English Barleywine Recipe - Input Requested

Using london ale yeast, I went about 4.5 weeks in primary and then straight to bottles. I under-primed (freakin' hate bottling), but no soy sauce/vegetal flavors if that's your concern

 

I'm with @mugs1789 on this one. Consider doing something like an English Mild, and then pitch the barleywine onto the yeast cake the same day you rack off the cake. Makes for a busier than normal brew day, but you get an English mild to drink while you wait for this beast to ferment out, and you don't have to worry about building a huge starter.

I've brewed 10+ abv beers that were primary-d for 4 weeks (no secondary) and they all turned out great. Your barleywine can do all of the extra conditioning in the bottles.

 

Yes you could. I would recommend 4 weeks vs. 6 weeks since at 6 weeks you may notice some effects of yeast autolysis.

Cheers!

 

I would just do a vigorous pour straight onto the cake, and that should aerate it nicely. No need to wash it or anything. An English mild was initially brewed from the weaker second runnings of an English barleywine anyways. You won't get any changes in the final flavor from not washing the vessel/yeast cake if that's what you were wondering.

 

You just solved a mystery for me. An Imperial EIPA I made was exactly that; hop vodka.