I’m planning on doing an english style barley wine as a partygyle (1st runnings barelywine, second haven’t decided yet). I’ve got some Golden Promise that I am planning on using as my base malt.
What temp range do you think I should be shooting for a barleywine with an OG in the 1.090-1.100 range? 145-148 F to try and get it as fermentable as possible? How long should I mash?
Many recommend 149-151F for single infusions. I have been doing many beers at 153F, as Greg Doss reported the maximum fermentability for that temperature a couple years back at the NHC. Think local maximum of the curve.
have you seen any interesting results with bigger beers doing this? I read that presentation but I seem to have a block, I still head straight for 148 when the gravity gets up there.
Actually I did a partigyle English BW this weekend and I over heated my strike water so it came in at right around 154. I left it for 90 minutes so we will see.
To answer the OP I like 148 or less because I think even if it finishes a little low (1.010ish) there will be so much sweetness and body just from the alcohol that it will still be a sipper.
I find that the finished beer’s body/mouthfeel depends on the yeast, grain bill and mash temp combo. I prefer my barleywines to finish on the dry side to allow for better drinkability and avoid a cloyingly sweet finish. I also prefer using Chico yeast with an American style hop profile. This coupled with a lower mash temp in/around 148-150F has provided for good results with this beer style in my experiences.