Prospective Barleywine Recipe

[Meshuggah]

So, I think I'm going to try my hand at a barleywine in the near future, and I'm looking for some critique on the recipe that I've mustered up. I am going for the American style, as I recently had Rock Art Brewery's Vermonster and the hop character was fantastic.

3 gallon batch
89% 10lbs 0oz American Two-row Pale
6% 0 10oz American Crystal 120L
2% 0 4oz Aromatic Malt
2% 0 4oz Victory Malt
1% 0 2oz Chocolate Malt (US)


60 mins 1.0 Columbus pellet 14.4
10 mins 0.5 Columbus pellet 14.4
5 mins 0.5 Columbus pellet 14.4
1 min 0.5 Columbus pellet 14.4

WLP001

Original Gravity
1.100 / 23.7° Plato
(1.090 to 1.105)
Final Gravity
1.024 / 6.1° Plato
10.1% ABV
93.8 IBU

So i have a few questions: is this an appropriate grain bill? will one vial of WLP001 be enough for a 3 gallon batch? Any opinion on the all Columbus hopping? I feel like the dank, resinous character they possess would work well with the extreme amount of malt. Anything else? Thanks!

EDIT: Recipe now contains 10oz of aromatic and victory at 5% each.

 

[Double_D]

I would suggest at the very least making a starter for your yeast. Making a beer with a very high OG can cause problems in the yeast department. If it's not well aerated yeast can sometimes run out of oxygen and go dormant, making a stuck fermentation. Don't forget those yeast vials are supposedly sufficient for 5 gal at 1.050. I've never had a problem with "over" pitching my big beers. The columbus is a great idea. I'm a sucker for magnum, citra, and green bullet though.

 

[dougdecinces]

Make yourself a starter. I'd go with a half gallon starter for a 3 gallon batch.

As for the recipe, I'm not sure how much of an effect you will get from only 2% victory and aromatic. I'd go for at least 4% of each. From my limited experience, that seems to be about the minimum amount of specialty malt needed to perceive it. Good choice with Columbus. Now that simcoe is out of commission, that is my favorite high-alpha hop.

 

[Double_D]

Generally speaking, I make a 1 quart starter with two smack packs, 250g DME, 1 pint water and 1 pint ice for all my 10 gallon batches (the only size I do). Even the beers that will be between 8% and 10%. A half gallon is a ton of semi fermented wort to add to a 3 gallon batch of beer regardless of the style. Consider this: 1/2 gallon added to a 3 gallon batch is about 16.66 percent. That can really throw everything off in terms of fermentability color and bitterness.

 

[944play]

Two suggestions:
Make the biggest batch you can. You want be able to taste it along the way to maturity. No shame in using extract, or you can do two mashes.

Consider using dry yeast like US-05 or Nottingham. It's cheaper to get as many cells as you'll need, and rehydrating is quicker than a starter. Better yet, harvest fresh yeast off a previous batch. Watch out for blowoff!

 

[dougdecinces]

Generally speaking, I make a 1 quart starter with two smack packs, 250g DME, 1 pint water and 1 pint ice for all my 10 gallon batches (the only size I do). Even the beers that will be between 8% and 10%. A half gallon is a ton of semi fermented wort to add to a 3 gallon batch of beer regardless of the style. Consider this: 1/2 gallon added to a 3 gallon batch is about 16.66 percent. That can really throw everything off in terms of fermentability color and bitterness.

I understand the concern, but when I make starters, I usually let the yeast settle before pitching and pour off the excess wort. So it really ends up with me pitching about 1/4-1/3 of the original volume of the starter I mentioned. Adding 16 oz of starter to a 3 gallon batch is not a big deal whatsoever.

 

[Double_D]

Yes sir. I agree 100% Three gallons of barley wine is never enough..

 

[Meshuggah]

Yeah, I might make two batches of the same recipe (maybe hopped differently)... my concern is mash tun size. As for amount of specialty grains, I think I will add some more.

Also, in lieu of a starter, could I potentially brew a light session pale ale with WLP001 and when racking to secondary, pour the fresh wort of the BW right onto the yeast for its primary?

 

[Double_D]

Technically yes. But it's not necessarily the same thing as a yeast starter. You have an increased volume of yeast but it's not the same. The yeast that has settled out of your beer would be completely different than the yeast from your actively fermenting starter in that it has flocculated and begun to go dormant. If you made sure to aerate you should be able to use that method with no problem though..

 

[dougdecinces]

Yeah, I might make two batches of the same recipe (maybe hopped differently)... my concern is mash tun size. As for amount of specialty grains, I think I will add some more.

Also, in lieu of a starter, could I potentially brew a light session pale ale with WLP001 and when racking to secondary, pour the fresh wort of the BW right onto the yeast for its primary?

All of the doomsaying I have heard about overpitching has made me hesitant to do this (search the forums on this topic), but it is a viable option.

 

[Double_D]

I've never managed to over pitch anything. From a technical standpoint under pitching should be more of a concern. But I guess if you had WAY to much yeast it would consume all the oxygen in the wort and it might get stuck or something. But then all you'd really have to do is transfer the wort off the prospective autolyzing yeast and aerate it.

 

[dougdecinces]

Too many threads to sift through, but here.

Basically the argument is there will be an overproduction of esters causing off flavors.

 

[BrokenKnucklesBrewery]

how'd this turn out?