Planning on brewing a barleywine in January for next year. Any thoughts on whether or not this is a good candidate for a second runnings? If so, any recommendations?
What OG are you shooting for with your BW? I go for about 1.100 no sparge, and get a second runnings beer in the 1.050-1.060 range.
1.100 is the aim. This will be my first barleywine and I simply figured that as long as I’m using all that malt, I ought to put it to good use.
What style do you craft for your second runnings beer?
I would pick something English or even a Pale Ale
Throw some crystal and chocolate on top, sparge, and make an English brown ale. I like to mix some of the first runnings back in, otherwise I find a pure second runnings beer to be excessively grainy.
I just wing the second runnings beer. It usually ends up as an APA or Am. brown. As Gordon suggests, we throw in some crystal to alleviate the thinness that can come form a second runnings beer. Beyond that, it’s whatever strikes our fancy…chocolate, Victory, maybe some Munich (altho9ugh you do have to give it time to convert)…
This is good info. I plan on making a BW on Jan.1st (made my first last Jan.1st) and this sounds like a good plan of making two beers since BW takes so long to enjoy. How do you add the crystal to the second runnings?
sorry, I just saw Gordon’s post :-[
I’ve not used Munich malt before. Conversion takes longer than a 60 min. mash?
If I cap the mash during second runnings, it’s always with something that can be steeped not something that needs to be mashed. If I wanted to toss some Munich in, I think I’d just do a mini-mash in a side pot while the main mash was going, and then mix it in after the first batch had been run off.
He’s referring to adding the Munich into the mash after the first runnings have been drawn off. In that case you need to allow time for the Munich to convert. Or as Gordon says run a mini-mash alongside the main mash to save time.
Just add it to the mash tun before you add the water for the 2nd beer.
That’s a good idea. I just add it to the main mash and wait 20 min. or so before I run off.