Literal Barley Wine/Champagne?

[ericd]

So I was thinking...how would a literal barley wine taste? Belgian 2-Row to 1.095 OG, no hops, D-47 Yeast and maybe some acid blend/sweetner after everything's done to balance it out.

Do you think it would ferment to under 1.000 like a real wine or would it stay in beer territory around 1.015?

 

[PseudoChef]

The maltose/maltotriose as well as the residual starches would still be unfermentable to that kind of yeast, I would think.

Fruit is mostly fructose/glucose which is highly fermentable to yeast.

 

[McKBrew]

I don't know how the end result would be, but you could get it to that low of a FG with Beano.

 

[mrfocus]

Couldn't you just mash for a really long time at a low temp (150-152F)? For like 2 hours?

I personally wouldn't use D-47 (it's a white wine yeast that needs a lot of nutrients). Maybe something like EC-1118, which has the advantage of making things really dry (to counter-act the possible maltiness of residual sugars).

 

[ericd]

So how much of the wort from pale malt is unfermentable?

 

[ericd]

I looked at the recipes for barley and wheat wine on jack keller's page. I combined the common methods, ingredients and proportions in the recipes along with my own experience to get this, what do you think?

7.5 lbs belgian 2-row
0.5 tsp grape tanin
1 tablet BrewVint Yeast fuel
0.5 tbsp 5.2 stabilizer
1.25 tsp Acid Blend
5 lbs Golden Raisins
Zest and Juice of 5 Lemons and Oranges
10 lbs Raw Sugar

Make starter first with the champagne yeast. Then pour 5.5 gallons of hot water with the stabilizer over the barley to reach a temperature of 154F, and allow it to soak overnight. Strain off the wort (saving the used barley) and boil it for 2 hours. Add all the other ingredients (except the sugar and yeast) to the used barley and hops and pour the boiling wort over the mixture. Cool to 80-90F and dump everything into a fermenter and add sugar and yeast. Rack back and forth between fermenters every time trub settles ----- until it's crystal clear. Age in primed bottles for at least as long as complete fermentation took.

 

[z987k]

probably going to get a good bit of sour in there, leaving the mash overnight. Then a **** ton of tannins from pouring boiling wort over hot grain.

And I've never heard of someone leaving the grain in the fermenter... so I'm guessing that will also significantly effect the outcome.

Further, you never rinsed the grains, so your SG will probably be extremely low.... but then 10lbs of sugar... will probably give it a watery and cidery flavor.

 

[ericd]

Hmm...will look back over source recipes. Probably am missing something.

Edit: These are the instructions to all the recipes I could find:

1) Wash the grain and soak overnight in one pint lukewarm water. Strain grain and mince with raisins. Pour 7 pints boiling water over minced grain/raisins, sugar and lemon/orange zest, stirring well to dissolve sugar. Cover well and when lukewarm (70-75 degrees F.) add lemon/orange juice, wine yeast and nutrient. Cover well and set aside in warm place for seven days, stirring daily. Strain into secondary fermentation vessel, top up with water and fit airlock. Rack when clear and again in 3 months before bottling. Allow to age one year before tasting.

2) Wash grain and soak 24 hours in 1 qt. water. Strain, crush grain, and pour grain and 6 pt. water through grain-bag over primary fermentation vessel.. Tie grain-bag and leave in primary fermentation vessel. Add all other ingredients except yeast to primary fermentation vessel, stir well to dissolve sugar, cover well, and add wine yeast after 24 hours. Set in warm place, covered, for five days, stirring daily. Strain juice from grain-bag, siphon liquor off sediment into secondary fermentation vessel and fit airlock. Rack after three weeks and again in two months. Dissolve 1/4 lb. sugar with 1/2 tsp. wine stabilizer in 1 pt. water and add to wine. When clear, rack again and bottle. Allow to age one year before tasting.

3) Put water on to boil. Use mincer to crush wheat and mince raisins together. Put in primary with sugar and add boiling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Thinly peel oranges and lemon, being careful to avoid peeling white pith. Juice the fruit and set juice aside. When water in primary has cooled to mildly warm, add all remaining ingredients except yeast and stir well to mix. Cover with muslin and set aside 24 hours. Add activated yeast and recover. Stir daily for 3 weeks, then strain through nylon straining bag and allow to drip drain overnight. Do not squeeze bag or wine will cloud and fail to clear. Discard strained material and continue to ferment additional 3 weeks. Rack into secondary and fit airlock. Set aside 2 months. Rack into sanitized secondary, top up and refit airlock. After 2 additional months, rack, top up and again refit airlock. After third 2-month period, rack into bottles and store in dark place. Do not touch this wine for one to two years.

4) Soak wheat overnight in 1 pt water. Put water on heat but do not boil. Drain wheat and put it and raisins through a mincer. Peel potatoes and slice thinly and then juice the lemons and discard pulp and rind. Put wheat, raisins, potatoes, lemon juice, sugar, crushed Campden, and yeast nutrient in primary and pour in hot water. Stir very well to dissolve sugar, cover with muslin and set aside. After 24 hours, add activated yeast and recover primary. Stir daily for 10 days. Strain but do not squeeze solids. Allow liquor to settle overnight and rack into secondary and fit airlock. When wine clears, rack into sanitized secondary, top up and refit airlock. After 3 months carefully rack into bottles and store in dark place for one or two years before tasting.

5) Soak wheat overnight in just enough water to cover. Drain and put wheat through a mincer. In large pot, combine minced wheat, sugar, water, citric acid, and tannin. Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve sugar. When water boils, cour into primary and cover. When cooled to room temperature, add crushed Campden and yeast nutrient. Stir, recover and set aside 24 hours. Add activated yeast and recover. Stir daily for 7-8 days, strain liquor into secondary, fit airlock, and set aside. When wine clears, rack into sanitized secondary, top up and refit airlock. Wait 2 months and again rack, top up and refit airlock. After additional 2 months, rack into bottles. Taste after one to two years.

6) Soak wheat 24 hours in just enough water to cover. Drain and put wheat through a mincer. Put water on to boil. Thinly peel orange and lemon, being careful to avoid peeling white pith. Juice the fruit and set juice aside. Combine minced wheat, citrus peelings and juice, grape juice concentrate, sugar, and tannin in primary and add boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover with muslin and set aside. When cooled to room temperature, add crushed Campden and yeast nutrient. Stir well, recover and set aside 24 hours. Add activated yeast. Stir daily for 3 weeks. Strain through nylon straining bag to remove solids (do not squeeze bag). Continue fermentation until specific gravity drops to 1.000 and then rack into sanitized secondary and fit airlock. Set aside 2 months. Rack into sanitized secondary, top up and refit airlock. After 2 additional months, rack, top up and again refit airlock. After third 2-month period, rack into bottles and store in dark place. Allow to age two years before tasting.

 

[z987k]

have you ever done an All grain brew? I think you should read up on that. These directions just make no practical sense.

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Brewing Your First All-Grain Beer

 

[ericd]

Yeah, just finished my first one. Got an infection but the all-grain part went well. Hit 74%