I brew this beer in cycles, along with my English barleywine, every four years (like the Olympics), and then ration the bottles to force myself to age it. This should be a thick, malty, hoppy, bitter, high-alcohol beer. The interplay between the strong grainy pale malt flavors and the higher alcohols is balanced by slightly stronger bitterness and background (as opposed to foreground, as in the imperial IPA) of clear American hops flavors. Unlike the imperial IPA, American barleywine features a “strong, intense malt flavor” which, to my palate, is more reminiscent of Eisbock than anything else. Knowing the difference between the styles, though, helps you avoid making a sort-of IPA, and that principal distinction is in the role of malt. Both feature significant bitterness and hops character. A better approach is to think of American barleywine as a variant on imperial IPA. Come to think of it, “come back in about six months” is also good advice for brewing this beer! StyleĪmerican barleywine is often described as an American interpretation of English barleywine, which is technically true, though it isn’t very instructive.
If this is one of your first, say, ten beers brewed, move on and come back in about six months. Yeast strain and fermentation process are, therefore, highly significant here, which is why I’m always surprised when people are surprised when I tell them that my American barleywine is-gasp-a lager.įair warning: This is a challenging style. Given its ABV and aging requirements, these are pretty obvious. Well, when it comes to American barleywine, the biggest danger, by a mile, is getting either an under-attenuated, cloying mess-or, conversely, getting a hot, fusel-rich, alcoholic burner. If there’s a pitfall waiting for me out there, I set myself up to avoid it in several ways. In case you missed it, I’m a fan of not beating yourself up when it comes to brewing.