Mark's Bigfoot Barleywine Tap Handle
I’m a couple weeks overdue brewing this year’s barley wine. Last year, I brewed a barley wine on Valentines Day (nothing says, “I love you”, like barley wine:) and it turned out really nice. It came in at 13.8% ABV, a bit big for a barley wine, and tasted wonderful after aging. The nice sherry tastes came out after about nine months of resting. This year, I’m staying true to the same recipe, minus some Cascade hops for flavoring (can you imaging any decent brewer not having some Cascades on hand – I’m so embarrassed! – I do have some on order from Hops Direct 
, and I’m brewing pretty much the same ale.
My longest buddy ever, Eric, will be coming in on Amtrak Saturday morning (and joining us for a Stockton Thunder Hockey game that evening:) and brewing with me. Hopefully both Stephen and Brad will stop by for moral support (and an ale or two:). Here’s the recipe – only slightly altered from last year:
Mark’s Bigfoot
19-C American Barleywine
Author: Mark Ranes
Date: 2/14/08
Size: 5.28 gal
Efficiency: 70.0%
Attenuation: 70.0%
Calories: 535.29 kcal per 12.0 fl oz
Original Gravity: 1.156 (1.080 – 1.120)
Terminal Gravity: 1.047 (1.016 – 1.030)
Color: 18.64 (10.0 – 19.0)
Alcohol: 14.8% (8.0% – 12.0%)
Bitterness: 142.5 (50.0 – 120.0)
Ingredients:
1.0 tbsp 5.2 pH Stabilizer – added during mash
10.0 lb Pale Ale Malt(2-row)
10.0 lb Maris Otter
0.5 lb Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt
0.5 lb Crystal 60
0.5 lb Pale Chocolate Malt
6.0 lb Ultralight Extract (MoreBeer)
2.0 lb Corn Sugar
1.25 oz Summit (17.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.0 oz Centennial (10.5%) – added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
0.75 oz Nugget (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
1.0 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
1.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
2.0 oz Amarillo (8.5%) – added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
2.0 oz Centennial (10.5%) – added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
2.0 oz Summit (17.0%) – added dry to primary fermenter
2.0 oz Nugget (13.0%) – added dry to primary fermenter
2000 Starter with 2 vials White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale
and 1 vial White Labs WLP002 English Ale
I’ll be mashing in about 9:30 a.m. Additionally, I’ll be lucky to hit the numbers outlined above. My best guess is that the barley wine will come in at about 13% ABV.
Tomorrow I’ll be brewing the best beer I’ve ever brewed, Blue Flame Imperial IPA. I brewed this monster last fall and it was incredibly well received by friends, family and my Modesto Mashers buddies. Five gallons only lasted ten days during the holiday season! I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit to cut down the bitterness just a bit (from 223 to only 171 IBUs:) and kicked up the OG a little. Here’s the recipe:
Blue Flame Imperial IPA
Size: 5.04 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 487.58 per 16.0 fl oz (ouch!)
Original Gravity: 1.108
Terminal Gravity: 1.027
Color: 11.8
Alcohol: 10.84%
Bitterness: 171.39
Ingredients:
1 tbsp 5.2 pH Stabilizer – added during mash
19.0 lbs American 2-row
.5 lbs Cara-Pils
.3 lbs Crystal Malt 60°L
.3 lbs Crystal Malt 40°L
1.0 lbs Corn Sugar
1.0 oz Summit (17.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
.5 oz Summit (17.0%) – added during boil, boiled 45.0 min
.5 oz Nugget (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 45.0 min
.5 oz Summit (17.0%) – added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
1 oz Nugget (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
1.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 min
1.0 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 15 min
.5 oz Summit (17.0%) – added during boil, boiled 7.0 min
.5 oz Nugget (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 7.0 min
1 oz Summit (17.0%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
2 oz Summit (17.0%) – added dry to the fermenter once fermentation is complete
1 oz Nugget (13.0%) – added dry to the fermenter once fermentation is complete
1 1400 ml White Labs WLP001 California Ale Starter
Mash In – Liquor: 6.28 gal; Strike: 160 °F; Target: 152.0 °F
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I’ve already re-brewed this once before, but it didn’t turn out as well as the first batch. The wonderful piny and citrusy aroma weren’t as bright as the first batch. I think that it was the hops I used the second time. I do have more of the original Summit hops I used for the first batch (they seemed fresher and more brilliant in aroma than the hops I used for the second batch), so I’ll be using those for the flavoring, aroma and dry hop additions. I plan on entering this in in the Modesto Mashers June open category competition.
We have lifelong family friends coming into town to join us for a Stockton Thunder hockey game, so I need to blow this brew session out in a timely manner. Eric was the first person I knew who was a homebrewer, so I’m sure he’ll enjoy arriving while I’m still brewing. We’ll be heading up to Stockton before the game for dinner and a couple of pints at Valley Brewing. Hopefully they have a couple hop bombs on tap for the pre-game warmup!
