This was my second attempt at a barrel aged beer. After I
racked my RIS into a tertiary carboy for some extended aging, I added my
English style barleywine to the barrel. For this barleywine I wanted to employ
an old English tactic for complexity. I chose to use 100% Maris Otter malt and
give it an extended boil. The hope was to boil the wort down to a low volume,
which increases the sugars and hopefully raises the temperature above boiling,
and thus, increases the Millard effects on the sugars. It was an interesting
procedure and next time I’ll probably just take the first running and boil it
down. Adding the second running was a waste of time since I was just boiling
off the water to increase the gravity. Next time I’ll probably use the second
runnings for a mild or something.
Appearance: Clear
dark mahogany with deep reddish hues and an off white head about a finger thick
that slowly fades to a thin lacing over the top of the beer. I would have to
say this beer turned out very dark for being brewed with only pale malt. It’s
kind of impressive what the extended boil contributed, or at least what I’m
attributing the effects of the extended boil.
Aroma: Caramel, a
hint of vanilla and oak, lots of raisins, some figs and various dark fruits
with a splash of bourbon. The aroma turned out fruiter then I expected it to. I
wish some of the other aspects were more pronounced then they were and that the
raisin was a little toned down.
Taste: More raisins
on the front end with caramel after notes and a woody tannin finish. It’s sweet
but the bourbon complements it well and I think the oak helps prevent it from
being too cloying. I would have preferred it to be more complex like the aroma,
but for being single malt its pretty complex.
Mouthfeel: Medium
body with medium carbonation, perhaps a touch over carbonated, which makes the
body feel a little thinner then it in actuality.
Overall: I enjoy
the beer and I think it should age well. The tannins should fade with time and
I think some of the other aspects that I don’t particularly enjoy will also
fade and it should round out. I look forward to holding on to it until next
winter and see how it has changed. In the future I think I can gain further
complexity from adding different malts instead of the extended boil. It was an interesting
experience and I’m glad I tried it but I’m not sure it is worth it in the long
run.
