Old Bill

This is an English barley wine that I made last year for Christmas. It named it in the honor of my grandfather, who was known to drink a few beers in his day. I wish he were here to taste it. He had a sweet tooth too, so I think he would have enjoyed the cloying raisin viscosity.

Old Bill (2014)

Style: English barley wine

Water:

2 ½ gallons in brew kettle, heated to 155 F to steep specialty grains.

1 gallon in separate pot, heated to 155 F for sparging specialty grains.

Grains:

1 lb. 55 L British crystal malt

Extract:

11 lbs. extra light DME

Hops:

2 oz. East Kent Goldings pellets (bittering @ 60 min.)

1 oz. East Kent Goldings pellets (flavor @ 15 min.)

1 oz. East Kent Goldings pellets (aroma @ 5 min.)

1 oz. East Kent Goldings pellets (dry hop)

Fruit:

1 lb. of golden raisins added on the third day of primary fermentation. Bring to a boil in a quart of water and simmer for ten minutes. Turn off heat and use a potato masher to mash raisins into a pasty consistency. Cool and add to the primary.

Yeast:

Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale (two packets pitched in the primary).

A third packet of Wyeast 1084 (added to the secondary 3 days before bottling).

Other Ingredients:

1 Whirlfloc tab or 1 tsp. or Irish moss (added 15 minutes before flameout).

Water to add to the wort to achieve 5 ¼ gallons of total volume in the primary fermenter.

¾ cup of corn sugar or 1 ¼ cups of ex light DME boiled in 2 cups of water for five minutes to prime beer before bottling.

Notes:

I estimate the original gravity to be about 1.104 and the final gravity to be around 1.024, and the ABV should be around 10.5%.

Last time I made this I kept it in the secondary for about six weeks to thoroughly allow fermentation to complete and to let it clear. The end result was good, but sweeter and less carbonated than I would have liked. I think the yeast were tuckered out in the last mile. I think adding a second packet of 1084 at the beginning might help get a healthy fermentation started right away.