barley wine.

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jonbomb

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Anyone know what it takes to brew a barley wine.

How long for fermentation??
Can I brew it as an extract?
What are the ingredients?
 
How long for fermentation??
Can I brew it as an extract?
What are the ingredients?

Fermentation will take as long as it takes -- probably a week, maybe two. However, because a barleywine has high alcohol content, you will want to batch age (and bottle condition) for a long time to allow the flavors to blend and the hot alcohol taste to mellow out.

Yes, you can brew it as an extract, although you will want to use some steeping grains.

Take a look at some of the recipes on HBT in the Recipes section.
 
I have plans to make an extract Barleywine soon.
If anyone can recommend a kit, please do so.
Right now I am thinking the Bigfoot clone from AHS
 
Barley Wine is just a big beer. All beer rules apply and it will need to age a long time to mellow.
You can brew as an extract
Ingredients are the same as making beer, just more malt per gallon.
For example. If you take 6 lbs of extract in a 5G batch you have a 1043 OG Beer.
Change that to 12lbs and you enter into the range of Barley wine at 1086. Guidelines for teh style has an OG between 1080 and 1120. They also have a IBU rating between 50-120. So up your hop bill.
 
yea i just read they are considered "strong ales". Didnt know that and I looked some up. I'm gonna buy a better bottle and try making one. Cuse right now I only have one primary fermenter.
 
Have a bunch of yeast ready to rip into a big heavy wort. The best way to do this is to brew a batch of a low- or medium-gravity beer and harvest the yeast, but a big starter or dry yeast are alternatives.

Oxygenate the wort well. The best way to do this is with a sintered diffusion stone and bottled O2, but shaking the fermenter can be ok too.
 
I brewed the American Barleywine extract kit from AHS in January and it tastes great! It fermented vigorously in my 6.5 gallon carboy, so I would definitely use a blow-off tube. I kept it in primary for a month and then secondary for like two months?? before bottling. Did not add any additional yeast before bottling. Gorgeous color. Cracked one open at 6months aging and all I can say is ****!! That is some good stuff. It will be gone in no time once fall comes around.
 
I wanted to make one for my brothers wedding. The wedding is in november 2011. Pretty far away.

Do you think its too long of a time to let sit in bottles?? Will the flavor get too mellow?? I don't want to wait around for a year for something that might just suck...
 
Do you think its too long of a time to let sit in bottles?? Will the flavor get too mellow?? I don't want to wait around for a year for something that might just suck...

Always a chance with a big beer I suppose. +1 to the large yeast count. I'd even brew a simple Pale Ale with the yeast you're looking to use, then dump the BW onto that yeast cake.
 
awesome I'm gonna brew it around the end of summer. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a secondary for this. Time to buy another ale pail.
 
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