Are barleywines easiest to brew?

So it's neither easier or harder, just more time consuming?

 

And what are your thoughts beyond the brew day?

Cheers!

 

Great Divide BA Old Ruffian Barley wine was undrinkable to me and my group--a bomber and a 17$+ drain pour.

 

Absolutely.

 

Funny, my highest rated American Barleywine is Flying Mouflan at 4.65.
Granted, back in 2011 I bought a case the day it hit the store and the beer was bottled only a couple days prior. Being that fresh, the hop flavor was amazing. But then it did go through an "awkward phase" over the next year when the hops were faded but the malt flavors didn't shine yet. Still have a couple bottles in the cellar, once the aged malt flavors took over, it was good again, in a completely different way.

I agree that fresh Blithering Idiot can be quite boozy and harsh. But after about 5 years in the cellar it turns out pretty decent. For English style, I love aged JW Lees Harvest Ale - a 10 year old bottle is my highest rated beer of all time at 4.91.

 

I'm so glad I checked this thread. I keep holding a bottle of that in the store, but always set it back saying "another day." Looks like I'll have to find another bottle to swoon over on my weekly visits.

 

Outside the additional time they will probably want on the schedule, or if it can go in a barrel. Not much. Not a big fan of the style tbh.

 

Yeah, I've quite enjoyed the couple JW Lees I've had so far.
Barleywines in general seems to be a very polarizing to personal tastes on a beer by beer basis. Much more so than many other styles it seems where people have a more consensus agreement on good ones vs bad ones. Just my observations from lots of forum reading.

 

I thought IPAs were the easier to because you just add a Bunche of hops?

 

I agree that seems to be true with a lot of higher ABV and barrel aged beers - big, bold, and sometimes boozy flavors can be hit or miss with people.

 

IPAs are easier than Barleywines.

Barleywines max out the mash tuns, so it takes longer to fill, and the extractions suffers. The boils are usually longer to hit the desired OG. The yeast pitch has to be large and viable, plenty of O2, and a second shot later is good. Fermentation control is critical, or it can get boozy from fuselage. Some say open fermentation is good for Barleywines, not all breweries are set up for that.

So there are a few things that make it more of a challenge.

 

No. That's the simple answer. Most taste the same because mass produced beer isn't about the product, but the profit.

Hoppy malty, boozy beer called barlywine is all too common. Drink an old Thomas Hardy's or JW Lee's Harvest...that's on another level.

 

I was trying to be facetious.

 

Ah, once again I take things too literally, the problem with being an engineer.

IPAs are easier to brew.

 

That's kind of a loaded statement.
I mean, honestly...who determines what "to style" even means????? (Certainly NOT the BJCP!!!!! All you have to do is read their " guidelines" to know that by and large, it is just a pantload.

 

Fresh Bigfoot??? I guess I'm maybe the "odd man out" here, but Bigfoot tastes better to me after it has been in the bottle for a year or more!!!
Of course, there's no right or wrong way. But I think that like most barleywines, it benefits from age.
There's a reason that traditionally, barleywines (aka, Old Ales) benefit a great deal from age.

Freshness is greatly overrated.

 

I guess I really like BF both ways--funny how it is so much different each way.

 

I was referring to a beer brewed without adjuncts unless the style calls for it.

 

Gotta agree about Mother of All Storms