working on Barley wine recipe

[stockwes]

here is what i have so far

OG 1.153
FG 1.046
IBU 158
ABV 13.8 %
SRM 15

% Weight Weight (lbs) Grain
90.2% 55.00 Canadian Two-row Pale
3.3% 2.00 American Crystal 60L
3.3% 2.00 Canadian Honey Malt
3.3% 2.00 British Peated


Hops
% Wt Weight (oz) AA% Boil Time
16.7% 2.00 Hallertau 4.0 5
33.3% 4.00 Nugget 13.0 120
16.7% 2.00 Hallertau 4.0 15
16.7% 2.00 Nugget 13.0 90
16.7% 2.00 Nugget 13.0 60

I am trying to somewhat recreate doggie claws from hotd but with a few changes. I have the hops in my freezer and want to use them up. I love the taste that the peat malt gives their beer Adam and was hoping to get a little "smoke" taste in my barley wine.

I am unsure on what mash temp and style to use. I plan on running off the grain till i am not really getting anymore good sugar and doing a very extended boil (4-6) hrs to reduce the volume and concentrate tastes.

I plan on using Scottish ale yeast and finishing with something like ec1118 or the super high gravity yeast. The beer will then be oaken and aged for at least a year before it is consumed. I have oxygen and a stirplate so the beer will be heavily oxygenated and a lot of yeast will be pitched

Are there any changes to the grain or pointers you guys could give me? How would you mash it to maximize ferment ability so the beer might kinda dry out...

Thanks for your help

 

[beerandloathinginaustin]

I hear being very careful with the peated is the way to go. Personally, my level of care would extend to throwing it at fellow unruly drivers instead of putting it in my beer.

 

[stockwes]

i really like the flavor the peat malt gives bigger beers such as Adambier or some scotish ales. I am hoping to get a little of it in a barley wine. I think the adambier recipe i have been brewing used 3 pounds with less other grains and comes out fantastic, especially after a little age...

 

[Bierliebhaber]

What size of batch is this for?
Are you planning on putting this on your pancakes, or over ice cream, because your FG is really high...as is your OG. If you're following Doggie Claws as a guide, it begins and ends much lower than you have here. Some clarification on your batch size and expectations would help (e.g. do you want a malt liqueur or a drinkable BW?).

 

[stockwes]

sorry, it will be for a 10 gal batch. I thought i put that in there...

I am aware that it is somewhat significantly stronger than doggie claws. I was shooting for more like 13-14% range... With the high og i am anticipating a high fg. The doggie claws recipe was just a starting point...

I have brewed quite a few rather high gravity beers however never a barleywine. The plan is on ageing this beer a long time. I am a big fan of pulling 5+ year old beer out of the cellar and this should go right along with the rest of them...

It being known that i want a super strong, slightly smokey barley wine, in a 10 gal batch, where would you guys take the recipe from here?

 

[Bierliebhaber]

There are some changes you could make that would make your yeasts' work easier, give you a more drinkable BW, and likely a more complex flavor. You could drop over 10 lbs off your grain bill (I don't know what efficiency you're working at. 70%?). Add 2 lbs of amber Belgian Candy syrup. If you pitch a large starter and make your yeast happy, there's no reason you could land near 14% with a FG of 1.028. I just took a 1.106 OG BW down to 1.014 within 14 days. It was at 1.016 after 7 days. I pitched big, added plenty of nutrient, and repeated aeration.

As you live in Portland, I would recommend taking a trip out to Brew Brothers and ask them to see all their smoked malts. They have a several different smoked malts in stock. You can smell and taste them to see which you prefer.