Unlike many recipes that seem to be a collection of leftover malts and remainder hops this Barleywine is very specific in its ingredient list, exact weights and method. It is not a difficult recipe but it is time consuming to do properly. First, we're after an OG of 1.104 and an ABV of 11.03%. Here we go!

Bring 6.5 gallons of water just to a boil and dissolve in 1 Tbsp of Five Star 5.2 Ph stabilizer. Preheat your mash tun with 1 gallon of boiling water and drain it after 10 minutes. Always add grain to water, not the reverse. Calculate the grain temp and volume for a mash conversion at 148F. The strike temp will likely be in the range of 160F-168F, (but you must calculate this exactly). Convert for 60 minutes at 148F. Now calculate a second step infusion temp for at 152F by adding 1.75 gallons for 30 minutes. Drain 6.0 - 6.25 gallons of wort. Your OG at this stage will be about 1.080 - 1.085. Remove 2 gallons to a smaller stainless pot and gently boil-off 33% of the volume leaving 1.33 gallons. This will caramelize the wort as wll as increase the OG. Pour the 1.33 gallons of caramelized wort back into the main boil.

This will be a 60 minute boil. Bring main wort pot to a boil. After first heat break add 2 oz fresh Nugget hops to a hops bag and boil for 60 minutes. At the last 20 minutes of the boil add Irish Moss. At the last 7 minutes add the Cascade hops, (in a hops bag). At boils end remove hops and squeeze wort as much as possible with a sterile spoon/spatula. You should have approximately 4.25 gallons of high gravity wort, (very close to 1.104). Cool wort quickly down to 65F-70F via coil or chill plate. Oxygenate wort well for 60-90 seconds using an oxygen kit and wand. Now comes a very important part unlike many fermentation methods. Do not pitch yeast. You will pitch the 4.25 gallons onto a yeast cake of US-05 of a previous fermentation or prepared culture not more than 7 days old. US-05 will complement the Barleywine's character and final gravity. After 5 days oxygenate again and make a prepared cream of one packet (11 grams), of Nottingham yeast and pitch again. Let ferment in primary for 9 additional days then decant to glass or stainless for secondary fermentation for 6 weeks.

Priming to bottles required additional considerations. First, bottling will require less priming sugar. Use about half what you normally use, (22g DME/gal or 12g Dextrose/gal). Also, when preparing the priming sugar, cool to 75F and add 15-20 grams, (2-3 Tbsp), of live krausening yeast from your fermentation bucket. Slurry well the priming solution then decant from your secondary onto this slurry in the bottling bucket. Fill bottle to 1" inch from the top on long-necks and cap with oxygen absorbing caps.

This Barleywine is best after 12 months of bottled fermentation. It is creamy with a very subtle fruit finish and a rich, satisfying mouth-feel. The hops are perfectly balanced with the first run barley richness. I brew this twice yearly with great anticipation each time. It will yield only 4 cases so brew often and let me know if you have found a way to improve it.