# Barley Wine



## zoidbergmerc (22/3/10)

Barley Wine,

3 Questions,

What is it?

How do you make it?

And Where can I find it?


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## brettprevans (22/3/10)

zoidbergmerc said:


> Barley Wine,
> 
> 3 Questions,
> 
> ...



3 answers

google is your friend

google is your friend/same way you make beer

google is your friend.


sorry, but you've obviously put no effort in looking for yourself. so i replied in kind.


edit:
so i cant be accused of being a complete bastard - google link
also look at section 19B & 19C of BJCP styleguide for enhglish and amercian barleywine


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## zoidbergmerc (22/3/10)

well I looked on here and it came up with almost every single post on the forums and I can't google it because it just comes up with 

"The page you have requested may be in violation with your internet usage agreement

Category: Alcohol"

Why AHB isn't blocked is a mystery\miracle.

Also that Link you posted is blocked aswell


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## Tiny_Tim (22/3/10)

*facepalm*
Can you access Wikipedia?
There are LOTS of good recipes around on the net, but I strongly advise that you find out what a barley wine is and what it tastes like before you try to brew one.


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## zoidbergmerc (22/3/10)

Nope, Wikipedia just plain times out.


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## whitegoose (22/3/10)

From my understanding it's essentially really really strong beer (like 14% or so, like wine)


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## brettprevans (22/3/10)

zoidbergmerc said:


> well I looked on here and it came up with almost every single post on the forums and I can't google it because it just comes up with
> 
> "The page you have requested may be in violation with your internet usage agreement
> 
> ...


well that would have been some useful info to say in the first place. although you could always look up those links when you get home.

see if you can acceess the bjcp link. if not, below is the extract from bjcp

*19B. English Barleywine *
Aroma: Very rich and strongly malty, often with a caramel-like aroma. May have moderate to strong fruitiness, often with a dried-fruit character. English hop aroma may range from mild to assertive. Alcohol aromatics may be low to moderate, but never harsh, hot or solventy. The intensity of these aromatics often subsides with age. The aroma may have a rich character including bready, toasty, toffee, molasses, and/or treacle notes. Aged versions may have a sherry-like quality, possibly vinous or port-like aromatics, and generally more muted malt aromas. Low to no diacetyl. 

Appearance: Color may range from rich gold to very dark amber or even dark brown. Often has ruby highlights, but should not be opaque. Low to moderate off-white head; may have low head retention. May be cloudy with chill haze at cooler temperatures, but generally clears to good to brilliant clarity as it warms. The color may appear to have great depth, as if viewed through a thick glass lens. High alcohol and viscosity may be visible in legs when beer is swirled in a glass. 

Flavor: Strong, intense, complex, multi-layered malt flavors ranging from bready and biscuity through nutty, deep toast, dark caramel, toffee, and/or molasses. Moderate to high malty sweetness on the palate, although the finish may be moderately sweet to moderately dry (depending on aging). Some oxidative or vinous flavors may be present, and often complex alcohol flavors should be evident. Alcohol flavors shouldnt be harsh, hot or solventy. Moderate to fairly high fruitiness, often with a dried-fruit character. Hop bitterness may range from just enough for balance to a firm presence; balance therefore ranges from malty to somewhat bitter. Low to moderately high hop flavor (usually UK varieties). Low to no diacetyl. 

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and chewy, with a velvety, luscious texture (although the body may decline with long conditioning). A smooth warmth from aged alcohol should be present, and should not be hot or harsh. Carbonation may be low to moderate, depending on age and conditioning. 

Overall Impression: The richest and strongest of the English Ales. A showcase of malty richness and complex, intense flavors. The character of these ales can change significantly over time; both young and old versions should be appreciated for what they are. The malt profile can vary widely; not all examples will have all possible flavors or aromas. 

Comments: Although often a hoppy beer, the English Barleywine places less emphasis on hop character than the American Barleywine and features English hops. English versions can be darker, maltier, fruitier, and feature richer specialty malt flavors than American Barleywines. 

History: Usually the strongest ale offered by a brewery, and in recent years many commercial examples are now vintage-dated. Normally aged significantly prior to release. Often associated with the winter or holiday season. 

Ingredients: Well-modified pale malt should form the backbone of the grist, with judicious amounts of caramel malts. Dark malts should be used with great restraint, if at all, as most of the color arises from a lengthy boil. English hops such as Northdown, Target, East Kent Goldings and Fuggles. Characterful English yeast. 

Vital Statistics: OG: 1.080 1.120 
IBUs: 35 70 FG: 1.018 1.030 
SRM: 8 22 ABV: 8 12% 

Commercial Examples: Thomas Hardys Ale, Burton Bridge Thomas Sykes Old Ale, J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale, Robinsons Old Tom, Fullers Golden Pride, AleSmith Old Numbskull, Youngs Old Nick (unusual in its 7.2% ABV), Whitbread Gold Label, Old Dominion Millenium, North Coast Old Stock Ale (when aged), Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot 

*19C. American Barleywine *
Aroma: Very rich and intense maltiness. Hop character moderate to assertive and often showcases citrusy or resiny American varieties (although other varieties, such as floral, earthy or spicy English varieties or a blend of varieties, may be used). Low to moderately strong fruity esters and alcohol aromatics. Malt character may be sweet, caramelly, bready, or fairly neutral. However, the intensity of aromatics often subsides with age. No diacetyl. 

Appearance: Color may range from light amber to medium copper; may rarely be as dark as light brown. Often has ruby highlights. Moderately-low to large off-white to light tan head; may have low head retention. May be cloudy with chill haze at cooler temperatures, but generally clears to good to brilliant clarity as it warms. The color may appear to have great depth, as if viewed through a thick glass lens. High alcohol and viscosity may be visible in legs when beer is swirled in a glass. 

Flavor: Strong, intense malt flavor with noticeable bitterness. Moderately low to moderately high malty sweetness on the palate, although the finish may be somewhat sweet to quite dry (depending on aging). Hop bitterness may range from moderately strong to aggressive. While strongly malty, the balance should always seem bitter. Moderate to high hop flavor (any variety). Low to moderate fruity esters. Noticeable alcohol presence, but sharp or solventy alcohol flavors are undesirable. Flavors will smooth out and decline over time, but any oxidized character should be muted (and generally be masked by the hop character). May have some bready or caramelly malt flavors, but these should not be high. Roasted or burnt malt flavors are inappropriate. No diacetyl. 

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and chewy, with a velvety, luscious texture (although the body may decline with long conditioning). Alcohol warmth should be present, but not be excessively hot. Should not be syrupy and under-attenuated. Carbonation may be low to moderate, depending on age and conditioning. 

Overall Impression: A well-hopped American interpretation of the richest and strongest of the English ales. The hop character should be evident throughout, but does not have to be unbalanced. The alcohol strength and hop bitterness often combine to leave a very long finish. 

Comments: The American version of the Barleywine tends to have a greater emphasis on hop bitterness, flavor and aroma than the English Barleywine, and often features American hop varieties. Differs from an Imperial IPA in that the hops are not extreme, the malt is more forward, and the body is richer and more characterful. 

History: Usually the strongest ale offered by a brewery, and in recent years many commercial examples are now vintage-dated. Normally aged significantly prior to release. Often associated with the winter or holiday season. 

Ingredients: Well-modified pale malt should form the backbone of the grist. Some specialty or character malts may be used. Dark malts should be used with great restraint, if at all, as most of the color arises from a lengthy boil. Citrusy American hops are common, although any varieties can be used in quantity. Generally uses an attenuative American yeast. 

Vital Statistics: OG: 1.080 1.120 
IBUs: 50 120 FG: 1.016 1.030 
SRM: 10 19 ABV: 8 12% 

Commercial Examples: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Great Divide Old Ruffian, Victory Old Horizontal, Rogue Old Crustacean, Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine, Bells Third Coast Old Ale, Anchor Old Foghorn, Three Floyds Behemoth, Stone Old Guardian, Bridgeport Old Knucklehead, Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws, Lagunitas Olde GnarleyWine, Smuttynose Barleywine, Flying Dog Horn Dog

*
wiki entry*
Barley wine or Barleywine is a beer style of strong ale originating in England. The first beer to be marketed as Barley Wine was Bass No. 1 Ale, around 1900. The term "barley wine" had been used before in other contexts,[1] for example in translations of Xenophon's Anabasis (although it may have referred to regular grape wine with cooked barley in it).[2]

Characteristics
A barley wine typically reaches an alcohol strength of 8 to 12% by volume and is brewed from specific gravities as high as 1.120. It is called a barley wine because it can be as strong as wine; but since it is made from grain rather than fruit it is in fact a beer.

Most barley wines range in colour from amber to deep reddish-browns, though until the introduction of Whitbread Gold Label in the 1950s, British barley wines were always dark in colour. All are rich and full-flavored.

Writer Michael Jackson referred to a barley wine by Smithwick's thus: "This is very distinctive, with an earthy hoppiness, a wineyness, lots of fruit and toffee flavours." He also noted that its original gravity is 1.062.[3]

According to Martyn Cornell "no historically meaningful difference exists between barley wines and old ales."


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## Maple (22/3/10)

To help a brother out, here is the BJCP listing for an American BW:

Edit: Beaten - Damn you, I will win one day CM2


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## brettprevans (22/3/10)

Maple said:


> Edit: Damn you, I will win one day CM2


 NEVER!! :lol: 

oh and here's the style of the week -barleywine result from AHB, which you also obviously didnt bother to search either. <_<


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## zoidbergmerc (22/3/10)

Ah ok, thanks for that guys.

I would check it out at home but I'm just so fkn busy at home and I just plain forget.

So the only reason why they call it a barley wine is because it's high alcohol content. But it's still carbonated like beer or is it flat?

Edit @ CM2



zoidbergmerc said:


> well I looked on here and it came up with almost every single post on the forums


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## Fourstar (22/3/10)

here is a REAL* link to a barley wine.

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=42622&hl=


* a complete arse up attempt at one.


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## peas_and_corn (22/3/10)

When you want to learn about a style, one place I reommend you look is the 'flavour of the week' subforum.

American Barleywine

English Barleywine


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## brettprevans (22/3/10)

zoidbergmerc said:


> So the only reason why they call it a barley wine is because it's high alcohol content. But it's still carbonated like beer or is it flat?



pretty much. traditional made from ...yup you guessed it, barley and was at wine strength. 

it can be both uncarbed and carbed. if carbed only lghtly-med carbed. thats listed in the 'mouthfeel' section of the bjcp info i posted. 



zoidbergmerc said:


> Edit @ CM2 - result is in most pages, blah blah


yeah and it took me about 60sec to have a quick look through the pages to find the result i posted from the 2nd page of the search result. but ok you looked.

no worries. I think you've got enough info to keep you going.
*
FINDING an Example*
oh as to where to find it. nfi in tassie. if stuck you can mail order it from purvis cellars or slowbeer in melb. they will ship interstate.


edit: P&C - much more eloquently put than myself.


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## dug (23/3/10)

go to coolwine in criterion street and get a bottle or 2 from there, and have a look at the rest of the beers they have on offer about 100 or so I think.


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