Barleyglogg? Can I pull this off?

Hi,

I apologize for my last post.

So I want to brew a "barleyglogg" this holiday season for consumption Christmas 2012 (or whilst weathering the apocalypse, whichever comes first :rockin. Glogg is a Scandinavian Christmastime drink made with red wine, aquavit, raisins, and spices. It is traditionally served warm. I want my barleyglogg to be glogg-like while still retaining some beer-ness. My specific concern is in type of yeast and type/amount of hops and other spices. Any input on my recipe is welcomed:


The Gloggy Elf Christmas Barleywine
5 gallon batch, ~10% ABV

5 lbs. Maris Otter
5 lbs. Rahr 2-row
1 lb. caramel malt
0.5 lbs. toasted malt
1 Whirlfloc tablet
1 lb. raisins, minced
Peel and juice of one orange
1 Ginger root, sliced thinly
5 cardamon pods
20 whole cloves
5 cinnamon sticks
4 cans all natural Concord grape juice concentrate
1 lb. honey
Hops: 1 oz Summit (60 min), 1 oz East Kent Goldings (15 min)?
Yeast: Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity or White Labs WLP545 Belgian Strong Ale or White Labs WLP007 Dry English Ale or Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II?

1) Mash grains at 154° F for 1 hour.
2) Bring to 170° F and maintain for 10 minutes.
3) Drain into boil kettle and sparge.
4) Bring wort to a boil and add 1 oz. Summit.
5) Boil for 45 minutes.
6) Add 1 oz. East Kent Goldings and Whirlfloc.
7) Boil for 5 minutes more.
8) Add spices and raisins.
9) Boil for 10 minutes more.
10) Remove from heat.
11) Cool to about 75° F and transfer to fermenter.
12) Add cool water to achieve a 5 gallon volume, if necessary.
13) Mix thoroughly and check specific gravity.
14) Pitch yeast and place in a cool dry place.
15) Add honey at high krausen.
16) After about 2 weeks, transfer to secondary onto grape juice concentrate.
17) After about 2 more weeks, transfer for aging.
18) Allow to age in fermenter for about 1 month.
19) Bottle with slight carbonation.
20) Allow to age in bottles for at least 6 months.



Thanks!

Anyone?

As a guy with lots of Scandinavian heritage, I say go for it! Looks like a great experiment.

I'm from sweden and my family still drinks glÖgg every year, I love the stuff.

Only thing I would add (eventhough I'm not sure how much or when/how to do it) is ALMONDS in one way or another I think they need to be in there.

Go for it this sounds like an incredible idea!

Just a gut feeling here, but I don't know how the Belgian-y yeast profile flavor would go with all the spices. Maybe a clean yeast would let the spice and fruit shine through a little better?

Glogg is delicious! And it will f you up! Thanks JonM, I was wondering about that...think I should go with the White Labs WLP007 Dry English Ale?

Yes! Almonds! I knew I was forgetting something -- maybe add to the mash?

Or maybe almond extract from the grocery store? No idea how much, though.

JonM said:

Or maybe almond extract from the grocery store? No idea how much, though.

Click to expand...

That might be the more economical way to go -- I could always serve in a snifter and garnish w/ almonds and raisins.

You could use the extract or whole almonds and steep it all into a tea, add at bottling time or when you transfer to secondary.

....I just saw you said adding grape juice at transfer so I don't know how that would work.

Oh yeah. - I just saw that too. I just assumed that the grape juice was in the boil.

How did you calculate a projected OG?

JonM said:

Oh yeah. - I just saw that too. I just assumed that the grape juice was in the boil.

How did you calculate a projected OG?

Click to expand...

Kind of an educated guess -- it's not really cemented in yet. I'm not super worried about hitting a specific OG, just going for something above 1.080. I guess I could do the grape juice in the boil. That might blend the flavors better. Hmmm.

I am completely ignorant to the correct way to design a recipe or the proper way to utilize ingredients. But the boil sounds like a good idea to me.

However, if it is going to sit for over a year then the blending of the flavors probably wouldn't be an issue. I wish I had some more input this brew is getting me very excited.

H-ost said:

I am completely ignorant to the correct way to design a recipe or the proper way to utilize ingredients. But the boil sounds like a good idea to me.

However, if it is going to sit for over a year then the blending of the flavors probably wouldn't be an issue. I wish I had some more input this brew is getting me very excited.

Click to expand...

Yeah, might as well add it at the end of the boil. After a year, it's all going to be the same probably anyway.

Glad I could get you excited

I hope I remember to post back about how it turned out... feel free to remind me this time next year!

I will hopefully remember.

If you don't mind you should post how the wort was, what your gravities that you hit were, you efficiency, and how it tasted after the grape juice addition.

I will probably make this in the next month or two to be ready for next christmas, my family would LOVE it!

H-ost said:

I will hopefully remember.

If you don't mind you should post how the wort was, what your gravities that you hit were, you efficiency, and how it tasted after the grape juice addition.

I will probably make this in the next month or two to be ready for next christmas, my family would LOVE it!

Click to expand...

For sure. Not sure exactly when I'm going to brew, but I will. Let me know how yours turns out too! And if you have any more suggestions!

After doing a little research, I think I am going to cut the cardamon down to 1 pod.

EDIT: Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I will do just 1/2 tsp ground instead. Hmmm.

Did this ever get brewed? This recipe made me all nostalgic, thinking about my gløgg-guzzling days, and I'm curious to see how this reinterpretation turned out.

How did this turn out ?