Barleywine -- NO, ACTUALLY: Imperial Stout

Whadaya think of this one?

Whaddya think:
% Malt              Malt Type                          SRM
0.829268293 Pale Malt (2 row) US           2
0.073170732 Caramel/Crystal Malt 120L  120
0.024390244 Special B Malt                    180
0.036585366 Black Barley (Stout)            500
0.012195122 Black (Patent) Malt             500
0.024390244 Aroma                               100

Hops (g)               Boil add
1275  Nugget        60min
500   Warrior   60min
500   Centennial   15 min
500    Willamette  15min

Spice (g) Boil add
150 Génépi 5 min

Est IBU 69.3, OG 1.104, ABV 11.30%

But… what yeast? Critique away!

I think 5% black malts is a lot for a BW. I would cut back to reduce the roastiness and just allow for the color.

I would brew a pale ale and use the slurry from that to produce the BW. Probably WY1056 or WLP001

each to his own tastes… but I am of the opinion that a barley wine should really be almost entirely 1 malt. All that wonderful complexity comes from a really long boil. Here is my current favorite

100% munich 10L

First runnings only, boiled for 120 minutes, hops at 120 minutes and 30 minutes (for my last one it was all belgian goldings, I don’t remember how much but the recipe is in the wiki as First Rain barley wine). This is for an english style BW so the hops are really just there to balance the residual sweetness. for an american you would want more or at least later, hops.

That being said, I agree with Bluesman on cutting your dark malts way down or eliminating them altogether. maybe even up the 2 row to ~97% and fill the last 3% with c120 and a little black barley or caraffa II for color.

What size batch are you talking about? it looks like you have about 6 lbs of hops so I am guessing this is a big batch. also Genepi? so you are adding absinthe to your barley wine? interesting! Or just wormwood? if wormwood I would think about maybe even lowering the hops a bit more as it is quite bitter.

Yeast, for english styles I really liked the result I got with wyeast 1098. for american I would use s05 or something similarly clean and highly attenuative.

I would use more hops.  If you plan on aging this beer, then the hop character can fade over time.

+1  That and the high starting gravity (and likely corresponding high FG).

I’m not sure what end result you’re trying to achieve but I cringed a little at all of the crystal and dark malts.  That’s just a gut reaction and I don’t really know what you’ll get with that grist.  But if it were me I’d simplify and drop out a lot of the crystal.

Since this is likely going to end up with a relatively high FG the roasted barley might add an interesting astringency which could help offset the residual sweetness.  Plus if you’re going for a black beer that’ll get you there.

This one did well for me and the wife.  :wink:

http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/CreativeDestructionBarleywine

Check out the 2011 winner, same name and tweeked a little.

Edit to say, apparently this is for an imperial stout, not a barleywine. Sorry for confusion.

Bait and switch.

I would still look over the NHC winners for ideas.  Come in handy when doing a style that I have not brewed much or have never brewed.

Well that changes things. :wink:

In that case I would probably increase your black/roast malt additions. Also check out the NHC recipes as Jeff has indicated. This is a beer that benefits from extended aging so plenty of dark/roasted malts will be good.

Ha,

I was going to say earlier that the recipe reminded me of my first barleywine which turned out to be much closer to an Imperial Stout. +1 on upping the dark grains a bit.

+1 on adding more dark grains.  I would actually add some roasted barley.  I would use either an american ale or english ale yeast depending on what type of attenuation you want.