1-877-BEER-4-KOVID (Barley Wine) (BW)
Biggest beer to date.
Brewed 5.0 gallons on 2020-10-03
Preboil gravity: 1.101
Original gravity: 1.110
Final gravity: 1.010
ABV: 13.1%
Apparent Attenuation: 90.9%
Link about this beverage Tilt
Process notes
2020-10-24
Kegged. Murky brownish/red color. Some alcohol in the aroma, but not hot. Some caramel/grassiness. Some sharpness in the flavor, not sweet. Medium/light body. Fairly easy drinking for 13%. Some toffee-like flavor in the finish.
Boil for 90 minutes
At 90 minutes
2 pounds of Golden Light Malt Extract (DME) (Briess)
At 60 minutes
2 ounces of 11.1% Alpha Acid Magnum pellets (US Magnum)
At 15 minutes
0.5 teaspoons of Fermaid K
At 15 minutes
At 5 minutes
1 ounce of 2.5% Alpha Acid Styrian Goldings (Celeia) pellets
Mash
[95.65%] 22 pounds of Maris Otter (MuntonsMalt)
[4.35%] 1 pound of Caramel 120L (Briess)
Single infusion mash. Mashed with 6.33 gallons (1.10 quarts per pound) of reverse osmosis water for 75 minutes. 23lb of grain was used in the mash.
Strike water temp: (0.2/1.10) * (152 - 68) + 152 = 167.3
2.50g calcium chloride, 2.50g gypsum, and 0.90g baking soda added to water
After 0 mins
mash is 154°
After 30 mins
mash is 154°; pH is 5.10
After 75 mins
mash is 154°; pH is 5.19
Sparge
Sparged for 45 minutes with 4 gallons of 170° reverse osmosis water.
1.60g calcium chloride and 1.60g gypsum added to water
After 0 mins
pH is 5.09; specific gravity is 1.095
After 18 mins
pH is 5.18; Didn't take gravity measurement
After 45 mins
pH is 5.34; specific gravity is 1.035; Wort started out at 1.080. I took out 3L of wort + boiled it down to one liter on stove + added back to wort. After that and the DME the SG was 1.101
Yeast
2020-10-03
Pitch starter (started on 2020-10-01 with 2000mL water, StirPlate, 200 grams DME, 0.50 tsp FermaidK) made from 2 packs of WLP099 High Gravity Ale (WhiteLabs) at 67°.
Tasting notes (7.00/10; 3 ratings)
2022-01-21
[6/10] Brilliant clarity. Nice copper color. I wouldn't mind it a bit darker, but this does look great. Very slightly off-white head that leaves a full cover on the beer. Decent lacing.
Getting a bit of sweet caramel, and a little toast in the aroma. Next time, I should add a few ounces of some roasted malt or Special B to increase the complexity of the aroma. Almost has a creme-brulee burnt sugar aroma.
Medium-light body with some definite alcohol warmth/sharpness on the finish. Not harsh, but it'd be nice to find a way to round this out a little bit. Maybe some more crystal malt, a higher mash temp, or a less attenuative yeast to increase the body and sweetness?
Some burnt sugar in the flavor, but it's mostly dominated by the sharpness from the alcohol. Not sure how to describe it, maybe lemon pith?
Overall, a decently drinkable beer at 13%, but I'd definitely trade the alcohol for some residual sweetness to round it out.
Getting a bit of sweet caramel, and a little toast in the aroma. Next time, I should add a few ounces of some roasted malt or Special B to increase the complexity of the aroma. Almost has a creme-brulee burnt sugar aroma.
Medium-light body with some definite alcohol warmth/sharpness on the finish. Not harsh, but it'd be nice to find a way to round this out a little bit. Maybe some more crystal malt, a higher mash temp, or a less attenuative yeast to increase the body and sweetness?
Some burnt sugar in the flavor, but it's mostly dominated by the sharpness from the alcohol. Not sure how to describe it, maybe lemon pith?
Overall, a decently drinkable beer at 13%, but I'd definitely trade the alcohol for some residual sweetness to round it out.
2022-05-09
[8/10] Tasting this side-by-side with Sierra Nevada's 2022 Bigfoot.
Appearance: Both have great clarity. Very similar color, but Bigfoot might have more of a deep, ruby red, whereas mine is a bit more orange when light shines through it.
Aroma: Mine has a round, sweet alcohol, fruity berry nose. Usually, I think the aroma is pretty sharp, but compared to Bigfoot, Bigfoot has more of a pine, hop-forward aroma which comes off as sharper.
Flavor: Bigfoot is sweet, caramel balanced with bitter pine. Mine is sweet alcohol, sherry, with a softer bitterness.
Mouthfeel: They both have a sharpness and alcohol in the finish. Hops and alcohol in the Bigfoot. Both warming.
Overall: Mine is 13% vs 10% for Bigfoot, both are similarly easy drinking, although the crispness of Bigfoot probably makes it easier to drink. For an American Barleywine, mine needs more clean hop character.
Appearance: Both have great clarity. Very similar color, but Bigfoot might have more of a deep, ruby red, whereas mine is a bit more orange when light shines through it.
Aroma: Mine has a round, sweet alcohol, fruity berry nose. Usually, I think the aroma is pretty sharp, but compared to Bigfoot, Bigfoot has more of a pine, hop-forward aroma which comes off as sharper.
Flavor: Bigfoot is sweet, caramel balanced with bitter pine. Mine is sweet alcohol, sherry, with a softer bitterness.
Mouthfeel: They both have a sharpness and alcohol in the finish. Hops and alcohol in the Bigfoot. Both warming.
Overall: Mine is 13% vs 10% for Bigfoot, both are similarly easy drinking, although the crispness of Bigfoot probably makes it easier to drink. For an American Barleywine, mine needs more clean hop character.
2022-08-09
[7/10] Last pour. Tasting notes are the same as before. This has been decent, but this probably would've been better if it had attenuated less to get more body, more maltiness, and less alcohol sharpness.