English Barleywine help?

[Vaughn]

I am brewing in a week and wanted some input on a recipe I have been playing with. Any help would be appreciated as I am going for something similar to The Perfect Storm. Cheers!

The Perfect Storm
19-B English Barleywine
Author: Paul

Size: 5 gal
Efficiency: 80.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 439.32 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.129 (1.080 - 1.120)
Terminal Gravity: 1.032 (1.018 - 1.030)
Color: 20.0 (8.0 - 22.0)
Alcohol: 13.05% (8.0% - 12.0%)
Bitterness: 47.5 (35.0 - 70.0)

Ingredients:
19.0 lb Golden Promise Malt
1.0 lb Munich Malt
1.0 lb Melanoidin Malt
1.0 lb Special B - Caramel malt
1.0 lb Wheat Flaked
0.75 oz Magnum (14.5%) - added during boil, boiled 75 min
0.5 oz Glacier (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
0.5 oz Mt. Hood (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min

 

[Got Trub?]

Looks like fun.

I would back off on the melanoidin malt. I've used it in bocks and dopplebocks and it is only 4oz in a recipe. You can overdo it - especially if you are going to be doing a long boil to get your volume down as that will create melanoidins as well.

GT

 

[Vaughn]

Thanks for the suggestion. Ill give 4oz a try and see how that turns out. I am going to age it on Bourbon and heavy toast oak.

 

[Vaughn]

How does everything else in the recipe look?

 

[Beernip]

I've been looking at making an English style barleywine and looked in to this the other day so am interested in your results. The brewer says that it uses caramel malts so was thinking crystal 60L but all the tasting notes talk about a fruity or raisin aroma so you may be on to something with the Special B. It should give that taste to it. Also think about uping the munich malt a little more.

Two concerns is that using Beersmith I put you at 30 IBU's where they list it at 40. You've come up with 47 which seems high with that little hops. Second is I'm skeptical that you can get 80% efficiency with this big of a beer.

 

[Beernip]

What yeast are you using? 1098?

Mashing at 156 or 158?

 

[Vaughn]

Don't be skeptical, I normally get 80% on my big beers.

Still not sure what yeast I am going to use so any suggestions would be awesome.

Mashing at 156

 

[fredthecat]

sounds good to me, in agreeance about reducing the melanoidin, i like the low ibu's for the english style, i prefer a very sweet barleywine

 

[Got Trub?]

Don't be skeptical, I normally get 80% on my big beers.

Still not sure what yeast I am going to use so any suggestions would be awesome.

Mashing at 156

Your yeast choices will be limited to something that is highly attenuative and tolerant of high alcohol levels. I would choose from Nottingham, Wyeast 1028 London Ale or Wyeast 1098 British Ale. Of the three I think Notty is the more alcohol tolerant. I'd also shoot for a lower Mash temperature if you want to get your FG down to 1.032.

GT

 

[snailsongs]

If you mash at 156 with that high of a gravity it will likely end up nearly syrup-like, and just about as sweet. If you take a look at some other peoples high gravity recipes, as well as those in the BCS book, you will notice that with large beers you should mash low to get the attenuation you need. There will be so much body already from the residual sugars after fermentation that 149 for 90min would be far more appropriate. I did this for my barleywine at 1.100 and it is nice and chewy....just a heads up.

 

[Beernip]

If you mash at 156 with that high of a gravity it will likely end up nearly syrup-like, and just about as sweet. If you take a look at some other peoples high gravity recipes, as well as those in the BCS book, you will notice that with large beers you should mash low to get the attenuation you need. There will be so much body already from the residual sugars after fermentation that 149 for 90min would be far more appropriate. I did this for my barleywine at 1.100 and it is nice and chewy....just a heads up.

I wasn't thinking about it but I think you are right. Mash low and it should still be sweet enough.

I normally use 1098 in all my English ales and love it but I think you may hit the alcohol limits of that yeast (10%). I know people that have used notty up to 12% but you may be pushing that. I made a 10% RIS with 2 packets of notty and worked great without an issue. Some use 004 for higher gravity beers but not sure if it will give you the right flavor profile.

 

[Vaughn]

I have been considering finishing the beer out with brett. That would take me down to a gravity I wanted, or I could always finish with champagne. Thanks for stopping me from mashing too high as that would have been a sweet mess. Should be brewing this in a week or two so Ill report back on the results.

 

[Beernip]

Finishing with brett would be very interesting with this.

I may brew something like this recipe this weekend but am not sure I want to go so high on the ABV. I may keep it around 10%, use Target, Fuggles, Goldings, ferment with 1450 if I can get my hands on it. Hmmm, can I get a starter going in time to make this on Sunday..

 

[Sawdustguy]

Your yeast choices will be limited to something that is highly attenuative and tolerant of high alcohol levels. I would choose from Nottingham, Wyeast 1028 London Ale or Wyeast 1098 British Ale. Of the three I think Notty is the more alcohol tolerant. I'd also shoot for a lower Mash temperature if you want to get your FG down to 1.032.

GT

Why not try a champagne yeast. More alcohol tolerant and highly attenuative.

 

[Vaughn]

I am going with the high abv to be able to holdup next to the bourbon and oak with age.

As far as yeast goes I went with Wyeast 1028 (London ale). I have stepped up to a 2.5L starter. Once this yeast craps out I will either finish with Champagne or Brett to get as close to my FG as possible. Brewing this in the am so I will post back how it goes.

 

[remilard]

Why not finish up with the Thomas Hardy's yeast? I think it is Wyeast that sells a "high gravity" yeast, that is the Thomas Hardy's. If there is a yeast suitable to making a huge english barleywine, that is it.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

The best way to make it English style is to break up that single word thingy and call it Barley Wine.

 

[Beernip]

19.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter
2.00 lb Munich Malt
0.75 lb Special B Malt
0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt
0.50 lb Wheat, Flaked
1.00 oz Target [8.60 %] (75 min) Hops 22.6 IBU
0.50 oz Target [8.60 %] (45 min) Hops 9.9 IBU
1.00 oz Fuggles [5.10 %] (20 min) Hops 7.8 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, B.C. [4.50 %] (10 min) Hops 2.0 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, B.C. [4.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.1 IBU
1 Pkgs Denny's Favorite (Wyeast Labs #1450) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Ale

hmmmm, Thoughts on this?

 

[maskednegator]

95% British pale malt
5% light to medium crystal

I'm serious, this will do it for you.

 

[Beernip]

I ended up brewing this last weekend. Down from 1.102 to 1.030 in 6 days. Sample tasted great. Very complex flavors and can't wait to see how this turns our around Christmas. Time is a ***** but worth it.

 

[alcibiades]

+1 on mashing low, around 149. nothing worse than a syrupy barley wine.

 

[Vaughn]

Did anyone else try out the recipe? Would love to know if it turned out well for someone else. I still have to brew up a few more batches to fill my 2000 vintage Evan Williams single barrel .

 

[Vaughn]

I figured I would post an update. Currently have 55 gal inside a 2000 Vintage Evan Williams single barrel. It smells incredible. The hardest thing now is leaving it alone.

 

[Beernip]

Well damn if that isn't sexy. The thought of 55 gallons of barleywine in an whiskey barrel makes me all tingly.

I did brew up the recipe I posted on page two. I bottled it a few weeks ago and am letting it age. I did quick carb/chill my sample from bottling and it tasted really good, young, but really good. I was drinking a Pelican Brewery Stormwatcher at the time and they are pretty close in style. I think that mine may have a little more special b than Pelican's. They just released the 2010 version and I keep looking around for one to try and compare.

 

[Vaughn]

Yeah its sitting in my room, so its going to be hard to wait for it to be finished. I had one of the 09 Perfect Storms next to a Wooden Hell. Trying to get ahold of a Woodford barrel next .

Do you happen to know how many cases they have gone through? I am on the waiting list for the new Mother of all Storms. Last I heard they have gone through a little over a pallet.