First time Barleywine...

So I know there are tons of these, but I'm hoping to find out if my recipe I'm working on is at least decent. I never made anything even close to this ABV.

I'm only making a gallon as a test batch for a friends birthday. So not TOO worried. Anyhow I'll get to posting it.

Vienna - 3lb
2-row - 1lb 4oz
Carmel 40L - 2oz
Special B - 1 oz
Table Sugar - 2 oz

.25 oz Fuggles (5.1%) FWH
.25 oz Fuggles (5.1%) 5 mins

ABV 13.1%
IBU 34 ... might be a little high

Should I nix the sugar? I thought it might dry it out a bit. Be honest, I want a good tasting beer.

First thing is this is a aging beer and if you go through the trouble of making it, make enough to store away and leave for a long time. What if it is good and you wait a year to drink it and it is awesome, you only have a gallon of it.

That being said, I don't think sugar belongs in a barlywine, this needs to be a grain only beer so that the flavors can meld together with time. I wouldn't worry about the bitterness either, that will fade with time and 34 is nothing with a beer this big anyways..

Yeah, I was planning on 6 months...however I'm not impatient. I could wait longer. I just don't have any open fermentors right now which was the idea behind gallon size...but you are probably right about wanting more. Hrm. I dunno.

Other than the sugar do the ingredients look ok? Should I add a tiny bit of Munich or is that overkill?

I am about to do one that has munich and rye in it in addition to 2-row but they can be simple like bigfoot that is 2-row and like 3% crystal. I am not a aficionado yet but I think it looks good, not sure about the vienna, never heard of that in a barlywine but like I said, I am not sure.