85 Shilling Scottish Ale:  Scottish ale is a malty beer with little hop character.  It used to be taxed at different rates according to how strong it was.  A revenuer would come by and say, "This is 60 shillings" or "This is 90 shillings".  It didn't take long for people to start ordering beer by strength referring to it's tax rate.  
  This tradition has held over the years, but one very important one has changed.  Since the industrial revolution, virtually all grain is malted with clean heat.  What made Scottish ale unique before the industrial revolution was the use of peat fire for heat when everyone else was using straw or wood.  The peat smoke would permeate the grain and carry through into the finished beer.  Today, most Scottish ale lacks not only this peat character but also the darker color that was associated with it.  Odd when you consider how tightly they have clung to the traditions of Scotch production.  At Thunderhead we prefer the old, less popular, way of making Scottish ale with peat smoked malt.  In order to separate ourselves from everyone else making 80 shilling and 90 shilling in the new fashion, we called ours 85 shilling.  There was no such tax rate in pre-industrial Scotland.  I should probably come up with a better name.