Drafting an English Barleywine Recipe

So I'm hoping to get some feedback for this first draft of a Barleywine recipe I'm working on. It'd be a partial mash, 5 gallon batch.

Second draft is a few posts down



Mashed:
4lb Maris Otter
2lb Honey Malt
150*, 7 qts (~1.2qts/lb), 1 hour
Sparge with 3 qts

**Not set up for a full 5 gallon boil at the moment, so I'm planning the recipe now as if I'll be topping off before going into the fermenter**

For 60' Boil:
6lb LME
3lb Light Brown Sugar



Hops:
4oz Kent Golding 60 min
2oz Kent Golding 5 min
1oz Herald Dry Hop **about 2 weeks before bottling**

Yeast:
thinking of wyeast 1028 London Ale
(Either using the cake left from a batch brewed right before this or making a 2L starter, suggestions?)

Let it sit in primary 6-8 weeks, secondary 4~6 months (adding oak cubes with 1 month left)

My software (Brewtarget) puts this in the middle of the style range but I wanted to see what sage advice I could draw from the HBT community. Thanks in advance

I ferment for 5 to 7 days then immediately bottle with miniscule priming sugar, and to all who ask, only one bottle in 45 years = 2000+ brews - just have faith, brew it, next year make another with slight changes, based on outcome make another the thied year usw usw usw

Primary for 2-4 weeks, then test/sample it (taste it too)... I would expect it's going to take a while for the yeast to clean up from the 3# of sugar you're adding. Just 5-7 days in primary is insane (or stupid, on the fence there) especially on a BIG BEER like this one.

You might want to reduce the honey malt a bit... Recommended no more than 10% of the grain bill (you're higher than that)...

Is the sugar actually Dememera sugar? If you can, use that (less chance of off flavors)...

I would add oak chips for at least 1-2 months left in the aging.

With the yeast you selected, it won't ferment fully (limit is about 11% ABV, your brew is above that). You could try a higher ABV tolerant yeast. Or add some EC-1118 to the brew once primary is complete. That should help to finish fermenting what's left, and not introduce any off flavors. You could try using Wyeast 1728 in this one... Higher flocculation rate, plus higher ABV tolerance level... Both good combinations.

I hope you're planning on making a decent sized starter for this one... You'll need to for an OG of over 1.110...

Whatever happens, give the brew the time it needs, and I'm sure you'll get something good. If not, then at least you'll learn for the next time.

I do question Bob's info/knowledge since he wasn't aware that mashing at different temperatures will impact the FG, and body, of the brew... Unless he's always done extract brews (can't understand spending that much $$ for 2000+ brews )...

Are you sure you want all that sugar in there? One of the best aspects of a quality barleywine is the thick, rich mouthfeel (at least as far as I'm concerned). A huge maltyness is another excellent characteristic, and you're losing out quite a bit on both due to the sugar additions. Partial boils also make a beer taste a bit thin (or, thinner than they would have been with a full boil), so you've got a few things working against you here. If what you want is a pretty medium bodied barleywine, then you're on the right track, but if you want something really huge, I'd cut the sugar and up the grain/extract. It's all about what you want.

1028 is a decent choice for a barleywine, and will ferment above 10% if you treat it right. It also may start creating more and more off flavors the higher above that you go (that's always the risk). Just make sure you pitch enough yeast to get the job done. A 2L starter probably isn't enough unless you're using a stir plate. Use the yeast calc.

Thanks for the advice, I'll post the second draft after this.

GuldTuborg said:

One of the best aspects of a quality barleywine is the thick, rich mouthfeel

Click to expand...

I agree, this is what I'm shooting for. I know I'm cheating myself by putting the sugar in. With the low mash/boil size I'm working with now I need to cut corners to get the OG up. Would adding something like CaraPils or Crystal 20 help cover up some of that sin?

Golddiggie said:

You could try a higher ABV tolerant yeast. Or add some EC-1118 to the brew once primary is complete. That should help to finish fermenting what's left, and not introduce any off flavors. You could try using Wyeast 1728 in this one... Higher flocculation rate, plus higher ABV tolerance level... Both good combinations.

Click to expand...

I was debating pitching a vial of champagne yeast to finish too, but if 1728 can take it to completion I think i prefer them.

GuldTuborg said:

A 2L starter probably isn't enough unless you're using a stir plate. Use the yeast calc.

Click to expand...

If I used the equation on mrmalty properly a 3L~1gal starter ought to have me covered.

Mashed:
6.25lb Maris Otter
0.75lb Honey Malt
150*, 8 qts (~1.2qts/lb), 1 hour
Sparge with 3 qts

**Not set up for a full 5 gallon boil at the moment, so I'm planning the recipe now as if I'll be topping off before going into the fermenter**

For 60' Boil:
6lb LME
1lb Demerara Sugar



Hops:
4oz Kent Golding 60 min
2oz Kent Golding 5 min
1oz Herald Dry Hop **about 2 weeks before bottling**

Yeast:
1 Gal starter of Wyeast 1728 - Scottish Ale
**Any advice here on far in advance to start this?**

Let it sit in primary 6-8 weeks, secondary 4~6 months (adding oak cubes with 1 month left)

adding oak cubes with one month left wont really do much, oak cubes take much longer to give out flavor. if your only doing it for one month, you should use chips instead. depending on what your looking for, i would put cubes in for a min of 3 months.

there is a good write up that someone did about oaking, i cant seem to find it right now...

plus im kinda doing one that is a cross between american barleywine and an english. but for the yeast im tossed between the Wyeast 1728 - Scottish Ale and the Wyeast Labs 3787 - Trappist High Gravity , iv been told that the trappist gives alot more flavor or something along those lines with lots of esters.