British Barleywine — Home Brew Recipe
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Style: Barleywine | ABV: ~9.5% | Volume: 23 litres | Difficulty: Advanced
About This Recipe
Barleywine is the biggest, boldest beer in the British tradition — intensely malty, warming and complex, with a boozy depth that develops wonderfully over months of bottle conditioning. This is a special occasion brew that rewards patience above all else. Brew it in autumn, bottle it by Christmas, and it'll be at its best by summer.
Ingredients
- 5.5kg pale malt extract
- 400g Crystal Malt (Thomas Fawcett)
- 200g Dark Crystal Malt (Thomas Fawcett)
- 50g Summit hops (T90 Pellet) — 60 min
- 25g Centennial hops (T90 Pellet) — 15 min
- 20g Willamette hops (T90 Pellet) — flameout
- 2 packets Gervin GV12 Ale Yeast (double pitch for high gravity)
- Yeast nutrient
- ½ Protafloc tablet
Method
- Steep crystal malts in 4L at 67°C for 30 min.
- Dissolve malt extract — high gravity worts are thick; stir thoroughly. Begin 90-minute boil (longer boil aids colour development and boils off more water for a stronger beer).
- Hop schedule as above. Add yeast nutrient at 10 min.
- Cool carefully — high-gravity worts retain heat. Pitch both yeast packets at once.
- Ferment at 20–22°C for 14+ days. Expect a slow, vigorous initial fermentation.
- Bottle with a slightly reduced priming sugar dose (high-carbonation barleywine is unpleasant). Use a half carbonation drop per 500ml bottle.
- Age minimum 3–6 months. This beer is best at 12+ months.
Brewer's Notes
Don't skimp on yeast — a double pitch is essential at this gravity. If fermentation stalls, use Gervin GV7 Restart Yeast to get it going again. Patience is your most important ingredient here.