Help with Barleywine recipe

[cegan09]

I'm working out a recipe to brew next week on my 30th. Want it to be a big beer that I can bottle and put away for a while. Open a couple every year for the next few years. I really like english style barleywines. Or maybe americanized English barelywines if that makes sense. Not american barelywines that are hopped into oblivion, but big rich high alcohol malty barelywines.


Here's what I've come up with so far.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Conan
Yeast Starter: yes
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.107
Final Gravity: 1.019
IBU: 53
Boiling Time (Minutes): 120
Color: 13.6
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 30
Additional Fermentation: Bottle condition


Amount Item Type % or IBU
14.00 lb 2-row UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 67.5 %
2.00 lb Munich Malt -9.0 SRM Grain 9.6 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 2.4 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 1.2 %

1oz Hallertau 120 min 12.9IBU
2oz Hallertau 60 min 23.7IBU
1oz Styrian Goldings 30 min 10.9IBU
1oz Willamette 10 min 5.3IBU

4 lb Light DME (8.0 SRM) Sugar 19.3 %

2L starter of 2nd Gen Conan yeast. Ferment at 66 to minimize Conan's tenancy to throw fruit flavors.


My system is a 8.5gallon single vessel BIAB. With about a 1gal/hr boil off I'm looking at mashing with 6.6gallons, then "rinse sparging" the grains with 2.5 gallons, so I'll be boiling roughly 7.5 gallons down to my 5.5 into the fermenter. The 4lbs of DME are because I start to run into issues fitting too much more grain in my kettle. I'll mash what I can, make up the rest.

Conan might seem an odd choice, however it is an English strain. I've used it in Imperial Stouts, Porters, Blonde Ales, IPAs, and I've loved it in each. Figure why the hell not.


Looking for feedback on things to potentially change for improvement.

 

[mmahu]

For barleywines, just as with Imperial Baltic Porters, I try to use a variety of base and specialty malts. I usually combine Maris Otter with Munich, Vienna or Pale malt. I use Caravienna and Melanoidin malt. I would not bother with 2 Crystal malts with such a close Lovibond. I only use an english Dark Crystal Malt ( either 90 or 120 L ). So if you wish to go with two different crystal malts, you can add complexity by combining a low crystal malt with a high Lovinbond one.

I too use an english yeast: Wyeast 1318 London Ale III

 

[cegan09]

I'll readjust the crystal additions.

I'm trying to keep it on the simpler side. I know you CAN go nuts with additions, but you don't have to. I built that recipe following the info in "Designing Great Beers" which suggested staying on the simpler side.

 

[cegan09]

I reached out to Clown Shoes Brewing in MA who makes one of my favorite barelywines with their billionaire series. They backed up my simplicity approach.

They use 10% crystal 65 and then a mostly even split of Marris Otter and 2-row. I like Marris Otter, so I think I'll revise further to split about 50:50 marris to 2-row, keep the small amount of munich, and the light DME to get my gravity up. I'll drop to a single crystal variety with whatever color I need to reach my end color goal.

Clown Shoes then always ages in some barrel, so maybe I'll do a split batch. Following fermentation 2 gallons goes right into bottles, and 3 gallons goes to secondary with oak cubes.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Do you have a two gallon barrel? I'd be very careful with oxidation from excess headspace.

 

[cegan09]

I have a 3 gallon glass secondary, I've used it before for this purpose. Add the oak, then fill to the very top and set aside for however long you want. I could also use a keg if I have one free.

There was also a typo in the above. I meant to say 2 gallons right into bottles, not barrels. Meaning I'd do 2 gallons not oaked, then 3 gallons oaked in a secondary.

 

[Kent88]

Bump up the fermentation temp after krausen is done, and aerate at pitching and again after 12-18 hours.

 

[cegan09]

Bump up the fermentation temp after krausen is done, and aerate at pitching and again after 12-18 hours.

Eh. Conan throws fruit flavors and aroma when you bump it's fermentation temps. I've fermented at 10% RIS with it before when I held it to 66-67 the whole time and it finished out just fine. For other beers i'll let it ride up a bit because I want that effect.

 

[Revvy]

Here, read my story and see my recipe for my 50th birthday barelywine that was brewed 5 years before, made with 50 year old honey, sat in a barrel for 2+ years and ended up being 19.75%... AND survived my apartment building burning down.

 

[cegan09]

Here, read my story and see my recipe for my 50th birthday barelywine that was brewed 5 years before, made with 50 year old honey, sat in a barrel for 2+ years and ended up being 19.75%... AND survived my apartment building burning down.

I've read that before, very cool story. I don't think i'm going to get my hands on any aged honey however. Maybe I'll buy some now and set it aside for 10 years and use it for a 40th brew.

 

[Kent88]

@Revvy wow, I just got through skimming most of that thread. What an experience for you. I'm impressed at how much this forum community was supportive of you. I know we have some nice people around here, but that was a great reminder of just how nice the people around here can be.

Glad you're still around and part of it.

 

[imasickboy]

My last English:

74.1 % ESB Pale Malt (Gambrinus)
12.3 % Vienna (DURST MALZ)
7.4 % Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (Briess)
3.7 % Carapils (Briess)
2.5 % Caramel Malt - 120L (Briess)
37.9 IBUs Warrior [15.60 %] - First Wort 120.0 min
7.8 IBUs Golding, U.S. [4.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min

Mashed at 152.

Delicious.

 

[cegan09]

Water is heating now. This is what I eventually went with. I'm sure I'll have fun in the following years tweaking the recipe.

Recipe: Birthday Barleywine
Brewer:
Asst Brewer:
Style: English Barleywine
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.99 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.99 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.112 SG
Estimated Color: 16.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 71.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 69.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.1 %
Boil Time: 120 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 32.6 %
7 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 32.6 %
2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 3 9.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 7.0 %
4 lbs Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 5 18.6 %
1.00 oz Hallertau [4.50 %] - Boil 120.0 min Hop 6 12.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Hallertau [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 11.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Nugget [13.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 32.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Styrian Goldings [5.40 %] - Boil 30.0 mi Hop 9 10.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 5.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Vermont Ale (Yeast Bay #-) Yeast 11 -

 

[cegan09]

Pitched Monday night around 6pm. By 5pm Tuesday there was the start of a krausen. By 10pm it popped the stopper out. In a year and a half of brewing I've never needed a blow off tube. Not even my 11% RIS also using Conan. This thing is going nuts.

View attachment 1498654527904.jpg

 

[cegan09]

Ok, so the beer is very much done at 1.037, which seems high to me. It was projected to stop at 1.020, and I'd very much like to see it get to 1.03 or lower. Worth pitching some more yeast at this point?

 

[Queequeg]

A few observations

I would be tempted to drop the crystal completely as it will finish too sweet, at least for my pallete

Alternatively add some sugar to dry the beer.

Also what have you set your mash eff at. Expect it to be significantly lower than normal. Also expect the FG to be higher than beersmith predicts.

I mash overnight for big beers and do a 2 hour boil.