English Barley Wine - Suggestions

[amrmedic]

I am planning on brewing an English Barley Wine this month, to have ready for next Holiday season. I use Brew Alchemy so I can not import my recipe here, but this is the nuts and bolts for a 5 gallon batch.


Mighty Fine Barley Wine:

18 pounds Maris Otter
2 pounds Munich
2 pound Cara-Pils
2 pound Amber Malt
2 pounds of Pale Candi Sugar (added when pitching the yeast)

2 oz Admiral full boil
2 oz Phoenix at 60 min
1 oz Northdown at 45 min
1 oz Northdown at 15 min

Mash in at 152 F with 7.5 gallons Water for 60 min
Fly Sparge with 4 gallons

Boil for 90 minutes.

Wyeast 1318 London III Ale (starter 3L)

Primary Ferment for 3 weeks
Then Secondary in carboy for 6 months on oak chips/cubes
Bottle condition for 2 months

Next year hand out as Holiday Presents.

Any input on the recipe?

Also, can I split the grain bill and do 2 sepearte mashes, then add the runnings from both mashes in my kettle for boil? If I cant, I need a bigger MLT cooler.

Thnaks

 

[Vaughn]

If you want more of a barleywine ( English) I would tone down the hops.

You should also be fine splitting the mash up. That is what I had to do for my barleywine I am aging right now. Used two 10gal rubbermaids to mash in then drained into my keggle.

Good luck, There isn't a barleywine I think i dislike.

 

[rockfish42]

The hops look good, you've picked a nice high attenuating english yeast strain though you might want to make a slightly larger starter. I'd normally stick with just maris otter and a touch of a dark english crystal malt possibly with some aromatic or caramunich. Also you might consider doing a two hour boil. The sugar addition is normally out of place but with the amount of grain you're using it might be necessary for the beer to attenuate low enough to not be cloying. I'd mash lower, ~149-150F as with this much grain you'll have plenty of body already.

 

[amrmedic]

Everything I read says that while the hops make look overpowering, you have to take into account the strong malt flavor, so these hops should balance out nicely and though the IBU calculations says it is high it should taste actually milder.

I might go up on the Maris Otter and get rid of the munich and add in some UK crystal like maybe a 40.

I added the sugar to help it attentuate down and bump up the ABV. My rig gets about 65% efficiency.

How much of a difference will it cause if I mash at 149 vs 152?

Thanks

 

[amrmedic]

Also, does anyone know of any good, available commercial Barley wines? I never tasted one, but everything I have heard makes it sound awesome. I want to try a few before brewing and ordering supplies, so I know what I am aiming for. I based my recipe on style guidelines.

 

[Frodo]

Does Sierra Nevada make it out there to Florida? Theirs is called Bigfoot Ale. The Bigfoot Ale is pretty hoppy - it's an American Barleywine. Or Anchor Old Foghorn from San Francisco is a English Barleywine. If you have a BevMo (or other large liquor store) I'd start there.

 

[dcp27]

I might go up on the Maris Otter and get rid of the munich and add in some UK crystal like maybe a 40.

I'd opt to ditch the cara-pils for UK crystal instead. I don't see cara-pils doing much for this brew.

weyerbacher blither idiot is another example of an english barleywine you can look for

 

[Freezeblade]

Replace the carapils with the same amount of UK Crystal 55. if you can find it.

 

[beerjunky828]

Bump. Did you end up brewing this barleywine? I am looking into making one myself using maris otter and maple syrup. Ive never made a barleywine so I would like to try and make a huge ass beer. I have made DIPA's and stouts. But no barley wine.

 

[GuldTuborg]

I'm curious about this, too. I like the 1318 yeast, and I'm curious how it handles the high gravity of a barleywine. I've only used it with pretty small beers.

 

[amrmedic]

It is brewing this weekend. I will let you know how it goes.

 

[NateW]

It is brewing this weekend. I will let you know how it goes.

How did it go? I just washed some 1318 from a mild. I'm looking for something to do with it and was thinking English Barleywine.