Scotland, a historically important center of beer brewing, has a cool climate that favors cultivation of the hardy barley plant. Scottish Ales, thus, tend to highlight the rich and robust flavor of malted barley as opposed to the bitter and piquant flavor of hops. Relatively cool Ale fermentation temperatures contribute to brews that are not that highly attenuated – i.e. they remain rich in residual sugars and thus round and full-bodied. Strong type Scottish Ales often have been considered “a kind of liquid porridge.”
