the best of ® ENGLISH BARLEYWINE Please note all file contents are Copyright © 2020 Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This file is for the buyer’s personal use only. It’s unlawful to share or distribute this file to others in any way including e-mailing it, posting it online, or sharing printed copies with others. BY GORDON STRONG ENGLISH BARLEYWINE hen the weather turns cold, I dent of the strongest Burton ales, a start thinking about my long- style family that covered a wide gravity term beer collection — those range. Dark, sweet, bitter, strong, and W big beers I’ve been saving typically aged, Burton ale was a “keep- for the right occasion. The oldest ones ing beer” that helped put Burton-on- tend to be the malty high-gravity beers Trent on the brewing map prior to the that I enjoy in the winter like Belgian development of IPAs. dark strong ales, doppelbocks, impe- Bass Brewery made up to six dif- rial stouts, and, of course, barleywines. ferent Burton ales, with the strongest And as I’m sipping those beers in front being called their No. 1, and having a They develop such of a roaring fire, I remind myself that starting gravity of 1.110. They began I ought to brew new ones to replace calling this beer a barleywine in 1872. depth when well-made, those I’m sampling now. As Burton ales eventually fell from While I brew several types of bar- favor, barleywines, old ales, and strong well-packaged, and leywines, my personal favorites are the ales persisted, although two world darker type of English barleywine, kind wars wreaked havoc on their gravities. well-kept, changing and of the grandfather of all the others. Barleywines were exclusively a dark They develop such depth when well- beer until 1951 when Tennant (now maturing over the years made, well-packaged, and well-kept, Whitbread) first brewed Gold Label, a changing and maturing over the years pale-colored barleywine. The famous like fine red wine. like fine red wine. Sometimes I resort Thomas Hardy’s Ale was created by to hiding beer from myself so that it the Eldridge Pope Brewery in 1968 as can mature in my personal archive. It’s a vintage-dated 1.125 OG old ale, but ENGLISH BARLEYWINE always a shame when the last bottle it possessed many of the characteris- BY THE NUMBERS you have winds up being the best that tics common to barleywines. In fact, OG: ............1.080–1.120 you tasted. many beer writers and historians don’t FG: .............1.018–1.030 The current BJCP (Beer Judge believe there is a difference between SRM: ................. 8–22 Certification Program) Style Guidelines the two styles. The BJCP has chosen to IBU: .................35–70 group English barleywine in Category treat old ales as a style with a notice- 17 (Strong British Ale), along with Brit- able age character as a differentiator. ABV: .............8.0–12.0% ish strong ale, old ale, and wee heavy. The dark and golden varieties of English barleywine is listed as style English barleywine persist, and are rec- 17D. As we explore the style further, ognized within the BJCP Style Guide- you’ll see that this style covers a fairly lines as part of the range. The darker broad range of strength, color, flavor, versions draw upon the long history of and balance. There is even a range Burton ales, while the golden versions of spellings, with barley wine being are a post-World War II creation. Both favored in the UK and barleywine are valid interpretations of the style. being most common in the US. Legal Currently, barleywines are often requirements in the US often mean a limited-release winter seasonal of- that “Barleywine-Style Ale” appears on fering. Many are vintage-dated, which the label, lest impressionable consum- encourages collecting and cellaring. ers believe they are drinking a grape- Modern variations, such as J.W. Lee’s based product. Harvest Ale (first brewed in 1985), are barrel-aged in casks that contained a HISTORY wide variety of spirits. However, barrel Strong, malty, rich beers have long aging is not a requirement of the style. been brewed in England, so it’s fairly Beers that have barrel character are easy to think of English barleywine as best entered in Category 33, Wood Beer. being an old style. However, they are The barleywines of England had an best thought of as the modern descen- influence on the world of brewing, in- Photo by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus Parker/Images A. Charles by Photo 1 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved ENGLISH 12.5 lbs. (5.7 kg) Maris Otter liquid guide your decisions. Setting aside malt extract a small number of bottles to age BARLEYWINE 12 oz. (340 g) English medium several years is a fun endeavor! (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) crystal malt (45 °L) OG = 1.100 FG = 1.029 8 oz. (227 g) English dark crystal IBU = 45 SRM = 18 ABV = 9.5% malt (135 °L) INGREDIENTS 2 oz. (57 g) pale chocolate malt 18 lbs. (8.2 kg) Golden Promise (225 °L) pale ale malt 15 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) 1.5 lbs. (680 g) torrified wheat (2 oz./57 g at 7.5% alpha acids) 12 oz. (340 g) English medium Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale) crystal malt (45 °L) or White Labs WLP002 (English 8 oz. (227 g) English dark crystal Ale), or SafAle S-04 yeast 3 malt (135 °L) ⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming) 2 oz. (57 g) pale chocolate malt (225 °L) STEP BY STEP 15 AAU Challenger hops (60 min.) Starting with 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of (2 oz./57 g at 7.5% alpha acids) water in the brew kettle; heat the Wyeast 1968 (London ESB Ale) water to 158 °F (70 °C). or White Labs WLP002 (English Steep the crystal and chocolate Ale), or SafAle S-04 yeast malts for 30 minutes. Remove and 3 ⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming) rinse. Turn off the heat. Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to STEP BY STEP dissolve completely. You do not want This recipe uses reverse osmosis to feel liquid extract at the bottom (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water of the kettle when stirring with your to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. spoon. Turn the heat back on and Add 1 tsp. calcium chloride directly bring to a boil. to the mash. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, Mash the Golden Promise and adding hops at the time indicated. torrified wheat at 149 °F (65 °C) for Chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C), 60 minutes. Start recirculating wort. pitch the yeast, and ferment until Add remaining grains and raise the complete. Rack the beer, prime and temperature to 168 °F (76 °C) for 15 bottle condition, or keg and force minutes. Sparge slowly and collect carbonate the beer. 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at TIPS FOR SUCCESS: the time indicated in the recipe. While these step by steps provide Chill the wort to 64 °F (18 °C), a general guideline for brewing a pitch the yeast, and ferment at this quality English barleywine, there are temperature until complete. Rack the many tweaks that brewers can make beer, prime and bottle condition, or to fine-tune the beer to their liking. keg and force carbonate the beer. A longer mash will help with better attenuation rates for the yeast. Collecting more wort in the brew ENGLISH kettle and increasing the boil time BARLEYWINE will not only boost the brewhouse (5 gallons/19 L, efficiency of the beer, but can also extract with grains) increase the color and body of the OG = 1.100 FG = 1.029 beer as well. IBU = 45 SRM = 18 ABV = 9.5% Aging is an aspect that is the brewer’s perogative. Sample how the INGREDIENTS beer is developing with age to best 2 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved spiring the American variations (Anchor common. Bitterness can be light to Barleywine is an English ale, so it’s no Brewing Co.’s Old Foghorn, first brewed fairly strong, although fading with time. surprise that English ingredients and in 1975) and also Belgian versions Stronger versions will have a little brewing methods are common. The (such as the famous 12% Bush beer alcohol character, but this should never beer is made with a single infusion from Debuisson, first brewed in 1930 or be strong or burning. mash, and is often the first step in 1931). These beers in turn helped start The mouthfeel is full-bodied and gyling multiple beers. The easiest way new styles and trends in other coun- somewhat chewy in texture, although of thinking of that is using the first tries with emerging craft beer markets. not as thick as a wee heavy. The alco- runnings of the mash for the stron- hol should be noticeable as a warmth, gest beer, and the second runnings for SENSORY PROFILE not a burn. Carbonation is typically re- another. That’s a simplification, because English barleywines are rich, malty, and strained. The texture can change quite in a parti-gyle brew, the runnings are strong. They can have a malt complex- a bit over time as the beer conditions, fermented separately and blended to ity often accentuated by age character. with younger versions being thicker form additional beers.