American Ales The Best American Barleywine

Title Format:
[Nameless] - [Am Barleywine] - [AG]

Message Format:
[Beer Name] Nameless
[Beer Style] American Barleywine
[Brew Type] All Grain
[Batch Size] 5.5 US gallons

[Efficiency Target]
60.5%, or as much as you can get.

[Grain Bill]
22 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 80.0 %
2 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2 7.3 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.5 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.6 %
4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 5 0.9 %

1 lbs Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 17 3.6 %

1.104 OG 1.028 FG 10.2% ABV

[Hop Bill]
2.00 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 84.2 IBUs
1.00 oz Summit [17.00 %] - Boil 45.0 min Hop 7 38.7 IBUs
1.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 8 40.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 9 12.4 IBUs
1.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 10 10.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 6.4 IBUs
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs

[Yeast]
US 05, California Ale, or Wyeast 1056

[Water]
I just backed down my tap water with RO to make it softer.

[Process]
Mash at 149 for an hour with a water ratio of 1.25 quarts/pound of grain (or less). Try to get as much sparge water through your system as you can.

Ferment at 65F with a healthy dose of yeast for this large beer.

I added the table sugar halfway through the fermentation. I didn't dilute the sugar. Just straight into the fermenter. The yeast chews through it slowly this way, and I seem to think that the yeast have an easier time with fermentation. Fermentation times will increase with this method, as the sugar clumps together with the trub at the bottom of the fermenter.

I used a healthy dose of fresh, dry, rehydrated yeast at priming time for this beer. If you bottle, this is mandatory.


Notes] See above. ^^^

 

Sorry for the delay. I kegged it. It was on tap within a month and it was very drinkable within 2 months. In my experience, most heavily hopped big beers tend to drink really well, taste awful for a few months, and then they get that really heavy wine flavor that makes them great after that.