Lug Wrench Brew: Brother Barleywine, English Barleywine

Just after Thanksgiving of 2009, Lug Wrench brewed its third collaborative beer. Thanksgiving is a traditional time to gather together and enjoy the company of family and friends. Such a festive time should be remembered and enjoyed for years to come. So too should an English barleywine, a traditional strong ale style that is designed to be aged and enjoyed for many years. The style was also ideal for us, given that it is a full-bodied, high gravity, dark ale that would survive until we could meet again.

Neither of us had previously brewed a barleywine, so we started with the recipe found in Jamil Zainasheff's Brewing Classic Styles.

Brother Barleywine, English Barleywine

Recipe Specifics

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Batch Size (Gal): 5.5

Total Grain (Lbs): 22.75

OG: 1.096

FG: 1.018

SRM: 15

IBU: 64

ABV: 10.2%

Brewhouse Efficiency: 64 %

Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar

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16.5 lbs. Muttons English Pale Malt

5.0 lbs. Maris Otter Malt

0.62 lbs. Caramunich II

0.62 lbs. Crystal 120L

Hops

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1.65 oz German Magnum Pellets (11.8% AA) at 60 minutes

0.70 oz East Kent Goldings Whole Hops (4.5% AA) at 20 minutes

0.60 oz East Kent Goldings Whole Hops (4.5% AA) at 0 minutes

Extras

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1.0 Tab Whirlfloc at 15 Min

28 drops of Foam Control in the boil

Yeast

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17 grams – Danstar Nottingham, Dry Yeast

Mash Schedule

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60 min at 150°F

Notes

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Brewed on 11/29/2009 by the Wallace Brothers. Third collaborative brewing session.

The wort was aerated with an aquarium pump, sterile filter, and stainless stone for 20 minutes.

Yeast was pitched when wort was at 70°F. The beer was fermented and aged at 68°F for a month.

12/26/09 - Bottled the beer using bottle conditioning. Targeted 2.0 volumes of CO2.

2/9/10 - First tasting of beer. Nice level of carbonation. No hot alcohol, but beer has lots of character and a fair amount of residual sweetness.

5/30/10 - While the beer is still young, we were able to taste the brew together.