Fookin Buggerin Time Barleywine By Jeremy Cowan

Fookin Buggerin Time Barleywine
By Jeremy Cowan

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.106 FG = 1.030
IBU = 70 SRM = 22 ABV = 11.3%

Winner of Because Beer Homebrew Competition (Hamilton, Ontario: 500 entries)

Ingredients
17 lbs. (7.7 kg) pale ale malt
1 lb. (454 g) Briess Special Roast malt (40 °L)
1 lb. (454 g) carastan malt (35 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
6 oz. (170 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
9 oz. (255 g) crystal malt (120 °L)
1 lb. (454 g) brown sugar (30 min.)
25 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 16.7% alpha acid)
2.8 AAU UK Golding hops (20 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.6% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) UK Golding hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1028 (London Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) or Lallemand Windsor yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make at least a 2-qt. (2-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. If opting for the dry yeast option, be sure to pitch 2 sachets.

On brew day, mash in the malts at 150 °F (66 °C) in 40 qts. (38 L) of water, and hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Sparge slowly with 170 °F (77 °C) water until 8.2 gallons (31 L) of wort is collected. Reserve the final 1 gallon (4 L) of wort collected. Boil this wort separately to reduce to 1 quart (1 L), then add to the main volume of wort.

Boil the full volume of wort for 180 minutes (that’s right, three hours), adding the hops at times indicated in the ingredients list. Add the brown sugar in the last 30 minutes. Chill to 64 °F (18 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for one week, then raise to 70 °F (21 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.

Fookin Buggerin Time Barleywine
By Jeremy Cowan

(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.106 FG = 1.030
IBU = 70 SRM = 22 ABV = 11.3%

Ingredients
11.5 lbs. (5.2 kg) light liquid malt extract
1 lb. (454 g) Briess Special Roast malt (40 °L)
1 lb. (454 g) carastan malt (35 °L)
4 oz. (113 g) crystal malt (40 °L)
6 oz. (170 g) crystal malt (80 °L)
9 oz. (255 g) crystal malt (120 °L)
1 lb. (454 g) brown sugar (30 min.)
25 AAU Magnum hops (60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 16.7% alpha acid)
2.8 AAU UK Golding hops (20 min.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 5.6% alpha acid)
0.5 oz. (14 g) UK Golding hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1028 (London Ale) or White Labs WLP013 (London Ale) or Lallemand Windsor yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)

Step by Step
Two or three days before brew day, make at least a 2-qt. (2-L) yeast starter, aerating the wort thoroughly (preferably with oxygen) before pitching the yeast. If opting for the dry yeast option, be sure to pitch 2 sachets.

Use 8 gallons (30 L) of water in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C). Place the malts in a mesh bag, and steep in the hot water for 30 minutes. Remove the mesh bag, then turn the heat off. Add the liquid malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve the extract completely. You do not want to feel liquid extract at the bottom of the kettle when stirring with your spoon. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil the wort for 180 minutes, adding the hops at the times indicated in the ingredients list. Add the brown sugar in the last 30 minutes.

Chill to 64 °F (18 °C). Oxygenate, then pitch the yeast starter. Ferment at 66 °F (19 °C) for one week, then raise to 70 °F (21 °C) until fermentation is complete. Prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate.

Tips for Success:
A high-gravity beer like this absolutely needs enough healthy yeast cells for the fermentation to be successful. Jeremy has been refining this recipe since 2013 and he recommends using at least two smack packs of yeast if not making a starter (although a starter is highly recommended). For more on making a yeast starter, check out byo.com/resources/build-a-yeast-starter.

His recipe creates a dark and sweet English barleywine that tastes best after at least 10 months of aging — that was the age of the beer that won BOS. For more about aging your homebrew, check out byo.com/story150.