The new Session IPA category at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival featured 161 entries, making it the largest debut of any style category in the festival’s history. Clearly, we have a growing appreciation for flavorful styles that won’t knock us over. But let’s be honest. Sometimes we do want to be knocked over. And when that urge for a little fireside cheer strikes, one could do much worse than reach for a nicely aged barleywine. English or American, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s satisfying and decadent.
Brewing a barleywine does, however, require a bit more planning and finesse than brewing a Session IPA or an average-gravity ale. Here are some brewers’ secrets to making your barleywine a smashing success.
Simple Malt Bill
A great deal of malt goes into a barleywine grist, and the vast majority of it is base malt. We sometimes think of base malts as canvases upon which to drape specialty malts and hops, but the characteristics of the base malt become amplified in hearty styles such as barleywine. So take the time to seek out a flavorful base malt that has qualities that you’ll enjoy in concentration. Maris Otter and Golden Promise are two widely available base malts that work exceedingly well in British-style barleywine, but don’t overlook lesser known varietals such as Pearl, Optic, and Halcyon.