| Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor |
Malty, caramel aroma may be present. A low to medium-low, soft and chewy caramel malt flavor should be present. |
| Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor |
Should not be present |
| Perceived Bitterness |
Low |
| 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. |
| Body |
Low |
| Original Gravity (°Plato) |
1.030-1.035 (7.6-8.8 °Plato) |
| Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) |
1.006-1.010 (1.5-2.6 °Plato) |
| Alcohol by Weight (Volume) |
2.2%-2.8% (2.8%-3.5%) |
| Bitterness (IBU) |
9-20 |
| Color SRM (EBC) |
6-15(12-30 EBC) |
| Additional notes |
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 Light 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. |
| Source: |
2020 Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines used with permission of Brewers Association. |
