Barley wine

Barley wine
Barley wines range in colour from translucent deep amber, to cloudy mahogany (left), to near opaque black (right).
Country of originEngland
Yeast typeTop-fermenting
Alcohol by volume6–12%
Color (SRM)8–22 (English)
10–19 (American)
(24–48 EBC)
Bitterness (IBU)35–70 (English)
50–120 (American)
Original gravity1.080–1.120
Final gravity1.018–1.030 (English)
1.016–1.030 (American)
Malt percentage100%

Barley wine is a strong ale from 6–12% alcohol by volume.[1]

History

Advertisement for Bass' No.1 Barley Wine

The first beer to be marketed as barley wine was Bass No. 1 Ale, around 1870.[2]

The Anchor Brewing Company introduced the style to the United States in 1976 with its Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale.[3] Old Foghorn was styled as "barleywine" (one word) out of fear that occurrence of the word "wine" on a beer label would displease regulators.[4] In 1983, Sierra Nevada Brewing released Bigfoot Barleywine, becoming the second barley wine label in the United States.[5]

Characteristics

Barley wine typically reaches an alcohol strength of 6 to 12% by volume and is brewed from specific gravities as high as 1.120; equal to 320g/L of sugars. Use of the word "wine" is due to its alcoholic strength similar to a wine, but since it is made from grain rather than fruit, it is a beer. Breweries in the United States typically release it once a year during the autumn or winter.[5]

The two primary styles of barley wine are the American, which tends to be hoppier and more bitter, with colours ranging from amber to light brown[6] and the English style, which tends to be less bitter and may have little hop flavour, with more variety in colour ranging from red-gold to opaque black.[7][8] Until the introduction of an amber-coloured barley wine under the name Gold Label by the Sheffield brewery Tennent's in 1951[9]

Beer writer Michael Jackson referred to a barley wine by Smithwick's thus: "This is very distinctive, with an earthy hoppiness, a wineyness, lots of fruit and toffee flavours." He also noted that its original gravity is 1.062.[10]

Barley wines, such as Thomas Hardy's Ale, are sometimes labelled with a production date, as they are intended to be aged, sometimes extensively.[11]

Many jurisdictions have different taxing schemes for potables based upon alcohol content. Since barley wine has a high alcohol content, it is, in some jurisdictions, taxed at a higher rate than other beers.[12]

Wheat wine

A variation on the barley wine style involves adding a large quantity of wheat to the mash bill, resulting in what is referred to as "wheat wine". This style originated in the United States in the 1980s.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Barley wine", Michael Jackson
  2. ↑ Watts, Henry. A dictionary of chemistry and the allied branches of other sciences, Volume (1872).
  3. ↑ Holbrook, Stett (December 25, 2003). "Rich, chewy barley wine takes time". San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. ↑ Carter, Justin (2018-12-07). "Anchor Brewing | Old Foghorn Barleywine". PorchDrinking.com. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  5. 1 2 Jones, Kendall (Winter 2018). "The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Barleywine". Sip Northwest. Winter 2018: 12.
  6. ↑ "Yeast Style Guide: American Barleywine". Wyeast Laboratories. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
  7. ↑ "Yeast Style Guide: English Barleywine". Wyeast Laboratories. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19. Retrieved 2012-08-31.
  8. ↑ "Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines". Brewers Association. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Cornell, Martyn. Amber Gold & Black, 2010, p168
  10. ↑ Jackson, Michael (February 1, 1993). "Brewery with its own abbey - it must be Ireland". What's Brewing.
  11. ↑ Tepedelen, Adem (Nov–Dec 2009). "A Winter's Ale". Imbibe. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "Skattesatser på alkohol". Skatteverket. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Bernstein, Joshua M. (17 October 2012). "Wheat of the Moment". Imbibe Magazine. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
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