English Barleywine - Critique Please

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ThePaleAler

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I want to do my first big beer and decided on an barleywine of the english style. I usually get 80-82% efficiency, but knocked it down to 71% for this large grainbill. This is what I came up with:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------

Batch Size (fermenter): 5.5Gal
Estimated OG: 1.097 SG
Estimated Color: 13.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 66.9 IBUs
Boil Time: 120 Minutes
Yeast: Nottingham Dry(Either 2 packets or pitch on slurry from previous batch)

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
21lbs Pale 2 Row 80.4%
4lbs Munich 15.3%
12oz Crystal 60L 2.9%
6oz Crystal 120L 1.4%
4.00 oz Fuggles [6.08 %] - Boil 60.0 min 53.6 IBUs
2.00 oz East Kent Goldings [5.00%] - Boil 20.0 min 13.3 IBUs


The one thing I am thinking about is to change the Fuggles to a High AA type hop, though it would be out of style.
 
your recipe looks good.

You could sub the Fuggles for Northdown (higher AA English hop, and specifically mentioned in the guidelines), or go with Target. It's another good higher AA English bittering hop...it's not specifically called out in the guidelines, but that doesn't mean it's not appropriate.

good luck!
 
Fuggles is good. I use 8oz of hops quite regularly. I'd drop the Munich or reduce the crystal.
 
I know it would be out of style, but what about using a high AA american hop? If boiling that hop for 90 minutes would it really make such a huge impact on taste?
 
So I eventually brewed this two days ago with some alterations. Here is the recipe I used:

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------

Batch Size (fermenter): 5.5Gal
Estimated OG: 1.100 SG
Estimated Color: 13.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 74.3 IBUs
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Yeast: Nottingham Dry 2 packets.

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
23lbs 4oz Pale 2 Row 85.7%
2lbs 12oz Munich 10.1%
12oz Crystal 60L 2.8%
6oz Crystal 120L 1.4%
2.5oz Southern Passion [11%] Boil 60.0 min 63.2 IBUs
1.00 oz East Kent Goldings [5.3%] - Boil 20.0 min 6.9 IBUs
1.00 oz East Kent Goldings [5.3%] - Boil 10.0 min 4.1 IBUs

My efficiency sucked a bit. My initial sample indicated that my post boil gravity will be 1.092. So I added 1.4lbs DME during the boil.

My final gravity was 1.102 after the boil. Not to far from the planned OG. I boiled off a bit more than expected but manged to get my 5.5 Gal into my fermenter.

I am thinking of a dry hop after the fermentation is complete. Probably 1oz EKG. The aroma will probably disapear rapidly with aging, but I still feel like doing it.

Checked the fermenter after 8hrs and it was chugging away nicely!:D
 
Were you gonna bottle or keg?

If you were gonna keg you could just wait to dry hop until *just* before you were going to put it in the kegs (or dry hop in the keg) so you can get some of that fresh hop character. Extended aging in secondary or something so you age out some of the high alcohols.

If you were gonna bottle same thing, just extended aging in bulk and dry hop just before bottling. Use some high alcohol tollerant strain of yeast and pitch enough fresh yeast at bottling with the priming sugar and maybe youll get some carbonation fairly quick on an already aged beer.

Worth a shot (or if you have a lot of EKGs sitting around, slam it with a whole bunch of EKGs for the dry hop, like 3-4oz).
 
That is my whole problem. I bottle, and I ferment in plastic so I do not want to bulkage for long in there. So I will probably just leave it in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks, do not do the dry hop, let it age for six months in the bottle and crack one to see where we're at.

On a sidenote, my fermentation kicked off really well, and fermented REALLY vigourously for 3 days. Primary fermentation seemd to be completed with very little/no airlock activity after almost 4 days. Should probably get in there and take a hydrometer sample tomorrow.
 
That is my whole problem. I bottle, and I ferment in plastic so I do not want to bulkage for long in there. So I will probably just leave it in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks, do not do the dry hop, let it age for six months in the bottle and crack one to see where we're at.

On a sidenote, my fermentation kicked off really well, and fermented REALLY vigourously for 3 days. Primary fermentation seemd to be completed with very little/no airlock activity after almost 4 days. Should probably get in there and take a hydrometer sample tomorrow.

this is a good reason to have a glass carboy
 
I'd pick up a carboy to bulk age it in if it were me. It'll age better in bulk, and you can be completely sure it's done before bottling.

I'd avoid the glass, too. A 5 gallon vintage shop carboy would work just fine, and no shattering/stitches to worry about.
 
I'd pick up a carboy to bulk age it in if it were me. It'll age better in bulk, and you can be completely sure it's done before bottling.

I'd avoid the glass, too. A 5 gallon vintage shop carboy would work just fine, and no shattering/stitches to worry about.

for long bulk aging, you don't really want to use plastic, as it is gas permeable, and will let oxygen in over time. Glass (or stainless) is the way to go.
 
Yeah. I really need to get at least one carboy. But for new I will just bottle and hope for the best.
 
for long bulk aging, you don't really want to use plastic, as it is gas permeable, and will let oxygen in over time. Glass (or stainless) is the way to go.

You will get more oxygen permeating through the airlock than you will through the PET walls. I've bulk aged mead for over a year in a better bottle with no issues whatsoever.

There's a ton of info here:

http://www.better-bottle.com/technical.html
 
Well, I took a gravity sample today. The beer has been in the primary for about two weeks now. My gravity is down to 1.019 from 1.103! Looking good thus far.
 
Bottled this yesterday. FG 1018. That gives me an ABV just shy of 12%. Sample tasted decent for a beer so young. Good malt flavour, slight lingering bitterness. The alcohol tastes "hot" as anything but I am sure it will improve with time.

All in all I am satisfied thus far.
 
I bulk aged mine in a better bottle for 6 months and had no issues. Beer is about 18 months old now and settling down nicely.
 
That is my whole problem. I bottle, and I ferment in plastic so I do not want to bulkage for long in there. So I will probably just leave it in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks, do not do the dry hop, let it age for six months in the bottle and crack one to see where we're at.

On a sidenote, my fermentation kicked off really well, and fermented REALLY vigourously for 3 days. Primary fermentation seemd to be completed with very little/no airlock activity after almost 4 days. Should probably get in there and take a hydrometer sample tomorrow.

I prefer to age my barleywines in bottles. It can take 6 weeks for a beer that big to carb up right and might as well do that in bottles. No major differences in taste that I can tell. Wait to long after bulk aging and you have to add yeast back in to bottle.
 
Tried a bottle after 3 and a half weeks to check for carbonation. It is not carbing well. There was a hint of "fizzy" when i swished it in my mouth but that is about all. I will let it sit for one more month and try it again. If it does not improve I will add more yeast and see.
 
That big of a beer will take some time to carb up. I would just set the bottles in a warm space (garage?) and give them time. I had an 11.5% bourbon stout that took about 2-mo to carb up. Now at 18-mo they are all awesome... of course I only have 3 left.
 
My 12% BW was the only batch I ever had carbonation issues with (including 12% RIS and 10.5% Dark Strong Ale). Eventually it did (6+ months). To be honest a 12% BW won't peak until at least a year, if not 1.5.
 
You need to condition them warm. I keep them somewhere warm in the house for the first two/three weeks and then move them back to the brewery.
 

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